We recently took a trip to South Dakota and when I told people we were going to South Dakota they all asked why. And I’ll tell you why: because I hadn’t been there. I will go anywhere once and South Dakota has two national parks and as a self-proclaimed national park nerd, I will see them all one day. We flew into Denver (from Texas), drove through Rocky Mountain National Park, through Nebraska, and then spent 5 nights in Rapid City in order to see all the surrounding areas.
On this trip we saw so many things, and I’m gonna break it all down for you below but before we get to that, here’s a handy list to help you. We spent time in 4 different states on this trip as well!
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Denver to Rapid City Road Trip
On this trip we saw so many things, and I’m gonna break it all down for you below but before we get to that, here’s a handy list to help you. We spent time in 4 different states on this trip as well!
- Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
- Scott’s Bluff National Monument (Nebraska)
- Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
- Mount Rushmore (South Dakota)
- Mammoth Site (South Dakota)
- Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
- Devil’s Tower National Monument (Wyoming)
- Custer State Park (South Dakota)
Day 1: Denver to Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
To start your trip from Denver, head to Rocky Mountain National Park. You can see a lot of the park just by driving through it. We did not get a chance to do any hikes this time as altitude sickness was getting to my niece and we had to rush down off the mountain. I will say, be prepared for this. I’ve hiked and camped in Colorado my whole life and have never felt the altitude sickness like this. Almost all of us had headaches and my niece needed oxygen.
There are a lot of great hikes you can do in the Park but since I haven’t done them, I don’t want to recommend any. I do recommend driving through the park even if you’re short on time. Be sure to plan for the altitude and book your timed entry ahead of time.
Estes Park is near Rocky Mountain and very popular. It’s a cute mountain town but can be very crowded during the summer months. We stayed in Fort Collins and opted to spend a couple hours there instead of in Estes Park. It didn’t disappoint and if you’re looking for a mountain town that’s less busy than Estes Park, it’s a good choice.
Stay: Fort Collins, Colorado
Drive Time: Denver to Rocky Mountain will take about 1.5 hours. To drive around the park, it will take about 2 hours if you just go to the top and come back down. Rocky Mountain to Fort Collins is about an hour and 15 minutes. You will spend quite a bit of time in the car on this day.
Day 2: Fort Collins to Rapid City Via Scotts Bluff, Nebraska
On day 2, it’s time to head to Rapid City. If you want to go through Nebraska, this is a good time to do it. It only adds about half an hour to your drive from Fort Collins to Rapid City. We headed to Scotts Bluff where there is a National Monument for the Oregon Trail. This area was much prettier than we expected and we all enjoyed it. You can spend about 1-2 hours there if you want to see it all and watch the video.
From there, we also stopped for lunch and then at Carhenge. This is essentially an art installation set up to look like Stonehenge but with cars. It’s worth a quick stop and is right on the way to Rapid City.
Stay: Rapid City, South Dakota
Drive Time: Plan for about 6 hours of driving if you plan to do each of the stops listed above. It’s a little over 2 hours to Scotts Bluff from Fort Collins so it’s a great stop for lunch.
Day 3: Rapid City to Badlands National Park, South Dakota
Now that you’ve reached Rapid City, you can stay here as we did, or in one of the small towns around the area. I’ve included a few towns below to help you plan. For us, we stated in Rapid City for 5 nights in a VRBO house. It worked well with such a big group (there were 8 of us total).
We spent our first full day at Badlands National Park and it ended up being the favorite of the trip. Badlands has a lot of trails but you can also go off trail (at your own risk). This was a lot of fun for the kids. They loved being about to climb around the different rock formations. In my opinion, it’s one of the most kid-friendly National Parks because of this.
I wasn’t super impressed with the videos in the Visitor Center but the natural rock formations are amazing and you can find prairie dogs and buffalo abounding the area.
Stay: Rapid City, South Dakota
Other Places to Stay: Head here for a full list of towns near Rapid City.
Drive Time: It will take about an hour to get to the Badlands from Rapid City. I recommend at least one full day in the park. When I go back, I will try to stay inside the park and have two full days to add in more hiking. I would also love to see it at sunrise.
Day 4: Rapid City to Mount Rushmore to Mammoth Site to Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota
For day four, we decided to play it by ear a little but we planned to do Mount Rushmore, Mammoth Site, and Wind Cave. We weren’t sure we would have time for all three but we did and it was plenty of time. Mount Rushmore had the best video we saw all week and the Mammoth Site is incredibly interesting as well. We booked a cave tour ahead of time, which you need to do as they can sell out.
Wind Cave was interesting to me because I did not realize it was more than just the cave. There are prairie lands surrounding it and they are beautiful as well.
Stay: Rapid City, South Dakota
Drive time: It’s half an hour from Rapid City to Mount Rushmore. Then, it’s a little over an hour to the Mammoth Site from Mount Rushmore and Wind Cave is only about 15 minutes from the Mammoth Site.
Day 5: Rapid City to Devil’s Tower, Wyoming
We debated day five a lot. We wanted to see Devil’s Tower, but it’s a longer drive and we considered skipping it. However, we decided to go for and it’s an easy day trip from Rapid City. Devil’s Tower is definitely interesting and I recommend doing the walk around the base. You can climb to the top if you’re crazy. š
There’s also quite a few more prairie dogs in this area which are always fun to watch. Be sure to stop at the little shop before or after leaving the park. They have great ice cream and a stellar view of the tower as well.
Stay: Rapid City, South Dakota
Drive time: It will take you about 2 hours one way.
Day 6: Custer State Park, South Dakota
Finally, on our last day, we headed to Custer State Park. Custer is super interesting with its rock formations. You can drive through the famous “needles highway“, then swim in one of the Lakes. We decided to also rent a kayak for a couple of hours. The only downside to doing this is that you cannot book kayaks ahead of time. I knew my niece and nephew really wanted to kayak, so we waited next to the rental office for the double kayak to come back.
There’s a lot of hikes in Custer but we decided to only do one but it was well worth it. We did the Cathedral Spires Trail and I definitely recommend it. There is very limited parking! You’ll get to do some rock scrambling and get up close to the spires that make Custer State Park so unique.
Stay: Rapid City, South Dakota
Drive time: It’s about a half hour drive to Custer State Park but may take a little longer with the crooked road.
Day 7: Rapid City to Denver via Fort Collins
Now it’s time to head back to Denver. We decided we wanted to spend a little more time in Fort Collins so we stopped there on our way back. At this point, we were all pretty tired and it was July 4th so a lot of places were closed. However, we did still find a brewery.
Stay: Denver, Colorado
Drive time: It’s about a 6 hour drive so Fort Collins is a good place to stretch your legs.
Day 8: Around Denver
We had one final day in Denver and decided to head over to Red Rocks Amphitheater. There’s several trails around here and it’s worth seeing it for sure.
Later that night, we had tickets to the Colorado Rockies game.
Stay: Denver
Final Thoughts
We saw a lot on this trip and I wouldn’t cut anything out. It was all worth it and none of the drives were too long. However, when I do go back to this area, I’d love to stay at Devil’s Tower and at the Badlands to be able to photograph sunrises and sunsets.
I would also spend more time at Custer State Park. There’s a lot of hiking to explore this park that I love to do.
We also hit up Wall Drug and I wouldn’t go back. It’s definitely a tourist trap in the worst way, and I couldn’t wait to get out of there!
Don’t want to drive? Book a tour of the area!
Black Hills & Mount Rushmore Tour
Badlands Tour
Devil’s Tower Tour
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