Beautiful area with breathtaking views. We drove to the…read morelookout area and then to the beach. The beach was gorgeous. We saw people setting up for a wedding. We will definitely be returning here to camp.

Absolutely gorgeous state recreation area! This state recreation area is located around 1 hour…read moresouth of Rapid City. It has multiple campgrounds and beach access along the shorelines. We spent the majority of our day biking along the 3.5 mile paved bike trail that follows on the outside of the lake. It was a moderately difficult trail that had it's many ups and downs, however, not too bad considering I was carrying 2 kiddos in a bike trailer that made it heavier and harder to do. Most of the facilities were closed due to Covid but the area as a whole is beautiful, and we cannot wait to go back. If you have a boat, you've got to check this place out. There is another state recreation area on the west side that we didn't get to go to unfortunately but our trip was totally worth it. Another quick note, please ensure that when booking a campsite, you know what you are getting. Many of the sites only haveelectric but some had noth electric and water. Finally, if you live in SD state parks, just go ahead and get the annual membership. By the time you go to Custer once and another time here or another park, it practically pays for itself.

Fossils in the hills of Nebraska [Harrison NE]…read more This national monument is located in Western Nebraska. Let me tell you now... it is out in the middle of nowhere! One lone building... the Visitor Center! You have to drive to the open prairie where the fossils can be found on quarries where the digs were conducted. Unfortunately, we were on a tight schedule and was not able to do the hike. Inside the Visitor Center is full of interesting exhibits Including a life-size display of ancient mammals (giant creature that looks like a pig). There are no dinosaur fossils here. We also saw some cool collection of Northern Plains Indian artifacts given as gifts to James Cook by Lakota Chief Red Cloud. The short film was educational. Tip: Make sure to gas up your car and bring snacks or pack a lunch before heading out to the monument. The closest gas station is over 30 miles out on Highway 29 heading either north or south. There are no vending machines at the Visitor Center but they have free WiFi available ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Review #3503

Visited Agate Fossil Beds National Monument on Sunday, September 17…read more In addition to fossils and Devil's Corkscrews we saw a great collection of Lakota Sioux memorabilia from the James Cook collection. Shout out to Amelia for spilling the tea on the Cook family, and showing us the prized cow pie from the Cook collection - not on open display. The fossil beds themselves were amazing but Amelia was fantastic, she made the visit.

The staff does not respond timely to emails;and does not answer the phone or return voicemails…read more The location is clean and simple, but for a larger RV/camper, the trees need to be trimmed. Also, it's important to note that this location is about 200yards from a major railway crossing. This equates to high-decible train horns about every 15 minutes day and night. To top that off, the neighboring community (about 100 feet from the edge of the campground sites) have some enthusiastic roosters.

I want to say that we reserved, but didn't stay. So many Amazing reviews on the site, we booked it…read more But once learning the restrooms are closed. I called. Sue called me back, what a lovely lady. I hope we get to stay with her on our next trip. Classy and kind.

Going to Toadstool Geologic Park was best thing we've done on our vacation so far. The park is…read morebeautiful and interesting, offering both easy and challenging hikes. There was a guy named Richard in the parking lot giving out free sunscreen, vacation advice and maps. He even took our picture. He's a great guy who just loves the park and works for free. If you see him tell him Tim, Sutevee and Hope say hi! PS - don't forget to pay your park fee. It's very cheap and helps keep the park maintained.

Nice walking loop through the park. Takes about an hour. Get the paper guide at the entrance,…read morethough. Watch for snakes. But we never saw any.

Really cool little gem of an overall boring Nebraska. Sorry, but you guys know it's true. Lol…read more Great little mostly quiet campground in a neat little park.

The park is beautiful! Who would ever think this is Nebraska? We were able to drive through and…read moreonly get out if we wanted. The restroom/0uthouse that I used was very clean and didn't smell. My only complaint was the lady at the desk. If she had a personality, she didn't show it. I asked if we could just put the sticker on our dash and she snipped "instructions are on there". My guess is when you work for the State, you don't have to be pleasant.

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.

Call Your Bluff…read more Protected National Monument site that's over 3k-acres and is situated west of Gering, Nebraska. We visited here almost eight years ago on our epic road trip across the US, and I can't believe I forgot to review this place. The Good: *The bluff is an important landmark on the Oregon Trail and there's an Oregon Trail Museum at the base of the bluff. *There's a windy 1.6-mile drive up the Summit Rd to get to the top of Scotts Bluff. There were quite a few cars (the park draws in 100k visitors a year) in front of us, if I remember correctly. But I don't think it took that long to get to the top, because even if it did there some superb views along the way up. *Leashed pets are OK on trails *Free! The Meh: *Only four miles of hikable trails The Ugly: *I wish we had more time to explore and hike the trails, but we had a schedule to keep. Next time, Gadget! Conclusion: Great park that's worth a 1hr detour if you're headed along on this stretch of 80.

