I love the park. My favorite time to drive through the park is during late spring and early summer…read morewhen all the animals are having their babies. It is the cutest thing ever. The scenery is so varied and breathtaking. I could go through the park every day

We started off our day at Custer State Park. We began by going into the visitor center, which is an…read moreabsolute MUST DO. Why? Because when you walk in there is a large scale model of the park and they mark it to show the last reported sighting of bison. The volunteers then showed us how to find that area, and they also showed us another visitor center along the way where they recommended we stop to get further updated information. The bison were located at the southern end of the park, so the beginning of our drive was just through beautiful landscape, without much wildlife at that point. We stopped as instructed at the next visitor center, and got an updated status of the bison, as well as directions on how to find them, as you needed to go off on one of the side roads. We headed off, and then as we rounded the bend on the road there they were! Hundreds of bison as far as you could see. It was absolutely amazing. You can easily pull to the side of the road and stop, and you can roll down your windows and just observe - it was incredible. Several times we were stopped along the way as they crossed the road in front of us. It was absolutely one of the highlights of our trip to South Dakota. After we finished driving through the herd, we continued our journey and ended up at the Blue Bell Lodge for lunch, which we highly recommend. From there, we drove the Needles Highway, a big portion of which in our case was done in the rain. But despite the rain, there was still lots to see, even though a lot of it for us was from inside the car, where we periodically rolled down the windows to take pictures. I would say our day at Custer State Park was absolutely the best experience we had during the entire stay in South Dakota, so I would highly, highly recommend it!

Black Hills National Forest is so beautiful! We hiked the 7.1 mile hike to Black Elk Peak starting…read morefrom Sylvan Lake. The views are spectacular and we even got lucky and saw a mountain goat at the top. If you do this hike, I would recommend hiking shoes, a hat, and a water pack to stay hydrated.

Beautiful natural landscapes! Gorgeous views! Got to take lots of beautiful photography!!read more

There's a whole hidden world under the prairie. The Garden of Eden Tour took us deep underground…read morethrough narrow passageways and into rooms full of rare boxwork formations and delicate honeycomb patterns that make this cave so special. Down there, everything feels slower. It's quiet, cool, and feels almost untouched. Then you step back outside and it's a complete contrast. Open skies, rolling hills, and bison grazing in the distance like something straight out of a movie. Two totally different worlds in one park.

It's getting really depressing to be on a National Parks road trip through the US during a…read moregovernment shutdown. Wind Cave National park was really nice and convenient and had a few interesting things to see. Unfortunately the visitors center and all the restrooms were closed even though there was a park ranger sitting in his running truck in the parking lot trying to avoid the visitors that walked up to him. I can't blame the park for the shutdown and I did really like the ease of navigating the simple beauty here. We caught a glimpsenof a buffalo and saw some prairie dogs (I love prairie dogs!) but I doubt I will ever be back to see it when it is fully operational.

I love caves, and I loved the Scenic Tour I went on! This cave is one of the world's longest caves,…read morewith passages still being explored and mapped out to this day. I thought the tour was very well done, and I saw a lot of calcite crystals (and other formations) which gave the cave its name. Be warned though, you have to bundle up for the tour as the inside is 49°F / 9°C year-round, and you must wear closed-toe shoes. The Scenic Tour itself is a guided tour that has over 700 steps and covers 1/2 miles underground. Some of the pathway's ceilings are low, so if you're tall be sure to duck when the ranger tells you. There is lighting all the way so you can see when the low sections are coming. I learned a lot about the cave, its history, and how it's currently being maintained. The steel walkways have catch trays for lint and other stuff that falls off of guests, and when they clean it annually it has around 17 lb of "stuff". They really try to balance cave preservation with accessibility to the public. I highly recommend this tour.

