Our 9-Day South Dakota itinerary is about the beautiful and highly accessible outdoors, primarily using a single base to take in the best things to do near Rapid City, South Dakota. This trip length is ideal for both domestic and international visitors (domestic travelers may want to use our “extras” suggestion to add one more day, while international travelers can utilize the additional day to travel in-and-out of the United States).

This outdoors-centric South Dakota road trip features scenic drives through multiple national and state parks. Manageable day hikes to explore natural areas further, enjoying sweeping views, and taking a canoe across a beautiful mountain lake. And thousands of miles of roads and trails for ATV adventurers (suitable for everyone). Explore these diverse landscapes in various ways within only a short drive from Rapid City.

Temporarily leave your Rapid City base with one overnight stay in North Dakota and a day-trip into neighboring Wyoming. Experience patriotism and natural beauty with the full majesty of Mount Rushmore and the fun-filled outdoor variety performance in Medora.

In our opinion, South Dakota and this entire regional area are highly underrated; families or couples, young or old, take this trip!

Below, we have highlighted the S-C-H-O-L-A-R items featured in this South Dakota itinerary. While we primarily focus on the best things to do in/around Rapid City, this trip itinerary also involves a one-night stay in North Dakota and a side-trip to Wyoming. Enjoy!

The Medora Musical is a nightly summer performance featuring singing, dancing, comedy, history, patriotism, and fireworks. There is a little bit of everything in the show, including live horses on the stage and bunches upon bunches of American patriotic feelings!

The setting, just outside the national park’s boundary, is an equal partner to this attraction. An outdoor amphitheater with a backdrop featuring the North Dakota badlands and the Hollywood-like Medora sign on a hill above the stage.

Our travel guides for South Dakota and North Dakota have a wide-range of suggestions covering venues and festivals within each state. Use these great resources as potential add-ons for your trip.

Culture can suggest a wide-variety of activities. Often, unique institutions can become a part of popular culture over time. Within South Dakota, the roadside Wall Drug location, just off Interstate 90, has become precisely this type of establishment. Open for what is now approaching one hundred years, Wall Drug became known for its large highway billboards and signage that eventually made its way around the globe.

The store remains a unique mixture of dining, activities, souvenirs, and gifts with a healthy dose of South Dakota history: western apparel, Native American jewelry, western art, a stage coach, and a paleontology store. There are also quirky elements like a giant rabbit, jackalope, and dinosaurs. Why not?

The Mount Rushmore National Memorial honors four U.S. presidents, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt, with their heads carved into a mountain-side within the South Dakota Black Hills.

On two parallel streets in downtown Rapid City, visitors can tour life-sized bronze statues of all past U.S. presidents. The City of Presidents walking tour is a fun way to revisit American history through unique posing and props associated with these former leaders.

South Dakota has an abundance of outdoor riches, particularly within the western portion of the state. And this trip’s outdoors is not limited to South Dakota alone, as you will also be traveling into North Dakota for one night and a quick morning day-trip into Wyoming.

During this South Dakota itinerary, you will embark on multiple scenic drives, wildlife viewings, and hikes within Badlands National Park, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Devils Tower National Monument, Spearfish Canyon, and Custer State Park. The opportunity to see a massive buffalo herd or have individual buffalo blocking the road in Custer State Park is an exceptional, not-to-be-missed experience.

For this South Dakota itinerary, travelers will largely stay at a single hotel in Rapid City, with just a one-night departure to travel up to North Dakota. In both locations, we opted for Marriott branded properties focusing on their convenient locations and the brand’s reliability. Remember, you won’t be in your room much anyway; you’ll be outside exploring South Dakota (plus North Dakota and Wyoming).

Two great ways to combine adventure with the great outdoors: 1) rent an ATV and spend the day riding (and getting lost) through hundreds of miles of remote trails in the Black Hills, and 2) canoeing on beautiful Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park.

In the Rapid City area, we are primarily focused on breakfast and desserts – bagels, donuts, and traditional breakfast; multiple ice cream joints, bakery items, and pie, oh yes, pie.

We also focus on a unique dinner setting and fixed menu, the Pitchfork Steak Fondue dinner in Medora, North Dakota, where you will dine before/after a visit to the Medora Musical.

