Black Hills-Badlands

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National Geographic Driving Guide: The Heartland

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The Black Hills, or Paha Sapa, are sacred to the Lakota, and their complex geological formations are enough to make the most jaded scientist pause and wonder. When seen at a distance, the dense covering of ponderosa pine gives this elliptically domed area its black color, but the Black Hills region—covering some 6,000 square miles [15,540 square kilometers] in western South Dakota and eastern Wyoming—includes high ridges and deep caverns, the remains of a several-hundred-million-year period of intense pressure from the earth’s molten crust. Over time, wind and water have eroded the landscape, a process still under way. Attractions along this drive include museums, a fish hatchery, and various reminders of the gold-mining frenzy that shook these hills.

But even with such huge marks of man as the Crazy Horse Memorial-in-the-making and the familiar faces on Mount Rushmore, nature provides this route’s greatest attractions. They range from fantastic geological formations and fascinating caves to the bizarre landscape known as the Badlands, created in part by the huge runoff of sediment from the volatile Black Hills. CONTINUED

- Wall
- Rapid City
- Spearfish
- Crazy Horse Memorial
- Wind Cave National Park
- Keystone
- Ben Reifel Visitor Center

(Continued From Top)

Wall

Mythical jackalope at Wall Drug

Photograph © Michael Forsberg

The drive begins right off I-90 in the town of Wall (Chamber of Commerce +1 605 279 2665) at Wall Drug (Main St. +1 605 279 2175). On a summer day, this capital of kitsch claims its offer of free ice water may be taken up by as many as 20,000 visitors, and they may well all fit within its acres of souvenir shops, 520 café seats, and backyard complete with a “jackalope,” robotic Tyrannosaurus rex that roars and hisses, miniature Mount Rushmore, and other amusements.
For a trip back to reality, take I-90 west to the South Dakota Air and Space Museum (Davis Dr. +1 605 385 5188. Tours of base beginning at museum mid-May—mid-Sept.; Adm. fee), located just outside the gates of Ellsworth Air Force Base. Rockets and aircraft take up the lawn outside, while inside exhibits discuss the modern age of air warfare. Its centerpiece is the ten-ton [10.2-metric ton] Honda Stealth model, which caused a stir when used in a 1988 national automobile ad campaign. (At the time the Stealth bomber was still top secret, and some feared Honda had cracked U.S. security.)

Rapid City

Stavkirke carving, Rapid City

Photograph © Michael Forsberg

Just down I-90 is Rapid City (Visitor Center +1 605 343 1744 or 800 487 3223), home to the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. On campus the small Museum of Geology (3rd fl. of O’Hara Bldg., E. St. Joseph St. +1 605 394 2467) holds a remarkable fossil collection and offers an excellent introduction to the Black Hills and the Badlands by showing the comparative geology of the region over time. Also in Rapid City, in a pastoral Black Hills setting, stands the Stavkirke (Chapel Ln., off South Dakota 44. +1 605 342 8281. May-Sept.), an exact reproduction of the Borgund Stavkirke in Norway. Near this ornately carved and lovingly constructed small wooden chapel stands the Edward Nielsen settler’s cabin, a museum with many Norwegian antiques and artifacts dating from the 1890s, including wooden plates and wooden shoes.
The drive proceeds northwest on I-90. Two miles [3.2 kilometers] east of Sturgis, the Black Hills National Cemetery (+1 605 347 3830) includes the graves of those who served this country from the Spanish-American War to the Persian Gulf War.
Each August, Sturgis (Chamber of Commerce +1 605 347 2556) hosts one of the largest motorcycle rallies in the United States, making it an appropriate site for the National Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame (1650 LaZelle St. +1 605 347 4875. Adm. fee). The museum’s many vintage and modern motorcycles include a 1907 Harley Davidson, the “Mona Lisa of motorcycles,” believed to be the oldest unrestored Harley still running.
Just east of town, off South Dakota 34, artifacts at the Old Fort Meade Museum (Sheridan St. +1 605 347 9822. May-Sept.; Adm. fee) date from its establishment as a frontier post to its closing in 1944, when the Fourth Cavalry abandoned it. Established in 1878 by the re mainder of Custer’s Seventh Cavalry after the Battle of the Little Bighorn, the fort now displays such items as the possessions of Chief Dewey Beard, thought to be the last living participant in the Battle of the Little Bighorn, who died in 1955. Beard’s first wife and baby daughter were killed at Wounded Knee, as were his parents and two brothers.