Touring Jewel Cave was definitely one of the cooler parts of my vacation in the Black Hills. I was…read moreworried about getting to see the cave because the tickets were sold out online, but upon seeing that they offer some additional tours on a first-come basis, I decided to get to the park early and take my chances. I wasn't the only one with that idea, but was fortunate to get a spot on a tour only about 45 minutes after I arrived, which was just enough time to grab by long sleeve and pants (because of the cave's cool constant temp) and take a look through the visitor center. The Scenic Tour itself was engaging and informative. Our tour guide did a good job of giving us some facts about the cave, its history, and pointing out different formations within and was very personable, chatting with members of the group as we walked between areas. I really enjoyed being able to see some of the details of the formations up close (or at least highlighted by our guide's flashlight) to see the amazing details that have formed over time. There are a number of stairs on the tour, but with the pace of the tour, it didn't feel strenuous. It's wild to me that they've discovered over 200 miles within this cave and there is so much they still don't know, thinking that there may be over 5000 miles total to explore! It makes me want to take other cave tours in the future to see the differences in the rocks. There are also some trails around the area to explore, if you want more than just the cave to look at

While it is not a place that will take a while afternoon, it is well worth the stop. Lots of…read morebeautifully visual habitat displays. It's very relaxing to just sit and watch the fish in the tank. There are tons of learning opportunities for kids! There are some hands on learning items are available in each habitat setting. And each habitat display has so much depth! There are so many small details that help make up the whole thing! There is also a nook of books for reading. I wish we had something like this where I am from! We didn't get to explore more.of the grounds, as a pretty heavy storm was coming gin and we left just as it hit. We will definitely stop by again next time we visit!

Highly educational. Great for homeschooling and learning about the outdoors . I give it 5 stars.read more

Crazy Horse Memorial was honestly one of the most impressive stops of our entire South Dakota road…read moretrip. Pictures really do not prepare you for how massive this mountain carving actually is in person. The scale is unbelievable, and learning that it has been actively worked on since 1948 makes it even more fascinating. What surprised me most was how much there is to do besides just looking at the mountain. The museums, cultural exhibits, artwork, and history throughout the memorial made the experience feel much deeper and more meaningful. You can tell there is a huge focus on honoring Native American culture and preserving history, which made the visit feel educational as well as visually incredible. We also highly recommend doing the bus tour to get closer to the carving because it really helps you understand the size and detail of the project. The views from the property are beautiful, and there are so many great photo opportunities everywhere you look. If you are visiting the Black Hills or heading to Mount Rushmore, this is absolutely worth adding to your itinerary. It ended up being one of the most memorable places we visited in South Dakota, and I would definitely go back again. Check out our videos on our socials @reessroots

Crazy Horse Memorial is a must if you're traveling around South Dakota. There is so much history…read morein this area and what better place to learn than here. Native American History is vast and when my boyfriend and I were planning a short trip to South Dakota I knew we needed to stop here. I've heard stories about it but not much from where I grew up in Honolulu. As we hiked our way through Black Elk Peak and decided to sight see the next day it was the perfect time to visit. As you drive in what they've carved out of stone so far is magnificent. When I learned that funding is entirely by donation I can see why it has taken some time to carve. Luckily, technology has advanced and I'm sure they have more tools and equipment which help with the planning and executing of this monument. Parking was easy to find and we both thought the entrance fee was reasonable. They have a nice area to tour and learn a bit of History of the Native American people from this area. We happened to get there when there was a one of the descendants singing and playing a traditional instrument. We spent a few minutes there before exploring the different areas. Before we left we stopped at the giftshop which was quite large. I picked up a couple of things and we made sure to take a photo together before we left. Thinking back on it now, I'm so glad we made sure to stop here. I'm still in awe of the work that has gone into making this monument, the history, and the many people that make this what it is. I'm thankful we had the chance to see it!

We stopped here to view America's largest Berlin Wall exhibit and of course see the many beautiful…read moresculptures we had heard about. It is a lovely park with lots of greenspace and beautiful foliage but there were many unhoused persons and some seemed to be living/sleeping next to the statues so we weren't able to spend to much time enjoying some of them or get to close and we didn't want to bother anyone. The ones we did see up close were magnificent! We enjoyed walking through the park on the paved trails and perhaps it was just because we were from outside the area but we had difficulty finding anywhere close to park so we also had a nice walk to and from the park as well. The highlight for my husband was getting to spin the 9,000 lb piece of granite. The engineering makes it possible but it's still pretty tough to get that 4 ton stone moving. This park is worth a stop just for that.

