For my 62nd my wife is flying us to Denver, we then head to Mt. Rushmore, then to Yellowstone and back to Denver. We want to hit 2 bucket list destinations as we don't know the future.

With the medical problems we have both experienced, trips may have to wind down as we prepare for retirement.

I know that it's robbing us of the time we would like to spend at Yellowstone, but it is what it is. Looking to hit the best of both areas in way to short an amount of time.

Any recommendations appreciated!!

OMG. There is SO much to see in this area that knowing your interests is a must to pare things down.

For example in the greater Black Hills area, besides Mt Rushmore and the Crazy Horse monument there are a tremendous number of other attractions. You like wildlife? Then Custer State Park's buffalo herd as well as Reptile Gardens on Rt16. Great vistas? Needles Hiway and Iron Mt Road. You like iconic movie landmarks? Then Devil's Tower from Close Encounters. History? How about the Mount Moriah Cemetary in Deadwood or perhaps Little Bighorn on your way to Yellowstone. Military stuff? The museum outside Ellsworth AFB or maybe the Missileman site on the north side of the Badlands natl park.

And the list could go on and on....

https://www.blackhillstouristinfo.com/
https://www.blackhillsbadlands...akota-vacation-guide

As an aside I originally hail from upstate NY and now live within sight of Mt Rushmore.

In the My Rushmore area, there’s Hill City with its dinosaur museum and tourist shops. There’s the Crazy Horse Monument. The city of Custer is another tourist spot.(look for the buffalo statues) Then there’s Jewel Cave which would be nice on a hot day. West of Custer there’s a free ranging buffalo herd. Do not pet the Buffalo. Finally, Deadwood is an hour north.

bald1 has some great ideas. I just want add that visiting the Little Bighorn battlefield is a great experience. As you are overlooking the spot of Custer's last stand you can visualize exactly what the troops must have felt in their final minutes. It's breathtaking and you won't regret the time it will take to add it to your list.

Jim

Devil's Tower between the two. Back in the day, I climbed it via the Soler route.

But like bald1 said, there's so much to do. Good luck!

The Mammoth Dig in Hot Springs was a sink hole that became a watering hole with steep sides and trapped many woolly mammoths and other animals. Like Bald1 says there is so much to see. Local wine tour and Breweries. Needles Highway.

In Cody you must stop at the Buffalo Bill museum, you could spend a whole day in there or longer. I was told by an acquaintance who works for the insurance company that covers the museum that the guns you see above ground is 1/3 of what’s below ground that you don’t see.

The Beartooth Hwy from Cody to Red Lodge MT is an amazing road. Depending when you are going it might not be open.

To maximize your trip, budget a down day in one of the cities (Cody?) where you can recharge your batteries and rest your body. This one down day may afford you more days in the parks.

How long will you be staying in the Denver area? If overnight, I’d suggest possibly getting up to Red Rocks Theatre to see a show and if you cannot, at least tour through it. It’s a great venue! For anything else Denver, I’d be happy to give some other suggestions based on your timing and tastes.

Be sure you get your National Park Pass.
https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/passes.htm


For Mt. Rushmore, check out what they have on their online schedule and plan accordingly. We stayed at a “glamping” site, which actually had a view of Mt. Rushmore at night. Pretty cool!

https://www.undercanvas.com/

There are caves throughout the area. I’d suggest Jewel Caves National Monument. You *must* make reservations ahead of time online or you’ll be disappointed just showing up and expecting to do the tour. There are a few ladders to climb, so not knowing your health situation, it might not be the right thing for y’all.

https://www.nps.gov/jeca/index.htm

Devils Tower is within striking distance. That was cool to see as well as driving through Spearfish Canyon.

For Yellowstone, I’ve started a thread as we are also planning a trip in late May.

https://sigforum.com/eve/forums...0601935/m/9950061554

This is a massive area with unlimited ways to uplift, educate and entertain. I can hardly think of a way that would be 'bad' given the region.

It's a friggen BUFFET out there, it'll be hard to get more than just a taste regardless of what schedule you try to impose on yourselves.

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Originally posted by signewt:
It's a friggen BUFFET out there, it'll be hard to get more than just a taste regardless of what schedule you try to impose on yourselves.

That's no exaggeration. I moved here in '94 and have STILL not seen everything! I'm serious!

quote:

Originally posted by tanner:

There are caves throughout the area. I’d suggest Jewel Caves National Monument. You *must* make reservations ahead of time online or you’ll be disappointed just showing up and expecting to do the tour. There are a few ladders to climb, so not knowing your health situation, it might not be the right thing for y’all.