Spearfish
Continuing northwest, I-90 takes you to Spearfish (Chamber of Commerce +1 605 642 2626), where every summer since 1939 the Black Hills Passion Play (St. Joe St. +1 605 642 2646 or 800 457 0160. June-Aug. Sun., Tues., and Thurs.; Adm. and tour fees. Reservations recommended) has dramatized the last days of the life of Christ. Backstage tours and a museum expand the experience.
A delightful attraction is the D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery (423 Hatchery Cir. +1 605 642 7730. Hatchery open year-round; museum, exhibits, and underwater viewing area April-Oct.), built in 1899 to introduce trout to the Black Hills. Fish-holding tanks contain thousands of trout of various sizes milling around in pools, and an underwater viewing area provides a good look at some of the largest trout you are likely to see anywhere. A museum and several outside historical exhibits give an excellent overview of fish culture techniques in the early West.

Fly-fishing along the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway

Photograph © Michael Forsberg

The beautiful drive south on US 14A from Spearfish, known as the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway (+1 605 642 4622), travels through a canyon as colorful as it is old. Be sure to pick up the pamphlet available at the canyon entrance or at the Spearfish Canyon Cultural Center (+1 605 584 2070) near Savoy that details a self-guided driving tour marked by numbered signs. This designated route provides an excellent overview of the canyon’s geology, flora, fauna, and recreational opportunities.
It was gold that brought the whites to the Black Hills, and it is gold—in various forms—that keeps many here even now. In Lead, the Black Hills Mining Museum (323 W. Main St. +1 605 584 1605. Mon.-Fri.; Adm. fee) presents a comprehensive look at the history and technology of Black Hills gold mining. Downstairs is a simulated underground level of the Homestake Mine.
Down the street, the actual Homestake Mine Visitor Center and Open Cut Overlook (160 W. Main St. +1 605 584 3110. Tours May-Sept.; Fee for tours) presents a view into the yawning open pit of the Homestake Mine. First discovered in 1876, it was mined for gold continuously until 1945. Mining resumed in 1983, and the open-pit part of the operation lasted to until September of 1998, at approximately 4,000 feet long [1,219.2 meters long], 2,000 feet wide [609.6 meters wide], and 1,000 feet deep [304.8 meters deep]. Although much of the mining still goes on underground, surface tours are offered (May-Sept.; Fee), or you can view the pit from the overlook at the Visitor Center.
Just down the road, Lead’s sister boomtown, Deadwood (Visitor Center +1 605 578 1876 or 800 999 1876), keeps gold fever traditions alive as a gambling town with over 40 casinos, large and small. (Children are welcome in most Deadwood gambling halls until 8 p.m.)
For a little hands-on history, the Broken Boot Gold Mine (US 14A. +1 605 578 9997 or +1 605 578 1876 off season. Mid-May—mid-Sept.; Adm. fee) offers gold panning (“success guaranteed”) and tours. This relatively small mine operated from 1878 to 1904. The tour offers an excellent presentation of mining in the pick-and-shovel days, when six tons [6.1 metric tons] of ore had to be moved by hand to recover a single ounce of gold.
Deadwood’s Adams Museum (54 Sherman St. +1 605 578 1714. Closed Sun. Oct.-April; Donation) holds a number of exhibits about Deadwood’s most famous dead residents, Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane. Also discussed are the first locomotive in the Black Hills and the Thoen Stone, found near Spearfish, which tells of an early gold discovery.
The Historic Franklin Hotel (700 Main St. +1 605 578 2241 or 800 688 1876) has operated continuously since its construction in 1903. Its lobby slot machines provide a noisy reminder of the area’s gambling history. The lobby’s other original furnishings, including the reception desk and backbar, set the tone for a trip up the hand-operated Otis elevator. Ask about viewing the historical rooms and restored suites named after such famous guests as Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft.
On August 2, 1876, Wild Bill Hickok drew the famous deadman’s hand—a pair of black aces and a pair of black eights—at Saloon no. 10 (657 Main St. +1 605 578 3346 or 800 952 9398), and was shot and killed by drifter Jack McCall. The chair in which the famous marshal/gunslinger was sitting is displayed, and in summer the saloon reenacts Wild Bill’s assassination four times a day.
After a four-hour period of mourning, they buried Wild Bill in Mount Moriah Cemetery (Boot Hill) (End of Lincoln St. +1 605 578 2082. May-Sept.; Adm. fee) . Buried nearby is the equally legendary Calamity Jane, who insisted in the face of considerable evidence to the contrary that she was Wild Bill’s paramour, and Potato Creek Johnny (John Perrett), who either found or created the largest gold nugget from the Black Hills. It becomes hard to separate myth from history here.

