The Black Hills and Badlands

The first day in the Black Hills, we drove the Peter Norbeck Scenic Drive, a route that winds through much of the region and the views, landscapes, and wildlife. The route was a very slow, windy mountain road; some one-lane tunnels were as narrow as 8 ft.

 An obligatory stop on this drive was Mt. Rushmore. It was neat to see, but not breathtaking. (My opinion may have been swayed by the fact that our federal land pass – which waives entrance fees to any federal park or lands – did not cover the $11 parking fee.) I enjoyed walking through the sculptor’s studio the most, which contained several mockups and information on the monument’s design. The actual monument is smaller than you might imagine, and the entire place strongly resembles an amusement park.

Me (and everyone else) at the monument

The original Mt. Rushmore design

The wildlife was most active through the southern prairies of Custer State Park, which we hit on the way back down from Mt. Rushmore. Bison wandered aimlessly, including on the roads in several places. I spotted antelope, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs, and even donkeys.

Bison in the road!

Huge roadway bison guards

 
Near the end of the drive, we hiked up a fire tower to get another view of the region, and we went on a walk through the prairie that ended when we encountered a rather territorial coyote. It was a long day, made longer by a severe thunderstorm and tornado warning that evening that prompted an evacuation of the campground to the visitor’s center. Fortunately, there was only some rain and marble-sized hail – no wind or damage to anything.

The top of the Rankin fire tower

The next day we hiked up Harney’s Peak, the country's highest peak east of the Rockies. The views were spectacular, and the hike wound around several different kinds of forests and some of the interesting rock formations we had spotted the day before.

The rocky Black Hills

Harney's Peak lookout tower

Harney’s Peak was just a stop in the morning; afterwards we drove east out to Badlands National Park. This area is really intriguing – it seems much more Mars-like than terrestrial. We drove through the park and hiked up one of the massive dirt structures.

That night, we camped at Sage Creek, a campground that consists of nothing more than a road and a few tables in the middle of the park’s prairie.

Afterwards, we were back on the road - this time to Glacier National Park!