Eating lunch/dinner at Cheyenne Crossing, where we’d focus on Indian tacos (and of course, dessert) should not be missed.

Arrive in Rapid City, South Dakota, by plane or by car. The airport is a highly convenient option for visitors, and most major rental car companies offer onsite locations. Our South Dakota itinerary utilizes Rapid City as its base for nearly the entire trip except for a one-night stopover in North Dakota. Most days, you will travel 30-90 minutes outside the city, making access to a rental car essential for those flying into Rapid City.

Driving to South Dakota is also a viable option. Rapid City is located alongside Interstate 90, which runs the length of the U.S. from Boston in the northeast to Seattle in the pacific northwest. If you are driving in from the east/southeast on this South Dakota road trip, please look at our article detailing roadside attractions and restaurants to break up your drive.

For most of this trip, you will stay in Rapid City. We would choose the Courtyard Marriott, located east of the city’s downtown and amid a cluster of hotel properties. The hotel is exceptionally convenient and sits at the intersection of Interstate 90 and U.S. Highway 16. This location provides quick access when traveling to destinations south, east, and west of the city, and is close to the airport, as well as to downtown Rapid City.

Here’s the deal with Mud Hole. It’s a locally owned restaurant (husband and wife). One handles the counter and customer service, while the other cooks. The restaurant is a cozy space, half of the square footage is an antique store/flea market and the remainder outfitted with tables for diners. The menu board is in the front and just to the left of the counter. The couple is super friendly, and it is very apparent they have lots of loyal, regular customers. And we have learned that these are absolutely the best places to go.

I had the biscuits and gravy on one visit (some of the best I’ve ever had, which is a notable find in South Dakota, not the deep south) and the pearl sugar waffle on another trip (another special surprise). Missy had an omelet both times and was delighted with the food. But most importantly, my dad loves the bacon – he proclaimed it some of the best bacon he’s ever eaten. Special note here, he was raised on a farm, so those guys are notoriously picky about their bacon!

Know that the Mud Hole is closed on weekends, so adjust your schedule accordingly. Ideally, you want to leave the Mud Hole by around 9 am because you have a nearly 2-hour drive ahead to reach Devils Tower National Monument. And then you will get to check another state off your bucket list. So welcome to northeast Wyoming!

Here is a quick tip for your drive into Wyoming – the Northeast Wyoming welcome center along Interstate-90 to Devils Tower is very nice (so if you need a morning pit stop, this is the perfect place).

There are plenty of dining options for you in this town of more than 14,000. Find a restaurant and sit down and enjoy your lunch, but try to leave for Spearfish Canyon by 3:30. A good option for most visitors is Dough Trader Pizza Company; the restaurant has been using the same starter for their hand-made dough for approximately 150 years. Order one of their specialty pizzas like King Leonidas or Lady Godiva, or feast on the Bacon Beets Goat entrée salad. My mention of goats might be foreshadowing here! Dough Trader is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and credit cards are banned here (i.e.-cash only).

Cheyenne Crossing was a former stagecoach stop along the route from Cheyenne, Wyoming, to Deadwood, South Dakota, back in the late 1800s. In our opinion, this is an institution (much like Wall Drug) that you need to visit while in this area. Eat the Indian fry bread, whether part of an Indian taco or one of several dessert options.

Be aware that the restaurant closes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but stays open until 7pm on other days.

After finishing dinner, you will have slightly more than a one-hour drive back to the hotel. Quite a busy day on your first full vacation day! And you’ve already covered two states (hint: you will reach the 3^rd state tomorrow).

Similar to yesterday, you will spend significant time driving from point-to-point on day three. As a result, we recommend comfortable clothing and sneakers for walking in downtown Rapid City. We would also encourage you to check evening temperatures in Medora, as this may require you to change to long pants/sweater or bring a light jacket, as the musical and dinner will both be outdoors, and temperatures can drop when the sun goes down in North Dakota.

Our suggestion for your walk would be to start on Main Street and walk down one side of the street to either 4^th or 9^th, then crossover and walk back down the opposite side, and then follow the same process on St. Joseph Street.

