The Black Hills of South Dakota is an isolated mountain range of 1.2 million acres of forested hills and mountains. There is a lot to see and do in the Black Hills and we have vacationed here many times. Here are a few of our favorite things to see and do in the Black Hills.

Deadwood South Dakota is a fun tourist town in the Black Hills with shops, bars, restaurants, and casinos. This was a town that played by its own rules and attracted all sorts of characters looking for gold, after it was discovered in 1876. Deadwood South Dakota had some famous residents such as Will Bill Hickock, Calamity Jane, and Potato Creek Johnny. The city of Deadwood South Dakota is designated as a National Historic Landmark on both the National and South Dakota registers of historic places.

In the northern Black Hills, near Deadwood, is a beautiful winding road called the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway. Along the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway, you can see Bridal Veil Falls, an old hydroelectric power plant for the Home Stake Mining Company and Roughlock Falls. Roughlock Falls is a state nature area, where Little Spearfish Creek tumbles over a 50foot limestone ledge and several lacy cascades. Roughlock Falls nature area also includes a picnic area and the Roughlock Falls trail, which is a 2mile easy out and back trail.

Custer State Park, South Dakota is a beautiful park and wildlife reserve of approximately 71,000 acres in the Black Hills. Custer State Park is known for its amazing landscapes, scenic drives, and a free roaming bison herd. Custer State Park has stunning scenic drives. The Wildlife Loop at Custer State Park brings visitors through beautiful rolling hills and grasslands on the south end of the park. It is a beautiful place to see bison, pronghorn, burros, and other wildlife at the park. The Needles Highway is a spectacular drive through rugged granite mountains and pine forests. Sylvan Lake is the crown jewel of Custer State Park and is a fun place for hiking, fishing, boating, swimming or just enjoying the view.

Wind Cave was the first cave to be designated as a national park, anywhere in the world. Wind Cave is the 7th longest cave in the world and experts think that only about 10 percent of the cave has been found. The cave is known for its calcite formations called boxwork and 95 percent of the world’s discovered boxwork formations are found at Wind Cave. The name Wind Cave comes from the wind that naturally blows into and out of the small natural entrance of the cave, as the barometric pressure changes.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a colossal carving in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The four U.S. Presidents carved into the granite mountain are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. At Mount Rushmore you will see the Avenue of Flags and have magnificent views of the memorial at the Grand View Terrace. Be sure to walk the Presidential Trail which is sixtenths of a mile with 422 steps and brings visitors right up to the base of the mountain. Walk this trail clockwise, as it is then mostly downhill.

Below are the chapters, for this video:
0:00 Intro Black Hills of South Dakota
0:54 Deadwood South Dakota
3:22 Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway
4:51 Custer State Park
6:54 Wind Cave National Park
8:49 Mount Rushmore

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The photographs of Deadwood from 1876 and the Buffalo Bill Poster are from the Library of Congress Online Catalog:
https://www.loc.gov/pictures/

Music by Epidemic Sound:
https://www.epidemicsound.com/

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