10 Tips for Visiting the Black Hills of South Dakota

The Black Hills of South Dakota SD are stunning American landscape. The rocks that catapult from these pine-covered hills and buttes make for scenery seldom found on the face of the earth.

Our first National Monument resides in these hills, as well as the highest peak east of the Rockies, one of the largest herds of bison on earth, and the spectacular Mt. Rushmore Memorial. Also found are some of the longest caves known to man, working gold mines, majestic hoodoos, and perhaps our nation’s most beautiful lake.

There is no shortage of incredible things to see and do in the Black Hills region.

The objective of our Ten Tips Articles is to quickly arm you with vital information you might not otherwise hear in the cacophony of fanboy travel advice. In this article we are going to give you ten simple tips for visiting the Black Hills of South Dakota, a place we lived for three months in the summer of 2021. We hope you enjoy.

1. See ALL the Badland Parks

Badlands National Park (link) is easy to find on the Interstate-90. Located about an hour east of Rapid City, most folks stopover while in transit. But did you know that there are two other Badlands Parks within a few hours of here?

Theodore Roosevelt National Park (link) is arguably more beautiful, and unquestionably less crowded. It is found 3 hours up the highway in North Dakota.

Toadstool Geologic Park (link) is found in NE Nebraska, 1.5 hours south of Rapid City. This is a true hidden gem and comes with high recommendation. Read about all three parks in our compare/contrast, The Battle of the Badlands: North Dakota vs. South.

Related Article: A Complete Guide to the Black Hills

2. Visit the Bison at Wind Cave or Custer State Park

The Bison is our National Mammal, a truly majestic beast capable of running 30 miles per hour and jumping six feet in the air. There is nothing like basking in the glory of a bison.

The single best place to find bison is within the boundaries of Wind Cave National Park. Despite the feature being a cave, the National Park is 44 square miles, most of which is grasslands.

The second best place to find a herd is in Custer State Park. The State Park is larger, so you’ll have to drive a greater distance to track the beasties down. The best time of the day to find the herd is in the early morning hours after sunrise.

Learn more by reading A Complete Guide to Wind Cave National Park.

3. Don’t Prioritize Deadwood

Deadwood is the most famous city in South Dakota, and holds a place in Wild West folklore along with Tombstone, Dodge City, and others. In Deadwood’s heyday, folks of the toughest caliber came to town for whiskey, women, and back breaking labor.

In a way, the stories of yesteryear are all the town has going for it. While the setting is beautiful, the experience has become unforgivably contrived. All these years later we’re left staring at shot glasses and keychains and an overpriced bacon burger in a middling restaurant with a catchy name.

If you want to know all the things to see and do, we’ve done our best to give you an Honest Review of Deadwood, South Dakota.

Related Article: Minuteman Missile Site, What to See and Do

4. Hike the Black Elk Peak in Black Hills South Dakota

The might be the best thing to do in the Black hills of South Dakota. The top of Black Elk Peak is the highest point east of the Rocky Mountains — until you hit the Alps in Europe.

Imagine a setting defined by rocky outcrops and pine-covered buttes. The peaks protrude like a stegosaurus spine across the landscape and into distance.

The Black Hills culminate emphatically at Black Elk Peak. This is the beating heart of the region. Read How to Hike the Black Elk Peak to learn more.

5. Don’t Forget About the Devil’s Tower

The Native tribes have deep cultural ties to Devil’s Tower — they call it Bear Lodge, and the mythical story attached to it is beautiful. Because it is technically found an hour or two west of the Black Hills, people tend to forget about the Devil’s Tower. This is a mistake.

In 1906, Theodore Roosevelt designated the geologic marvel our nation’s first National Monument. Due to a bad translation, it was dubbed Devil’s Tower instead of Bear Lodge.

When you walk around the Devil’s Tower, it is hard to take your eyes off of it. The 870′ behemoth looms magnificent. Learn more by reading Sunrise at Devil’s Tower, Wyoming

If you love to travel, we have something we would like to give you. It is our professionally designed e-book and it is FREE of charge. We think it’s pretty great, and we’re hopeful you’ll like it, too. It’s called, “Cultivating a Lifetime of Travel”. Click HERE. and we’ll send it on over!