Our favorite statues: Franklin Roosevelt (including a podium with the old television network microphones), Chester Arthur (slightly embarrassed to say that I have never, ever heard his name before), Barack Obama (shown holding his daughter Sasha’s hand), JFK (with a young John Jr.), Ronald Reagan (in western attire), and Harry Truman (displaying the erroneous newspaper article identifying his opponent as the election winner).

The statues are individually crafted and have personal links with each president. We had fun trying to name the president without looking at the placards, and maybe we got 20% of these guesses correct. I’d challenge the history majors out there to take on this same guessing game during a visit. Which one is your favorite?

We’d recommend departing downtown Rapid City around noon because you have a nearly four-hour drive ahead of you. If you leave then, you will arrive at your hotel in Dickinson, North Dakota, by 4 pm. Enough time to check-in, unwind a bit in the room, and in just over one hour, you will depart for Medora.

Stay at the TownePlace Suites by Marriott in Dickinson. The hotel location is a good base for travel back-and-forth into Theodore Roosevelt National Park, with a relatively short and easy interstate drive of only 30-45 minutes to both the national park and Medora.

After eating breakfast in the hotel, you will make the quick trip to Walmart (or another Dickinson grocery store option) for lunch supplies.

Focus on arriving in Theodore Roosevelt’s South Unit Visitor Center by 10:45 am. There will be a lot to cram into 5-6 hours at two distinct national park locations, the central and Painted Canyon areas.

Try to focus on leaving your second park stop, Painted Canyon, by 4 pm to ensure you will return to Rapid City during daylight hours. Trust me, this is a very remote driving route, and we completed it on a dark, rainy night – not ideal! It can be an exhausting four-hour drive at the end of the day, and you still have to stop for a quick “drive-through” dinner.

Okay, the final step today… figuring out dinner. You will be starving because it has been a long day in the national park. Now, pull up a map of your route to Rapid City. Guess what; there is not much population, major cities, or restaurants on the way. And you have a four hour North Dakota and South Dakota road trip ahead of you!

Here’s how best to handle this proverbial food desert:

1. Eat a late lunch from your pre-purchased picnic supplies.
2. Buy extra dinner/snacks at your morning grocery run to hold you over a bit longer.
3. Remember those cookies you purchased yesterday back in Rapid City? Now is the time!
4. Drive through a fast-food restaurant in Sturgis, South Dakota; it’s nearly 3 ½ hours from Medora, but it’s also your first real opportunity for a quick meal during the drive.

If all goes as planned, you should reach your hotel by around 8 pm. And now you can thoroughly unpack and settle in because the rest of your trip will exclusively be in and around Rapid City.

In the past three days, you’ve visited three states. You’ve learned some history, watched an outdoor musical, seen waterfalls, visited a National Park and a National Monument. You have done and seen a lot. Now moving on to day five – you are just getting started and have more exciting days and many incredible experiences still in front of you.

By the way…If you would like to see much more detail on Theodore Roosevelt National Park or the Medora Musical, we have a separate, more detailed publication. We leave all the juicy non-logistical stuff to this other article.

You will be outdoors throughout the day, thus comfortable and casual clothes are recommended. The elevations will be 2,000-3,000 feet higher than in Rapid City, so temperatures are likely to be cooler than at the hotel (pack an extra layer, just in case).

Hiking shoes and hiking poles may be beneficial on today’s 4-mile hike, as there are relatively steep portions, but the walk is also quite adventurous (fun), and we expect your kids will love it. We suggest packing an extra pair of shoes because your hiking shoes may get wet during a portion of the hike.

Now that you’re back (for good) in South Dakota, we have quite a bit to see and do. Today will be a full day featuring some good food, a unique hiking trail, a genuinely spectacular monument, a scenic drive, and a day surrounded by the beauty at one of the country’s best state parks.

Start early. We’d suggest heading out to pick up donuts at around 7 am and bringing the donuts back to the hotel to eat. Missy and I picked up a dozen donuts from Jerry’s Cakes and Donuts. And yes, it was just the two of us, but don’t judge! When I ordered at the counter, it was slapstick comedy between one of the people serving me and a woman I believe to be one of the co-owners. From my perspective, that environment instantaneously made me smile (particularly that early in the morning, when a pick-me-up is what I needed).