WOW - if you have a change to visit, GO! Such beauty!…read more - - - May, 2025 Visit - - - My wonderful wife and I were able to enjoy a getaway weekend, with a visit to Devils Tower, WY; we flew through Denver and drove to NE Wyoming. We stayed in Torrington, WY; as we woke up we looked at the map and realized how close we were to Scott's Bluff National Monument, so we decided to make a visit, and we're glad we did. - - - One of the signs at the Park / Monument shares that the Indians / the Native Americans called Scotts Bluff "Me-a-pa-te", or "hill that is hard to go around." Scotts Bluff is along the Oregon Trail, which runs through the Monument / Park. Given how flat the Nebraska plains are, and that this is 800 feet tall, you can see Scotts Bluff from about 100 miles away, and giben that the wagon trains made ~ 10-12 miles per day (or less), you could surely see it for 7-10 days before and after passing it. So... "hill the is hard to go around" is appropriate and accurate! - - - The Visitor's Center is nice and the NPS staff friendly and helpful. - - - There is a trail that you can walk up to wonderful views from the Bluff; along the way you may (or may not) be surprised to see some plants that could also be seen further west, in Joshua Tree and other National Parks - agave and yucca. The Monument is near a highway, so you may occasionally hear a little road noise, but it is infrequent and you're able to readily hear birds and bugs as you enjoy the hike. As we drove in, along Highway 26 we could see the Monument off in the distance. We then turned down a road to capture some photos; a few minutes later a farmer drove by and slowed and offered to show us the way to the Monument by driving us in "the back way" where we drove the Oregon Trail into the parking lot - wonderful! So, driving-wise, we recommend coming in via Hw 92... from Torrington... Hw 26 E to Mitchell to Hw 29 S to Hw 92 E to the "Old Oregon Trail Road" - - - The Monument towers so tall... Beautiful! And tall. There is an audio tour you can listen to your phone... the sings have the phone number to call and listen... this is a wonderful listen - thank you, National Park Service (NPS) for creating / providing this audio tour. - - - We followed the trail up to the top, to where it passes through the hand-made tunnel to the other side. We rose 400 feet in elevation and were blessed with a nice breeze and an amazing view. - - - When the US Mint made the state quarters, Nebraska selected Chimney Rock for their quarter; Chimney Rock is 20-23 miles from Scotts Bluff, AND is visible from the trail... so nice! - - - Thank you, National Park Service for maintaining Scotts Bluff National Monument, for us and for future generations! If you have a chance to visit, GO! ----- ----- -----

Stayed at Yurt 4. Amazing view! Yurt was clean and well maintained. Great for my family of 5. Two…read moresets of bunk beds with full mattresses on the bottom. Sturdy wooden furniture. Solar powered lights and fan. Great deck with table. Yurt 4 is a bit away from the parking lot, so next time I'd get #3. Clean area. Beautiful. Yurt was huge! Easy to check in and out. Was expensive for 2 nights but was with it. Guernsey is a great little town. Will come again.

I made another trip to Guernsey State Park, this time remembering to wear good shoes and to remove…read moremy keys from the car. Love the views! Great place to stop and take in a little nature. I also got to visit the outhouse and the castle this time around! Woohoo. They are pretty cool to check out.

A visit to this location was tops on my list when I planned my vacation here. I have read before…read morehow the countless wagon wheels war ruts in the rock, but to experience them myself was very moving. My 4X great grandmother would have been one of the pioneers who came through here. My thanks and appreciation to all those who helped create the walkway and signs. If you've been debating about whether or not to add this stop to your itinerary, add it now! There are picnic and bathroom facilities here so it could be a quick stop to let your kids run around and do some exploring, or a place to spend an hour soaking up the history.

I saw the signage of the Oregon trail ruts sign pointing east and I decided to check things out. It…read morewas pretty cool that there's a yelp listing for this attraction as well. While it may not be an excuse to come out all the way here to southeast Wyoming and see where may or may not be wagon ruts made by 1860 American pioneers trying to make better lives for themselves, it was a nice stopover on my way back to Longmont, CO. I had stopped off at touring the Fort Laramie national historic site and, as aforementioned before, I saw the signage of the Oregon trail Ruts historic site and was curious as to what this place was about. I was in the area and figured why not. I arrived around 4:40pm on a brisk and casual Tuesday afternoon in October 2017. Curiosity lead me to this place, which could be considered either a historical landmark or a public park. In truth, it's a little of both. I don't doubt that there are wagon ruts still existing after 100+ years after the iconic westward movement of people forging ahead to reach the Pacific Northwest and other places in Nevada and California. This historic site provides a glimpse into what it was like back in the 1840's for those who wanted a better life in the United States of America. The overall experience here at the Oregon Trail Ruts historical site was interesting, educational, yet inspiring at the same time. They showcase what is the wagon ruts from all those wagons that made historic journeys from Missouri to various places in Oregon, Nevada, and California. For me, because really nobody was there when I was there, I just seemed like it was just a walk in the park - literally. Too bad there is no replica of a wagon train at this site, although it probably would have been vandalized at some point by some kids. That tends to happen. For me, I just happened to just slowly walk around the pathway that circumnavigate the park and looked around and what was there, which was barely nothing. Just some signage but that's about it. This Oregon trail Ruts historic site is located in a remote area of Wyoming, more specifically, in Xxx. The only good part of this experience was the fact that there is no admission charged for entry. The parking was limited, but there is space for you to park in. For the most part though, the Oregon trail ruts is a piece of history that is preserved in the form of a city / county park and as a historic site here. The American pioneers risked their lives to bring forth a better life for themselves and to bring prosperity to a growing nation. I spent about a good 1 1/2 hours before heading to Register Cliff, which happened to be nearby (2 miles). There is a restroom next to the parking area, but I don't think they have public wifi here. I can't say that you may enjoy coming here to the Oregon trail ruts historic site, but if you are fan of the Oregon trail and a general history buff, you may be interested in this. Plus, it's on the way back to Denver and Cheyenne, Wy from Laramie, Wy. You are kind of in the middle of nowhere though, so best bet is to come here with a decent amount of gas in your car and explore the sites in the area, while coming here to see the Oregon trail ruts that these American pioneers have made to create a nation over 150 years ago. I would recommend coming here if you have the time and want to see it. It is kind of on the way, if you are coming from Denver and Fort Laramie, Wyoming. Time well spent. 4.5 stars for the entire experience. Thanks to these brave souls, we would have an America we can be proud of today. Support local! B