If you ever visit western South Dakota, you must take a drive on the famous Needles Highway. During our travels throughout Deadwood (Deadwood, South Dakota: Entertaining Guests Since 1876.) and Rapid City, several locals highly recommended it. It's part of South Dakota Highway 87, a 38-mile state highway that runs through Custer State Park (Custer …
Continue reading The Famous Needles Highway of South Dakota.
One of two national parks in South Dakota and one of the few located in north-central United States, Badlands National Park is a rugged landscape featuring sharply eroded buttes and pinnacles, alongside the largest undisturbed mixed grass prairie in the country. Known for its vibrant formations that evoke the Petrified Forest National Park and Painted …
As South Dakota’s first and largest state park, Custer State Park is a must-visit when in the state’s Rapid City region. This vast wildlife preserve is home to bison, elk, mule deer, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, river otters, cougars, feral burros, prairie dogs, and more – offering a refreshing escape from mundane city life. …
Continue reading Custer State Park: South Dakota’s 1st State Park.
Easily one of my favorite national parks, Bryce Canyon National Park is must-visit for fans of unique landscapes and epic hiking trails. With its vibrant scenery of oranges, reds, and whites, and its incredible, almost alien-like rock formations, it’s truly a sight to behold. Bryce Canyon National Park feels like a glimpse of what Mars …
Under perpetual, never-ending construction, Crazy Horse Memorial in western South Dakota is an… interesting place. While the completed portions – the face, arm, and hand – are undoubtedly impressive, the overall vision for the memorial, depicting Crazy Horse riding a horse and pointing towards his tribal land, is far from complete. To put the slow …
Continue reading Crazy Horse Memorial: Under Permanent Construction.
Arguably one of the most famous and world-renowned tourists traps within the United States, Mount Rushmore National Memorial is something that most people learn about early in school. Featuring the iconic faces of four notable U.S. Presidents: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and Thomas Jefferson, it sits at an elevation of 5,725 feet above …
Among the various national monuments in the United States, Scotts Bluff National Monument is arguably one of the lesser known. In fact, if you took a random street poll, chances are most people would have never heard of it. Located in rural Nebraska, it only attracts about 100,000 visitors annually. To put that into perspective, …
Continue reading Scotts Bluff National Monument: Home to the Oregon Trail.
The 3 in 1 Tree. In operation for nearly 80 years, Trees of Mystery is a delightful way to spend an afternoon surrounded by towering giant redwoods. Located near the small town of Klamath, California, within the heart of Redwood National Park, it's allegedly Northern California’s original redwood nature attraction. It's rightfully earned its name …
Continue reading Trees of Mystery: NorCal’s Original Redwood Nature Attraction.
As the final resting place of Wild West icons Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane, Deadwood, South Dakota has rightfully earned its place in the United States' Frontier Gold Rush Hall of Fame. Established in 1876, the city earned its name from early settlers who discovered an abundance of dead wood in its surrounding valleys …
Continue reading Deadwood, South Dakota: Entertaining Guests Since 1876.
Standing tall against the sky, Devils Tower National Monument dominates the northeastern Wyoming landscape, visible from miles away. Although it's tucked away in a remote part of the state, the journey to Devils Tower is undeniably worth it. Rising in solitude from the rugged wilderness, this towering rock formation contrasts dramatically with the surrounding flatlands, …