We are big on local family-owned businesses, and this is another local institution in the Rapid City community. Yes, they have the typical donuts you may be accustomed to ordering, but also some unique offerings (ask them about each of these): delmonica, honey crunch, buttercrunch, and chocolate/white/peanut butter iced cinnamon rolls (yep, you read that correctly). Our biggest takeaway: we loved the icing!

Coming off that sugar high and a full belly, you’re ready to get outside and work down some excess energy. We suggest leaving the hotel for Mount Rushmore around 8 am. You will have an approximate 45-minute drive to Mount Rushmore from the hotel, and hopefully, that relatively early arrival (and planned weekday visit) will keep down the Memorial’s traffic numbers.

According to the National Park Service, Mount Rushmore is very popular and typically receives more than 2 million annual visitors. A morning visit should also be helpful with raising the quality of your pictures (meaning fewer issues with shadows)

Admittedly, I fully expected to be underwhelmed visiting Mount Rushmore. My thinking was that I had seen it on television over the years and looked at many pictures in books, so how would I be surprised by an in-person visit? Well… I was thoroughly and completely wrong! I can honestly say that I felt something that day.

It is a pretty special place, not just the Monument itself; everything is well done, from the Avenue of Flags to the Presidential Trail – a more than half-mile walk with 422 stairs that requires a bit of effort but provides a closer vantage point to see the four presidents. I’d allocate roughly two hours for a complete visit to Mount Rushmore, allowing you time to have an enjoyable stay without being rushed.

Remember, we’re being intentionally brief here, but if you want the full details on what to do and see at Mount Rushmore, we have a full article awaiting!

We would suggest leaving Mount Rushmore around 10:45 am. And while you are technically heading to lunch at the Purple Pie Place in Custer, do NOT simply enter the address into your GPS. After all, we want you to hit the more SCENIC ROUTE through Custer State Park, so either “trick” your GPS by entering an intermediate step directing you to Sylvan Lake or take SD-244 to SD-87 South to SD-89 South: same result and directions, but a much prettier drive.

The drive is only 23 miles, but you will be traveling slowly, given the twists and turns, and we’d encourage you to stop for the views when opportunities are presented. These highway sections represent part of the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway, one of the country’s prettiest drives.

Over these next two days, your ongoing South Dakota road trip will allow you to travel most of this scenic route, while engaging with various Custer State Park activities. The drives will include Needles Highway (SD-87) and Iron Mountain Road (U.S.-16A), as well as the Wildlife Loop Road. We would budget for a 1 ½ hour drive during this segment (remember, take your time and enjoy).

You should arrive at Purple Pie Place a little after noon. You will have zero problems finding this restaurant – it is a striped purple building, so it is not really camouflaged with its surroundings. Yes, we suggest you eat lunch here, and the sandwiches are certainly good. But let’s be straightforward; you are going here for the pie.

Even if you don’t eat pie, do not let that stop you from going to Purple Pie Place. After our visit to the Dakotas, we became newly initiated pie lovers and will go through extra efforts to seek out a good slice of pie.

We’re still not overly adventurous with our choices: I ordered apple pie ala mode, and Missy got chocolate cream. And we shouldn’t mention that we went back for a 3rd slice to be split between us and another slice to-go for later in the trip.

For pie lovers and those not yet fully committed, there is a wide variety available, including rhubarb, peach, cherry, apple, peanut butter, and a daily special cream pie. So go the Purple Pie Place and get a sandwich for lunch or even order the chicken pot pie, but save room for one or two slices of pie. You won’t regret it.

Be aware that, like many Rapid City area businesses, Purple Pie Place is only open seasonally (mid-April through mid-October).

We recommend departing Purple Pie Place by 1:15 to make the short 10-15 minute drive back up highway 89 to the Sylvan Lake parking lot. The Sylvan Lake area is one of our favorites within Custer State Park, so much so that we will come back to visit again on the next day of this itinerary.

