Hey campers!  This is Leg 3 of our #ptparadsummer2019 vacation.  We were tucking into bed at Cedar Pass Campground at Badlands National Park at the end of our Leg 2 post (catch up on Leg 1 here).  In this post, we explore the Black Hills of South Dakota including Mount Rushmore National Monument, Jewel Cave National Monument, Wind Cave National Park, and Custer State Park.  Let’s get into it!

Day 5 – 02 July 2019 – Drive from Badlands National Park to Blacks Hills National Forest and Jewel Cave National Monument

Yet another storm blew through the evening and we stepped out of Patty to a soaked mess of a campground.  Fortunately, we put everything away before we went to bed so all we need to do was hook up the truck and raise the jacks and point west to the Black Hills.  We opted to take the two-lane SD-44 Highway instead of I-90.  It’s usually nice to take it slow on the back roads and see the less traveled roads.  However, winter was decidedly cruel to SD-44’s maintenance.  SD-44 was a pothole and frost heave zone.

After giving the truck and trailer suspensions (and our kidneys) a work out, we cruised to Forest Road 650 in the Black Hills National Forest and found a dispersed camping site.  Our plans for these few days were relatively flexible.  With some daylight remaining, we didn’t want to waste it.  So we unhooked the truck and headed to Jewel Cave National Monument.

Jewel Cave National Monument

Showing up unplanned to Jewel Cave turned out to be a slight miscalculation.  To get down to the cave, you must have a reservation.  In the summer season they sell out of most of the tours by mid-morning.  Well, poop.  The visitor center still had a wealth of information and the topside of the cave still has plenty to see.  The kids enjoyed it despite not getting underground.

We did the kids’ junior ranger books, hiked a trail, and spent a little more time around the visitor center.  Our miscalculation didn’t ruin our day though.  We got back to our campsite and got dinner started.

Back at Camp, Forest Road 650, Black Hills National Forest

Mom made a camping favorite:  tortellini, garlic bread, and vegetables.  Of course, there was dessert!  Some ice cream outside in the peaceful quiet of the Black Hills National Forest was a perfect way to finish dinner.  After our food settled, we explored up the forest roads some and the kids had a blast riding their bikes through all the big washes and down the steep hills.

The sun started setting and we needed to get to bed because we had a big day on 03 July.

 

Day 6 – 03 July 2019 – Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park, Wind Cave National Park

Mount Rushmore

We got up early to beat the crowd at Mount Rushmore National Monument.  We arrived just a few minutes after the monument opened.  A few folks beat us in, but we didn’t have to work hard for a parking spot.  The kids were impressed with the monument.  They worked on their Junior Ranger books and we walked the trail around the base of the mountain around to the studio.  Erin and I went to Mount Rushmore right after we got married and the kids wanted to go forever, so we had to recreate the photo.

Mount Rushmore is certainly a place to see, but we find an hour is enough to do everything.  I’m sure the evening programs and the fireworks (that are allegedly returning in 2020) would be pretty great.  Since those activities weren’t available, we shot out to Custer State Park.

Custer State Park

There are some really great state parks out there.  I’m sure there are many that could qualify as a National Park.  Custer certainly has to be close to the top of that heap.  It is certainly the crown jewel of the Black Hills.

We arrived to the park around 11 am.  After driving a bit, we found a picnic area and had lunch.  The kids played in stream running by the picnic area for a bit before we drove further into the park.  There is much to see in the park.  We were disappointed when we couldn’t score a campsite in the park. So we had to settle on driving around.  We focused most of our time in the park on the Wildlife Loop.  I think we got to see all of the big animals in the park.  Several, quite up close!

We continued around the loop and took a detour to Wind Cave National Park.

Wind Cave National Park

The drive into Wind Cave National Park is incredible.  I didn’t know what to expect beyond a cave, but it is amazing.  Murphy was determine for us to not see a cave on this trip.  The elevator at Wind Cave was out, so there were no tours given.  The Park Rangers compensated by having several displays and a heavy presence in the already great visitor center.  The kids got individual attention from three rangers for as long as they wanted to talk to them.  As with any ranger interaction, we learn plenty.  But having 20 minute conversations were really fascinating.  The kids finished up their Junior Ranger books and we took the recommendation from the rangers to hike the Rankin Ridge Trail.

The trail is a fairly steep climb up to a fire tower.  The views on the top of the ridge are amazing.  Even though we didn’t get to the cave, I think Wind Cave National Park was in my top two parks we visited.  It was just beautiful.  I could have spent another day exploring the top side.

Needles Highway

On the way back to the campsite, we followed the Wildlife Loop the rest of the way around and followed the Needles Highway.  A storm rolled in while we were on the highway.  As the rain fell heavier and fog began to rise, the views were unfortunately obscured.  We saw some amazing views as the rain rolled in and the kids were amazed by the tunnels on the highway.

Back at camp, the sky opened up again.  At this point we were rained on more than we were dry.  Not knowing, we still had a few more days of crummy weather and the worst coming up in our next post.  Thanks for reading.

 

-See you out there

 

Part-Time Paradise