This park is a memorial to those that died in the Rapid Creek floods of 1972. An amphitheater,…read moreplayground, lake & war monuments are displayed here as well. There are sections of the Berlin Wall because this was the front line for the Cold War. Missile & launch control facilities are peppered through the grasslands & are run by the National Park Service.

The food is on the pricey side, and is just pretty good. Don't miss out on the mini donuts though,…read moreso good! The store itself has some good stuff you will want to buy. It's also a bit pricey though. The bathrooms there were clean and had plenty of outdoor seating with great views of the lake to enjoy too.

Delicious cheeseburger and mini donuts coated in cinnamon sugar. Made to order. Easy to take with…read moreyou to the lake. Friendly staff. Great assortment of snacks, drinks and souvenirs, too.

We started down Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway and stopped at Bridal Veil Falls, Spearfish Falls,…read moreand Roughlock Falls. Roughlock Falls was our last stop. If you drive pass the trailhead parking lot and keep going down to the end, after you pass the "Roughlock Falls" sign, you will see a parking lot that will lead you closer to the falls. It's 1.5miles from the trailhead but this location only took us a total of 35mins with photos in between. Not difficult, just a few zig zags. We had youngest of 4 to 70s and we all made it. These falls are described as low cascading falls. It's not up high.

Driving through Spearfish Canyon we knew we had to hutches waterfalls. Roughlock is one of the most…read morepicturesque I've seen. There are two ways to get to the falls. 1) park at the trail head and make your way up ~1 mile or 2) drive up above the falls where there is a short accessible path with lookout. The view from the top aren't great but at that location you can walk down a paved path (although steep and not accessible) to the bottom of the falls. This is the view you want! The falls aren't the highest but at the pool they then separate out in multiple paths over moss covered rocks. The stream is completely clear and you can easily see fish which is great for little ones to look for. This is a must do for anyone driving through spearfish.

I definitely recommend putting this on something you go and visit in your lifetime. It is a very…read moreamazing monument from the time you walk up through the main gate you can start to see the monument and it's just amazing at the work that was put into it they have lined the pathway with the flags from all 50 states and it just kinda gives you this amazing walk up experience and that if you haven't seen you early enjoy. My family and I spent about an hour and a half there which is a great amount of time you can walk up get some great photos plenty of park Rangers around to talk to get directions and tell you a little bit more about the park They do offer videos certain times of the day that are very informative. They have a full-blown theater at the foot of the mountain, which is really amazing when people can perform and things like that which I had no idea that was there until later. And then they have this amazing easy to travel trail. You can do about 50% of it with the stroller and get close up to the monument and take a great photo but then there comes an area where it says I have almost 450 steps so we stopped right there and turned back, but it does do a loop around the whole area with spectacular views. I definitely think that this is a great place to go and visit really peaceful place well-maintained. They do have restaurants and gift shops there so if you're ever in South Dakota, go and give this place a visit

We had an amazing experience visiting Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Even though it's one of the…read moremost recognizable landmarks in the country, seeing it in person is still incredibly impressive. Pictures really don't capture how massive the sculpture actually is. The entire memorial area is very well maintained and easy to explore. We enjoyed walking through the Avenue of Flags, taking in the different viewpoints, and learning more about the history behind the monument. The exhibits and informational displays helped give a much better appreciation for the amount of work that went into carving the mountain. What stood out most to me was the setting. The Black Hills surrounding Mount Rushmore are beautiful, and the scenery adds so much to the overall experience. It feels peaceful, scenic, and patriotic all at the same time. I also appreciated that there's more to do than just take a quick picture. You can really spend time exploring the area, reading about the construction process, and enjoying the atmosphere. Overall, this is absolutely worth visiting if you're in South Dakota. It's iconic for a reason and definitely one of those places that feels even more impressive once you're standing there in person. Check out our video on our socials @reessroots