We have two great hikes for you today, and they essentially run into each other, making for one continuous hiking journey. The Sylvan Lake Shore hike is a relatively flat one-mile loop that follows the outline of Sylvan Lake. On the backside of the lake, the trail connects seamlessly with the 3-mile Sunday Gulch hike. These two hikes are genuinely opposites, but when placed together, they strike a remarkable balance, and your reward is a bit of everything.

With the Lake Shore hike, you will get the extraordinary beauty of a calm deep blue lake with a rock wall as its background. This hike is a low-stress, low-intensity, and peaceful walk. When you get behind the rock wall, you will reach the trailhead for Sunday Gulch, where the hike quickly becomes dynamic, and the intensity shoots up through the roof.

Hike the Sunday Gulch loop in a counterclockwise direction. Taking this route means traveling down (rather than up) the creek, rock, steps, and boulder-filled area. This will best allow you to use your arms to leverage the railings for balance purposes; going down, seems almost like working the parallel bars in a men’s gymnastics event.

Traveling down, above slowly running water, creates an amazing hike. We think that teenagers, in particular, would have a blast on this portion of the hike. This is the fun part of Sunday Gulch, but the climb back up provides some excellent scenery, so it’s a hike that balances adventure with beauty. Truly one of my favorites.

On a combined basis, the two hikes are approximately four miles long with an elevation change of just under 1,000 feet. For our standards, that’s a pretty significant elevation change! I’ve penciled in 3 ½ hours for these two hikes, which puts you back in your vehicle around 5 pm.

As with our earlier guidance, you should not utilize simple GPS to determine the most scenic South Dakota road trip back to the hotel. From the Sylvan Lake parking lot, travel east on SD-87 (also known as Needles Highway), then northeast on Playhouse Road, and finally northwest on U.S.-16A (Iron Mountain Road).

This route will take you through two more tunnels on the Needles Highway, including the famous (or infamous) Needles Eye Tunnel, which is only 8’0″ wide and 9’9″ tall, plus three tunnels on Iron Mountain Road.

Pay particular attention to the Iron Mountain Road tunnels, as they were creatively designed to frame Mount Rushmore as if in a window while driving through (you will likely want to pull over before/after these tunnels). These tunnels are super cool!

We have allocated a whopping 2 ½ hours of drive time for the ~50-mile South Dakota road trip to the hotel. Approximately half of these miles represent the scenic sections within Custer State Park and continuing on Iron Mountain Road.

Given the estimated time frame, this will place you back at the hotel around 7:30 pm. However, you haven’t eaten dinner! Our suggestion: we would pre-plan for a specific restaurant and call an order in for pick-up on your drive home. This is not the night to go out to a restaurant; we suspect you will be tired, sweaty, and ready to relax or just crawl into bed.

Today was a long day with some great drives on the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway, a truly unique (and intense) hiking adventure, and you ate pie (so much pie). A good day but a tiring day. We will take you into Custer State Park again tomorrow but with less intensity and a slower pace. Custer is a truly incredible state park – one of the absolute best in the United States.

You will spend a reasonable amount of time sitting in your car, as buffalo roam free along Wildlife Loop Road, so we recommend very comfortable clothing. Custer State Park is 2,000-3,000 feet higher than Rapid City, so pack accordingly for potentially cooler temperatures.

Your day will also include canoeing on a relatively small (but beautiful) lake and a short but fairly steep hike. Hiking shoes and poles are recommended, but for comfort, you may want to pack a separate pair of shoes for comfort and as backup, in case your shoes get wet while in the boat.

If you choose wisely (just kidding) and are out on the water for a full hour, you should be wrapped up by approximately 3 pm. Now it’s time to drive back to the hotel, and, of course, you will be taking the very long way home.

Take Needles Highway (SD-87) southeast/south until you eventually run into a turnoff onto Wildlife Loop Road. Wildlife Road will take you on a lengthy loop drive until you return to U.S.-16A, where you will turn right (east) and follow U.S.-16A to SD-36 to exit the park at the East entrance (from there, you can turn back on your GPS).

Go slow, respect the animals, and you will quickly notice that they are very much in charge of this space, and they go/stand where they want (blocking traffic is irrelevant to them). Please be safe, though, as these are massive animals, so stay in your car or keep a safe distance.

