Scenic Byways in South Dakota!

South Dakota offers a wide variety of scenic roads, wildlife viewing and unique landscapes to explore! If you are traveling through I would recommend stopping along the way to break up your drive time as each destination will offer you a unique experience, check out the different scenic drives! https://www.travelsouthdakota.com/scenic-drives

Some of the most popular drives are Needles Highway (HWY 87), Iron Mountain Road (HWY 16A), Wildlife Loop Road and Mount Coolidge Lookout; collectively they are a part of the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway which has been named as one of Ten Most Outstanding Byways in America.

Large vehicles such as motorhomes and busses should check ahead because many of these scenic drives contain tunnels with height and width restrictions.

WHERE SHOULD YOU STAY?

I recommend the small town of Keystone which is located in the black hills and centrally located to several attractions such as:

Mount Rushmore Natl Memorial - Majestic figures of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, surrounded by the beauty of the Black Hills of South Dakota, tell the story of the birth, growth, development and preservation of this country.

Mt Rushmore is just under 4 miles from Keystone.

Custer State Park - The State Game Lodge is a gracious native stone and wood lodge built in 1920, it served as the “Summer White House” for President Calvin Coolidge in 1927 and was visited by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. We enjoyed eating lunch at the lodge would recommend stopping in for a visit! Custer is 16 miles from Keystone

Crazy Horse Memorial - Standing Bear invited Korczak Ziolkowski to carve a Memorial to honor his people which began June 3rd, 1948, motioning toward Thunderhead Mountain, Standing Bear conveyed to those in attendance at the dedication ceremony that the newly-initiated Memorial would serve to create cross-cultural understanding and to mend relations between Natives and non-Natives – an especially powerful sentiment coming from a man who spent his entire life working to understand others and, in turn, educate others about his people and their culture. Crazy Horse is 20 miles from Keystone.

Jewel Cave Natl Monument - Immerse yourself within the third longest cave in the world. With over 208 miles of mapped and surveyed passages, this underground wilderness appeals to human curiosity. Its splendor is revealed through fragile formations and glimpses of brilliant color. Its maze of passages lure explorers, and its scientific wealth remains a mystery. Jewel Cave is 35 miles from Keystone.

Wind Cave Natl Park - Wind Cave is one of the world’s longest and most complex caves and houses what is known as box work, a kind of formation that’s rarely found in the world. Wind Cave is 26 miles from Keystone.

Badlands Natl Park - These striking geologic deposits contain one of the world’s richest fossil beds. Ancient horses and rhinos once roamed here. Badlands are 98 miles from Keystone.

Black Hills National Forest - is in western South Dakota and northeastern Wyoming, covering an area 125 miles long and 65 miles wide. The Forest encompasses rugged rock formations, canyons and gulches, open grassland parks, deep blue lakes, and unique caves. From Keystone, you can start a journey down the famous Iron Mountain Road, where you will experience narrow granite tunnels and spiraling pigtail bridges.

Devils Tower Natl Monument - The Tower is actually located in Wyoming and 127 miles west of Keystone. It's an astounding geologic feature that protrudes out of the prairie surrounding the Black Hills. It is considered sacred by Northern Plains Indians and indigenous people. Hundreds of parallel cracks make it one of the finest crack climbing areas in North America. If you decide to head to Devils Tower I would recommend traveling through Spearfish Canyon and staying at the Spearfish Canyon Lodge - 74 miles to Devils Tower from Spearfish.

Wall - How many of you have experienced the little town of Wall? It's famous for Wall Drug Store, while we were traveling west on the highway you saw numerous signs advertising "free water" at Wall Drug Store. It's nothing fancy, but an interesting place to stop before heading to Badlands NP. 74 miles from Keystone and only 7 miles from Badlands Natl Park

Corn Palace in Mitchell SD - the World's Only Corn Palace is located just minutes off of Interstate 90, the peak season is Memorial Day through Labor Day and when you visit during this time, you see the Corn Palace come to life as it is redecorated annually with new corn, grain and grass to showcase a new theme. Corn Palace is 296 miles from Keystone and a great place to get out and stretch your legs as you are traveling through!

What was your favorite place to visit in South Dakota?

I hope you'll share!!

Written by: Jill Theriault

Crossroads Coaching - @crossroadscoachingongodstime