Skip to main content

Wyoming Road Trip Day 5: Wind Cave National Park & Mt. Rushmore


After a great day at Rocky Mountain National Park, it was time to go in a new direction - North - and into the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Route: I-25, US 85, US 18, SD 89, US 385, SD 87, US 385, SD 244, US 385, US 16

With it being offseason in the Black Hills, we ended up staying the night in Rapid City.  It made travel a lot easier.

Photo Set on Flickr: Wyoming Road Trip - Day 5

The night before, a cold front came through Cheyenne.  The wind gusts shook the old windows of the rental.  And in the morning, the drive north on US 85 was full of grey flannel skies with complimentary chilling drizzle.  I was surprised that there was more traffic than I expected on US 85 between I-25 and US 26 in Torrington.  Once beyond Torrington and Lingle, any vehicles on US 85 became nearly non-existent; and the weather improved. 


A progression of improving skies along US 85 in Eastern Wyoming.

At Mule Creek Junction, it was a right turn onto US 18 and into South Dakota.  Here, the scenery continued as we entered the southern Black Hills.


Wind Cave National Park:

Our first stop was Wind Cave National Park.  Joe's ankle was still bothering him - so trekking into the cave was out.  While he checked out the Visitor's Center and its surroundings, I took the one-mile Prairie Vista loop trail for a hike.




A recent controlled burn charred the landscape black; however, it made the backdrop for the hike unique.



Since it was a Tuesday in early November, hardly anyone was at the park.  I had the whole loop and what felt like the entire prairie to myself.  There are over 30 miles of trails at Wind Cave National Park - I'd love to come back here again off-season and explore the trails.  The quiet open prairie is very soothing.

South Dakota 87:

I highly recommend driving South Dakota 87 if you ever get the chance!

After the hike, it was time to take South Dakota Route 87 North through the northern part of the park and into Custer State Park.

The Beaver Creek Bridge, built in 1929.

Almost immediately, we found out why this is such a recommended drive.  Less than a quarter of a mile after turning onto the highway, a great view of the Beaver Creek Bridge awaits you.  This bridge opened to traffic in 1929 - and the open-spandrel concrete arch design fits the surroundings perfectly.



Immediately around the next bend was one of the highlights of the trip.  Two bison were grazing in the field - at most 150 feet from the road.  It was one of many up close and personal with wildlife experiences on this trip.  I quickly changed lens to my 75-300mm zoom lens to get as close of a shot as possible.  One thing from this trip that I learned was open wildlife photography is not easy.  A lot of practice is still needed.  So maybe another trip?

Prairie dogs must be the official greeters of Wind Cave National and Custer State Parks!  They are everywhere!


Highway 87 is an amazing drive with numerous opportunities to take photos - or simply ride and enjoy.  Prairie dogs are quite the common site within Wind Cave NP and Custer State Park.  Unfortunately, it appeared that highway work was occurring along the Wildlife Loop Route within Custer State Park.  So we were not able to take advantage of that opportunity to capture more wildlife.  That and we were down to about 50 or so miles on a tank of gas.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial:

The Avenue of Flags lead to Mount Rushmore.  Flags from all 50 states, one district, three territories, and two commonwealths are on display here.

Mount Rushmore was not originally on the agenda for this day.  However, the decision to stay the night in nearby Rapid City allowed us more time and enabled us a chance to visit.  The first thing I noticed about Rushmore was the number of parking decks which were fortunately not full in mid-November.  The numerous parking decks are a great example of how busy the memorial is during the Summer months.  

Side profile view of George Washington from the Profile Overlook on SD 244.

Rushmore is a sight to see - yet I found something else not on the memorial grounds that was more impressive.  On South Dakota 244, less than a half-mile west of the entrance to the memorial is the Profile Overlook.  This overlook showcases a side profile view of George Washington.  Washington seems closer here than it does from the straight-on vantage point at the memorial.  My shots of his profile are my favorites from Mount Rushmore.

Needles Highway and into Rapid City:



Sylvan Lake.