You should return to the hotel by 5:45 pm and have a few minutes to clean up before heading out for dinner. We’d encourage you to visit downtown Rapid City for dinner, where there are some new restaurant options available for visitors. However, tonight our focus remains on a desert option after leaving dinner!

Rental car – Approximately 170 miles of total driving on today’s South Dakota road trip, primarily to and from the Badlands. The drive from the hotel to the Badlands northeast entrance is a 75-mile drive, and the return trip from Wall Drug to the hotel is 50 miles. Note that we took you to the far Eastern portion of the park to begin the day to lessen the driving burden when you’re tired toward the day’s end.

Walking – The three Badlands hikes will only combine to be about 2 ½ miles. However, Door and Saddle Pass will encourage additional exploration at the turnaround points. You will have similar causes for walking curiosity during many of the scenic view stop-offs, and of course, Wall Drug will add some steps to your busy day. We estimate you will walk closer to 4-5 miles when the day is completed.

Unlike the elevation differences seen in Custer State Park, the Badlands shares a similar elevation to Rapid City (so you shouldn’t experience any material temperature change).

There are some wide-open areas of the Badlands, most notably those at the end of the Door Trail’s boardwalk. After exploring these areas, you may discover a shirt or pants/shorts covered with clay materials from rubbing against the terrain.

As such, we would suggest packing an extra t-shirt and shorts/pants if you need to change clothes in your vehicle before driving further into the Badlands or later visiting Wall Drug.

The hiking areas can become relatively slick, particularly if there has been recent precipitation. We would suggest hiking shoes and poles if you have them (Missy turned her ankle during one of our hikes at the national park).

Today you will see the magnificent Badlands National Park. Such a unique place and environment that contrasts significantly with everywhere else you have visited on this trip. We suggest beginning relatively early today, in order to reach the famous Wall Drug with plenty of time to enjoy its diverse activities at day’s end.

Leave your hotel between 7:00-7:30 am and drive two miles to find a nearby Panera Bread location. This is perfect because you will be ordering breakfast, as well as sandwiches to pack away for lunchtime. If you have enough time in your schedule, you may want to eat inside Panera, but whatever your decision, we’d try to depart the restaurant by 8:00 am.

You will be visiting the popular North Unit of Badlands National Park. It is a straight shot down Interstate-90 East to exit #131 for the SD-240 highway exit. The park’s northeast entrance is located 3-4 miles south of the interstate. Today’s South Dakota road trip should take you just over one hour to drive, so plan to arrive at the Badlands park entrance around 9:15 am.

Early arrivals here are essential for various reasons, but the most important reasons are 1) arrival before the heaviest crowds and 2) hiking before temperatures rise. Importantly, your hikes will take place at the front-end of your visit to the Badlands, as the trailheads are all closer to this specific entrance.

Now that you’re in Badlands National Park let’s get started.

Big Badlands Overlook – Immediately after driving through the entrance, pull over at the Big Badlands Overlook, where you will instantly be immersed in what the Badlands is all about.

The first overlook is just the beginning; there are 12 designated overlooks on Badlands Loop Road, and we will identify our favorite five, but by all means, stop at all of them!

Door Trail and Notch Trail Hikes – After making the short walk to the Big Badlands Overlook, return to your car (albeit very briefly), and you will drive another 2-2 ½ miles down Highway 240 (also known as Badlands Loop Road).

You will find a long parking lot on the left side of the road. Of the three hikes we recommend in the Badlands, two have trailheads departing from this parking lot: the Door Trail begins at the north end, and the Notch Trail leaves from the south end.

The Door Trail is a short hike (only ¾ mile) on a boardwalk that takes you to a viewing platform on the other side of the Badlands Wall. This is where the hike starts to become an adventure! As a child, I remember climbing in our backyard trees, and it was fun finding new routes to reach a specific spot. Essentially, that’s your opportunity from the viewing platform. You have free reign to explore the vast open badlands space in front of you.

Be careful (particularly after its rains), but the chance to climb on top, around, and through the Badlands’ geologic rock formations is pretty cool. I’d allocate about an hour for this adventure, but you could easily spend 2-3 hours out in this vast open area. The Door Trail is a must-do while visiting the Badlands.