Spot on which is why I didn't list them in my post. Personally I'm somewhat limited myself relying on a cane so the great caves are off limits sadly for me. Same applies to the great hikes be they the long Mickelson Trail by foot or bicycle, heading up to Harney Peak, or even the remote trails in the Badlands.

Devil’s Tower was mentioned. Approach the Black Hills from the Wyoming side. See the west side of the Black Hills as you drive up to Devil’s Tower, which is the Nation’s FIRST national monument and flatout one of the coolest sights you’ll ever see. Do the loop trail (I prefer the longer loop because you get back further from the Tower and get better opportunities to photograph). Head over to Spearfish SD from there, some nice restaurants for supper; a good Mexican restaurant, if that suits you.

Morning drive down Spearfish Canyon. Very scenic and usually pretty quiet as far as tourist traffic. Work you way over to Sturgis...because, I suppose you ought to see it, but mostly because you can drive Vanocker Canyon from Sturgis.

My least favorite part of the Black Hills is Rushmore, but ya gotta go.

If you had more time, I’d suggest adding Fort Robinson, in extreme NW Nebraska, into your trip, but it doesn’t sound like you can. Too bad.

Depending on the time of year The Beartooth Highway. NE gate of Yellowstone up to Red Lodge MT. Will likely open late this year due to heavy snow loa as most of it is at nearly 11,000 foot.
Highway 14A between Sheridan and Yellowstone.
Devil's Tower.
Teton national park.

My best friend and I took my kids to Mt. Rushmore last summer and it was awesome! We only spent 1 day there so we only got to see the monument but afterwards took a helicopter ride over Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse. The ride was pretty expensive ($200 per person for a 20 minute ride) but was well worth the money! If you're able to and can afford it, I would highly recommend a helicopter ride.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: remsig,

You did not specify how long this trip will last, and that is certainly a factor in making recommendations about what to see. I am assuming that you will be flying to Denver and renting a vehicle for the outlying travel and back to Denver for the flight home?

I took a guided tour in 2009 of National and State Parks in the West and my photos of that trip are here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/...s/72157622664139564/. Day 9 to the end cover the locations that you are interested in seeing. Admittedly, a packaged tour does not have the flexibility that you will have, but it may give some ideas of how much time to allocate in each venue.

flashguy

We are fitting this into a week, are renting a Jeep Wrangler, and know there isn't enough time to see everything. Health wise, we are good.

Last week I got the results on my heart, great results, back to normal from 25% a year & a half back. Wife is done with chemo for breast cancer and doing excellent, so climbing and hiking isn't a problem, time constrains are.

As I said, doing 2 weeks in one is going to be disappointing, but we want to make it as memorable as we can.

Anyone ever stay at the Old Faithful Inn? Beds comfortable? I remember a night that killed me at El Tovar at the Grand Canyon.

Not looking forward to fitting 10 gallons of shit to do in a 5 gallon bucket!!

Lots of good Black Hills and western S.D. ideas so far, as well as Wyoming.
Jewell Cave was undergoing construction this past winter and per the NPS, is closed for tours until late April. https://www.nps.gov/jeca/planyourvisit/hours.htm
Beating the summer rush sounds like a great trip, be sure to allow for some down time as needed and watch the weather as snow and other storms always possible! Have a great time!!

quote:

Anyone ever stay at the Old Faithful Inn? Beds comfortable?

the last time I was there years ago they had reservations about 512 years into the future already...but the lunch was good & the Lodge is wonderful.

quote:

Anyone ever stay at the Old Faithful Inn? Beds comfortable?

Nope. My tour stayed at the Yellowstone Lake Hotel.

flashguy

If you adjust your itinerary to include Little Big Horn, you can then stay in Red Lodge, MT and cross the Beartooth Highway (opens Memorial Day) to enter Yellowstone from the northeast dropping into the Lamar Valley. IMHO, the most spectacular way to enter the Park.

I don't know what the extra cost would be, but returning from Salt Lake City instead of doubling all the way back to Denver might gain you another day at Yellowstone.

We added Devil's Tower, Mt. Rushmore, Sturgis and the Badlands to a roadtrip back to WI one year. I enjoyed Mt. Rushmore the most and we needed several more days to really experience the area. In a pinch I'd skip Devil's Tower or the Badlands if I was running tight on time. There's just so much around Mt. Rushmore to do that I'd immerse in that personally.