With still daylight remaining, we decided to drive as much of the other half of SD 87, known as the "Needles Highway," as possible.  The highway typically closes in early November - so we were not sure if the road was open or not.  We took the drive southbound.  We got as far as SD 89 at Sylvan Lake - where a sign read that the highway was closed.  With conflicting reports on if the highway south of Sylvan Lake was open or not, we decided to take SD 89 south to Custer and then work our way back to Rapid City.  Though we didn't drive the whole highway - and took it south versus north - we did get to see more wildlife, go through a one-lane rock tunnel, and see some great views.

Sylvan Lake was as far as we went on SD 87.  We took SD 89 south towards Custer on our way to Rapid City for the night.

If you want to see a lot more of SD 87/"Needles Highway" - Tom has you covered.

We got into Rapid City at close to sunset.  I could have taken some time to walk and take photos of the downtown area, but the wind and colder temperatures made me stay in for the night.  Day Five was a full day of driving, sightseeing, and great experiences.

2021 Wyoming Road Trip Site Navigation:

Also at Gribblenation:

Comments

Anonymous said…
I didn't see any information how treaties were broken, and the land was stolen from the Indians.

Popular posts from this blog

US Route 101 in Benbow, Garberville and Redway

The communities of Benbow, Garberville and Redway can all be found along US Route 101 within southern Humboldt County.  The former surface alignment of US Route 101 in Garberville and Redway once crossed the Garberville Bluffs along what is now Redwood Drive via a corridor constructed as part of the Redwood Highway during the 1910s.  US Route 101 through Benbow, Garberville and Redway was modernized by 1935.  US Route 101 would eventually be upgraded to freeway standards in Benbow, Garberville and Redway by extension of the Redwood Freeway during 1966-68.  As the cover photo the original grade of US Route 101 and the Redwood Highway can be seen at the Garberville Bluffs during 1934.  US Route 101 can be seen in the communities of Benbow, Garberville and Redway on the 1935 Division of Highways Map of Humboldt County .   The history of US Route 101 in Benbow, Garberville and Redway Benbow, Garberville and Redway lie on the banks of the South Fork Eel River of southern Humboldt County.  D

Highways in and around Old Sacramento; US 40, US 99W, CA 16, CA 24, CA 70, CA 99, CA 275, and more

This past weekend I was visiting the City of Sacramento for a wedding.  That being the case I decided to head out on a morning run through Old Sacramento, Jibboom Street Bridge, I Street Bridge, Tower Bridge, and path of US Route 40/US Route 99W towards the California State Capitol.  My goal was to retrace the paths of the various highways that once traversed the Old Sacramento area. This blog is part of the larger Gribblenation US Route 99 Page.  For more information pertaining to the other various segments of US Route 99 and it's three-digit child routes check out the link the below. Gribblenation US Route 99 Page The old highway alignments of Sacramento The City of Sacramento lies at the confluence of the Sacramento River and American River in Sacramento Valley.  Sacramento Valley was discovered by Spanish Explorer Gabriel Moraga in 1808.  Moraga referred to the fertile Sacramento Valley akin to a "Blessed Sacrament."  By 1839 John Sutter Sr. settled in Mexican held

Old Stage Road in Tulare County and Kern County

Old Stage Road is an approximately 30-mile rural highway comprised of Tulare County Mountain Road 1, Kern County Mountain Road 447 and Tulare County Mountain Road 109.  Old Stage originates at Jack Ranch Road near Posey and ends at the outskirts of Porterville at Deer Creek.  Old Stage Road notably is comprised of two 19th Century stage routes.  From White Mountain Road northwest to Fountain Springs, Old Stage Road overlays Thomas Baker's 1860s era stage road to Linn Valley (now Glennville) and the Kern River Gold Rush Claims.  From Fountain Springs to Deer Creek, Old Stage Road is comprised of the 1853 Stockton-Los Angeles Road. Featured as the blog cover is the northward descent on Old Stage Road along Arrastre Creek to the town site of White River.  What became White River was settled along a spur of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road as "Dog Town" when gold was discovered nearby.  By 1856 the community had been renamed Tailholt.  A stage road from Tailholt to Linn Valley w