Saddle Pass Trail – Continue to drive roughly four miles down SD-240, and you will see a relatively small parking lot on the right. This parking lot represents the access point for Saddle Pass Trail, the 3rd and our final hiking recommendation within Badlands.

Another short hike with a 200+ foot elevation change hike before leveling out into a high grassland plateau area. While the trail officially ends at the plateau top, there are a variety of sidetracks providing some great additional short climbs (particularly to the left side). Be careful on this hike, especially if the ground is wet; elevation changes on this type of surface can become dangerously slick.

If you want to, you can bring your packed lunch on the hike, eat topside or opt to eat in your air-conditioned car, and enjoy a nice break after returning. It should be around 1:00-1:30 after you complete the hike (and lunch) with either option.

Scenic Drive on Badlands Loop Road – At this point, the most challenging moments of your day are over, and you will spend the remainder of the afternoon finishing out the rest of the scenic Badlands Loop Road.

In order traveling from East to West, our “favorite” overlooks on the remainder of the drive are Panorama Point, Conata Basin, Yellow Mounds, and Pinnacles Overlook. In some respect, the views are similar to the Grand Canyon, changing with the time of day and the sun’s position. Take your time on this drive, as it is spectacular.

What is Wall Drug? Almost certainly, you’ve seen the signs throughout South Dakota along highways and interstates; the signs are the signature calling card for the store, something they’ve been doing for decades upon decades.

Wall Drug (here’s our article on interstate stops in the upper Midwest) is an eclectic store, but a good place to begin your visit inside is with a stop for homemade ice cream at the soda fountain, or pausing to devour cake donuts, another Wall Drug specialty. Retail options are abundant within the store, including many having a Western-themed focus. Wall Drug’s backyard space is filled with entertaining diversions for younger children.

It’s a fun semi-iconic diversion for travelers. For perspective, the location draws a similar number of annual visitors (~2 million each) to Mount Rushmore. Crazy, right? After you’ve finished exploring the entire complex, settle into the 530-seat Western Art Gallery Restaurant for a buffalo burger or hot beef sandwich with mashed potatoes and gravy.

You are less than one hour from the hotel. You have one more full day remaining in this one-week South Dakota itinerary. And we don’t like to say that we saved the best for last (because you’ve done so much great stuff already), but we certainly have finished with something awesome to close out your stay in the Rapid City area.

Rental car – Approximately 90-95 miles of total driving in your rental car (essentially back-and-forth from your hotel to the city of Custer within the Black Hills).

Walking – Minimal walking on today’s schedule (only to open and close those dreaded cattle gates on your ATV trail).

ATV Riding – Hopefully, you will heed our advice and book the full-day rental experience as your South Dakota road trip takes a different turn today! A full day of mileage driving your ATV on highways, streets, and trails; for the inexperienced, consider this ATV as part four-wheeler and part dune buggy. We treasured today, and no pun intended, it was a true adventure (with Adventure Rentals).

Since you will be driving this ATV the entire day, consider the elements you will be exposed to: dirt, dust, mud, and wind. Bring a jacket for warmth, as you’ll drive 60 mph on highways, and open-air wind can be quite cold, and wear clothing and shoes that you’ll anticipate getting muddy.

Mud tends to fly into the vehicle, particularly if you are appropriately traveling down muddy trails. And there is a strong likelihood you exit the vehicle to open and close gates on specific trails (necessary to keep cows within fenced-in areas).

Regarding dining (breakfast and dinner, in particular), we are leaving your final full day in South Dakota largely open. Remember that you will likely be “out in the wild” for most of the day. It is best to pack a lunch from a nearby deli or grocery store before you head out that morning. Wherever you choose for lunch, you probably should get your breakfast from the same location.

This is a unique day for this South Dakota itinerary, as its based around a singular activity. You have an approximate one-hour drive to Custer, South Dakota, and you should take the absolute fastest route there (yes, for once, follow your GPS).

Rent an ATV (all-terrain vehicle) from Adventure Rentals in Custer. We opted for a four-hour rental; however, we strongly recommend a full-day or eight-hour rental. You will likely rent the equipment from 8 am until 4 pm. So that is the time-frame you’re working off.