6. Sturgis is a Sight to Behold in Black Hills South Dakota

Quite the opposite of Deadwood, the Sturgis experience is legit frontier madness. Over the course of a 10-day celebration the event will see as many as 750K participants.

You do not need a bike to enjoy Sturgis. Just show up to town and fall in line. The Sturgis Rally starts the First Friday in August.

The festivities get squirrely at night, in the bars, and especially at the Buffalo Chip. That’s not our speed — We stopped in for breakfast on a Wednesday — But if you’re an animal, there you go!

Related Article: Black Hills South Dakota with Kids

7. Enjoy a Scenic Drive or Two

One of the best ways to take in the spectacular Black Hills landscape is to drive a scenic road. The two most popular are the Needles Highway and Iron Mountain Road.

The Needles Highway begins near Sylvan Lake, a can’t miss site mentioned below. It then carries through a series of tunnels including The Needles Eye, and passes the Inspiration of Mount Rushmore and Cathedral Spires Trailhead. The first 2 miles are the best by far.

Iron Mountain Road is 17-miles long with 314 curves, 14 switchbacks, 3 tunnels, and 3 pig-tails. It begins near Mt. Rushmore and winds southward toward the Needles Highway. 

Learn more about these scenic drives and more in Custer State Park Things to Do.

8. Walk Around Sylvan Lake in Black Hills South Dakota

Sylvan Lake is one of the most beautiful lakes in the United States of America. Walking around the lake (one mile RT) is one of the best things to do in the Black Hills.

Everywhere you look around Sylvan Lake is fantastic scenery. And best of all, no motorized vehicles are allowed on the lake, so it’s quiet and still regardless of the shuffling crowds.

On the backside of the lake you’ll find a waterfall and the Sunday Gulch Trailhead. The 3-mile RT trail both initiates and terminates behind the lake. Learn more by reading Sylvan Lake, South Dakota.

9. Stay in Custer or Hill City

Of the seven primary towns in the Black Hills of South Dakota only three of them are central to the primary attractions: Custer, Hill City, and Keystone. And in all honesty, we have no use for the kitschy town of Keystone.

Custer and Hill City are both attractive and authentic frontier towns. All of the primary Black Hills attractions are within an hour of town (most within 30 minutes).

To learn more about the pros and cons of the Black Hills towns, check out The 7 Best Towns to Visit in the Black Hills.

10. Be Sure to Check Out Hot Springs, SD

Hot Springs is the forgotten child in the hierarchy of Black Hills towns. Located at the southern end of the region, about 15 minutes away from Wind Cave National Park, Hot Springs is worth the drive for those seeking an authentic town unaffected by tourism.

Unlike other small cities in the area, Hot Springs was not inspired by the gold rush, but by mineral springs known to the natives as Minnekahta. In addition to the assorted ways visitors can indulge these healing waters, travelers can marvel at the Mammoth Site archeological dig, one of the most interesting things happening in the entire Black Hills region.

To learn more check out our Complete Guide to Hot Springs, South Dakota.

An Honest Conclusion for Black Hills South Dakota Tips

The Black Hills of South Dakota are one of America’s finest landscapes. The geological marvels found in this region have been astounding visitors for generations. To answer the question, Are the Black Hills worth visiting, the answer is an emphatic Yes.

However, this is not a fool-proof vacation. It’s easy to fall into the Keystone tourism trap or the Deadwood isolation mistake. Folks fail to visit Sylvan Lake, Wind Cave, or the Devil’s Tower, which is a substantial misstep when you’ve traveled this far into middle-America.

Mt. Rushmore and Badlands National Park make for fine attractions, but the Black Hills have so much more to offer. Please check out our Complete Guide to the Black Hills to reference all your options, their locations, and juxtapose that with where you’ll lodge in the region. In addition to excursions, the food isn’t very good here, so you’ll want to know some of the better choices.

The Black Hills are large enough where planning is vital. The last thing we want on vacation is to feel like we’re lapping the highways every day, eating at lousy restaurants, and eventually learning we missed a good portion of the great attractions.

Thank you for stopping by our website! We are the Hoffmann family, a full-time RV family that has split residence in Seattle, Washington and San Antonio, Texas. We have special needs children that we homeschool, and work travel assignments for the Veteran Affairs Hospital. If you would like to learn more about us, check out our Start Here and Biography pages.

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