One thing that surprised me during our drive across South Dakota was the sheer number of sunflower fields for as far as the eye could see! I had expected to see ranches, but it was mostly corn, beans and sunflowers. Not a bad view for our drive across the state! You can read about our stops along the way here.

After about 5 hours in the van, we were square in the Black Hills of South Dakota. First stop: Mount Rushmore! I have never seen this monument and I could have spent all day reading about the construction and the American History. We visited early in the morning and the sun hit the faces perfectly – we had a nice visit to this park and spent a couple of hours ‘soaking it all in.’

(Click on any image to open the gallery and read the captions)

A friendly Forest Ranger suggested a few of her favorite hikes in the area. We started with Hell Canyon Trail, which is a 5.5 mile loop near Jewel Cave (west of Custer). This area was part of the largest forest fire in the Black Hills. In 2000, more than 83,000 acres burned and the effect remains evident in the landscape.

By hiking the trail counter clockwise, we were deep in the canyon for the first part of the hike. About a mile in, as a Mark and I were having a random conversation about bears, Mark said ‘oh, hello’ and I immediately screamed! (Note: do not bring me when you search for wildlife). Luckily, the flock of long-horned sheep that Mark greeted didn’t immediately run away! We watched an entire field of sheep including lambs. At first, they didn’t seem very interested in us; however, when I took a few steps closer to get a picture, than they scattered up the canyon walls!

The next day, we hiked from Sylvan Lake to Little Devils Tower and Black Elk Peak, which was also recommend by our new Ranger BFF. There were so many mica flecks on the trail that it appeared to glitter! Little Devils Tower required boulder scrambles to reach the top. We tried to snap some photos, but they really don’t capture the entire top portion of this trail. While I normally shy away from these types of hikes, this was fun and it provided a great vantage point from the summit! After scrambling back down, we came to Cathedral Spires and watched 4 people rock climbing. After watching the climbers tower over the valley floor, I no longer felt cool for my rock scrambles!

Our hike took us to the top of Black Elk Peak (formerly known as Harney Peak), which was interesting for a couple of different reasons. Black Elk Peak is the highest peak east of the Rocky Mountains and west of the Pyrenees Mountains. The elevation is 7,242 feet. At the top of Black Elk Peak is a former fire tower along with a water cistern. From the top of Black Elk Peak, you can see 4 states (South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming and Nebraska) as well as the back of Mount Rushmore. We spent a lot of time enjoying the views while eating our lunch and resting for the return trip. The scenery throughout this hike was outstanding and I give it 👍👍!

Other things we did during our time in the Black Hills include:

• We biked for 30 miles on the George S Mickelson Trail from Hill City to Rochford and back. The complete trail is over 80 miles long and is an old rail line now comprised of crushed limestone. There are over 100 bridges and 4 tunnels that go through the mountain.
• We visited Sturgis and Deadwood. Sturgis was quiet when we visited as the 2021 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally had just ended and the Mustang Rally was scheduled to begin on Labor Day weekend. Deadwood was holding their annual Kool Deadwood Nites Car Rally and the town was packed! So, in fact, Deadwood wasn’t dead at all!
• Finally, we drove through Spearfish Canyon, which was simply stunning. On our next visit, we will spend more time in this area of the park.

It was in the Black Hills National Forest where we first successfully boon-docked. Again, our ranger friend came to the rescue! She gave us maps of public lands and explained where we could camp. We moved camping locations each night and it was quiet and peaceful in every spot we found. Well, except for the cows. You see, ranchers pay to lease forest land for their livestock, and on our first morning, we woke up to hear cows mooing. They were eating their breakfast on all sides of the van. The experience gives a new meaning for ‘would you like cream with your coffee?’! Of course, I wanted to get closer for a picture and they all wandered off! I need to work on my stealth animal picture skills!

We plan to spend the majority of September in Wyoming. As we left the beautiful Black Hills, we stopped at Devil’s Tower. Over 5,000 people climb Devil’s Tower every year and there are over 220 documented climbing routes! We didn’t see anyone climbing the monument, but we saw a couple with all of their gear, as they had just come down from their climb.

Hope you are doing well and having a great week! Please feel free to post a comment on any ‘must dos’ while we spend the next weeks in Wyoming!

Finally, we have updated the Gas Game post; check it out to see how many miles we have travelled!