Remember, Adventure Rentals location is a one-hour drive from your hotel, and you should stop for breakfast and bring sandwiches for lunch, so plan enough time into your schedule. You can also try to locate somewhere to stop during your off-roading adventure, but honestly, you’ll probably be a long way away from a city/restaurant, so best to pack some sandwiches.

We were delighted with our experience using Adventure Rentals. The rental location was perfect, and the people were friendly and helpful in explaining the ATV operation and how to best utilize the mapping technology. And we had zero problems with the ATV itself; we drove a side-by-side ATV unit from Polaris, a two-seater RZR XP 1000, to be specific.

The ATV is designed for driving on paved roads, gravel roads, muddy roads, grassy trails, over rocks and trees, and a combination of all these. This very different South Dakota road trip starts on a highway driving 60-65 mph, and then works onto gravel roads. The GPS-based forest service trail map was straightforward (at least once we got the hang of it). We used this for the first hour and the last hour.

As one of the Adventure Rentals’ advisors had suggested, we intentionally got lost for the remaining time. We stopped looking at our electronic map and just drove. Statewide ATV usage and ownership are highest in this regional area of the United States, alongside Colorado, Idaho, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, and the Dakotas. We certainly saw high usage rates in South Dakota!

We started driving cautiously, but our confidence increased over time. Initially, Missy was very hesitant to drive, but when she finally took over the wheel, it took me a long, long time to get it back. We would suggest picking the muddiest roads and, of course, only travel on approved numbered trails (which are almost everywhere). Watching the dirt flying up and hitting Missy was hilarious to observe firsthand.

Don’t be surprised, you will see lots and lots of cows. And a fun fact: Missy is terrified of cows. You will run into numerous cattle gates as you drive on these trails. As we learned, if a gate is closed, you can open it, but you also have to close it after traveling into that trail area. Be careful when you manually open and close them because sharp razor wire is used on the wooden gates. I cut my hands fairly meaningfully on the first gate before we figured out an improved process of opening and closing gates involving both of us.

Remember when we talked about getting “lost.” Now that you’re trying to get “found” and safely return to Adventure Rentals, you have likely worked your way behind several closed gates. There are signs on gates regarding their proper opening and closing, but we initially ignored these and drove past all gated options. But available trails are appropriately numbered and approved for traffic, so you just need to ensure that you open and close each gate properly.

This experience was new to us, and neither Missy nor I had ever driven an ATV, but we had an absolute blast. When we travel somewhere new, we try to determine what activities are native within particular geographies, what the locals do, and what the environment is conditioned to support.

This means zip-lining, sea kayaking, canyoning, white water rafting, or fly-fishing in some places. In this part of your South Dakota road trip, driving an ATV should be at the top of your list! After you refill the gas tank on the ATV, you return it to Adventure Rentals; today’s adventure is nearly done.

From earlier in your vacation, you might remember that you are now just blocks away from Purple Pie Place. Not suggesting you should get more pie, but maybe you should get more pie. Nothing is better than dessert before dinner.

After you’re done in Custer, you will be driving back to your hotel or choosing a restaurant to stop at on the road. We would make one suggestion, which is particularly useful if you opted out of the pie.

Following dinner, stop at Silver Lining Creamery, located in the heart of downtown Rapid City. The ice cream shop specializes in premium small batch (2 ½ gallon quantities) ice cream created in-house. Think about the vanilla bean, salted caramel, lavender honey, bear tooth, peanut butter honey, bourbon butter pecan, sea salt cookie butter, chocolate, and strawberry. Flavors rotate fairly regularly.

Well, there you have it. We suspect you may have a flight out tomorrow morning.

Today is your final day in South Dakota, and you will likely be making either a long drive home or the short drive to the Rapid City Airport. Before you go, pick your favorite Rapid City breakfast option from those you’ve already visited during this trip and head back again. Rapid City’s restaurant scene is particularly great at breakfast!

Afterward, return to the hotel and pack up for the airport. If you’re not ready to leave this beautiful part of the country, we have a brief list below containing additional options for an add-on day, half-day, or multiple days. You can also easily substitute any of these options into the existing South Dakota itinerary based on personal preferences.