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South Dakota Must Do Scenic Drives
South Dakota surprised me with the amount of breathtaking scenic drives it offered in me in such a small state area. I never thought of South Dakota as a must-do picturesque drive state, but it honestly changed my mind from day 1. Three main scenic drives will be a must for your vacation if you follow or take inspiration from my summer South Dakota Road Trip. The three routes are all relatively close to Rapid City, SD, where I highly suggest you set up base camp. South Dakota Highway 240 This was the first scenic loop I did while in South Dakota and one that anyone visiting Badlands National Park…
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Black Elk Park – Custer State Park
Black Elk Peak in Custer State Park, South Dakota is not just the highest point in South Dakota but also the highest elevation point between the Rocky Mountains in the West and the Pyrenees Mountains in France! Located in Custer State Park, which I have covered previously and is probably my favorite park I visited in 2020. The park is one of the most popular parks in all of South Dakota, and a must-stop for anyone visiting this great state. Black Elk Peak is one of the main attractions in Custer State Park and offers some of the best views you will get in the entire state. The views from…
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Custer State Park South Dakota
Custer State Park in Southwest South Dakota is a hidden gem and highly recommended for everyone to visit. Custer State Park was never on my list of places to visit and a place I had never heard of until I started researching hikes and trails in the area. If you are using Rapid City, South Dakota, as a home base for your adventures in SD, then you have no excuse to skip Custer State Park. The park is less than an hour’s drive from Rapid City and offers countless activities to fill an entire weekend for nature lovers. My main goal is visiting Custer State Park was to hike the…
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Notch Trail Badlands National Park
The Notch Trail at Badlands National Park in South Dakota is my Number 1 recommendation for a moderate hike that most people should try. The hike is around 1.33 miles round trip and I would say can be completed within an hour depending on trail traffic. Unlike the other trails near it there is no boardwalk to follow instead it is a decently marked dirt path. After the cliff ladder which I will get to in a minute, you mostly will trace the edge of a cliff so if you are afraid of heights watch out. The main attraction of this trail and what makes it unique is the 50…
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Badlands National Park
Badlands National Park is a park found in Southwest South Dakota and a must do stop for all outdoor lovers in this part of the U.S. The Badlands National Park was truthfully never on my list of parks to visit since I just did not know much about the park or South Dakota in general. When I first started researching the park it truly intrigued me how such a massive park had never popped up as a must visit. The park itself is a whopping 244,000 acres and when you pull up the map of the park it is hard not to be overwhelmed. I originally planned only one day…
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The Dakotas Road Trip Day 3
My time in the Dakotas while jam packed showed me a part of the country, I never thought I would get a chance to see. Day 3 The third day of my road trip was a nonstop adventure of visiting some very touristy spots while also hiking the highest peak in the state of South Dakota. The start of my day took me to visit Mt. Rushmore and check a bucket list item I have had since watching the movie Richie Rich growing up. A weird move to think of the monument but that is just how my mind works sometimes. Driving from Rapid City is smooth with a relatively…
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The Dakotas Road Trip Day 1 and 2
This summer after cancelling multiple plans to travel abroad I settled on visiting two states that had been on my list for a while, North and South Dakota. I have had a goal to visit all 50 states and all 62 National Parks but there are some locations hard to reach than others. The Dakotas have been an area that I have wanted to visit for a long time but also just out of the way enough that I never made my way there. Being the summer of covid and not allowed to really travel abroad I decided to embark on an awesome solo road trip! The original planned ended…