Crazy Horse Memorial

Crazy Horse Memorial

Photograph © Michael Forsberg

From Deadwood, drive south on US 385 to the Crazy Horse Memorial (4 miles [6.4 kilometers] N of Custer. +1 605 673 4681. Adm. fee), which will replace Mount Rushmore as the world’s largest face— all four faces on Mount Rushmore would fit in Crazy Horse’s stone head. Chief Henry Standing Bear conceived the project in 1939, and sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski began work in the late 1940s. When finished, the three-dimensional sculpture will show the famed Lakota warrior astride a horse. The work in progress can be viewed a mile away [1.6 kilometers], from a visitor complex of museums, theaters, gift shop, and displays of other works by the artist, as well as a 1:34-scale model of the mountain sculpture. While there is no projected completion date, the face of Crazy Horse was unveiled on June 3, 1998—The 50th anniversary of the memorial’s dedication.
From here, continue south to Custer and turn west on US 16. Here the National Museum of Woodcarving (US 16. +1 605 673 4404. May—mid-Oct.; Adm. fee) puts on a remarkable display of animated caricature-style wood carvings by Dr. Harley Niblack, one of the original animators of Disneyland. The carvings, humorous Western scenes, are animated mechanically. While on-site, visit the room dedicated to other fine caricature-style carvers, and watch wood-carvers work in the studio out back.
Over 90 caves pocket the limestone strata surrounding the Black Hills. Although most are undeveloped, some have been opened by private owners and offer interesting experiences. But for those with limited time, one shining example of the underground Black Hills environment is Jewel Cave National Monument (US 16, 13 miles [20.9 kilometers] W of Custer. +1 605 673 2288. Fee for tours), the second-longest explored cave in the United States (behind Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave). Its more than 110 miles [177 kilometers] of known passages increase all the time. Tours of the cave’s spectacular formations are moderately strenuous but definitely worthwhile—its walls are bedecked with the sparkling crystal “jewels” that give the cave its name.

At the Mammoth Site, Hot Springs

Photograph © Michael Forsberg

Take the road back through Custer, then drive south on US 385 and South Dakota 89 before going east on US 18 to Hot Springs. Here awaits one of the most unusual, interesting, and well-presented attractions in the West, the Mammoth Site (1800 US 18. +1 605 745 6017. Adm. fee). Some 26,000 years ago, a collapsing cave formed a sinkhole here in which at least 51 Columbian and woolly mammoths were trapped and died. During the 1974 construction of a housing development, some of their bones were uncovered, and the site became a working paleontological dig. Many of the actual fossil bones may be seen in situ, as found by the scientific teams. Skulls, ribs, bones, and articulated, nearly complete skeletons are visible. Tour guides present the facility’s scientific background and history and, during July, volunteers work with scientists unearthing the remains.

Wind Cave National Park
For another look underground, drive north on US 385 to Wind Cave National Park (+1 605 745 4600), one of the most complex cave systems in the world. Wind Cave was formed when limestone deposited and consolidated on the inland seafloor about 320 million years ago. When the modern Black Hills began to lift up some 60 million years ago, the limestone fractured, allowing in water that dissolved the limestone and formed the cave.
The Visitor Center showcases the cave’s history as well as the surrounding prairie and wildlife. Open grassland comprises the majority of the park, and pronghorn, mule deer, and prairie dogs are highly visible, along with a herd of bison. Below ground, more than 80 miles [129 kilometers] of intertwining passages burrow under a surface square mile.
The first recorded discovery of the cave occurred in 1881, when two brothers named Bingham heard a loud whistling noise coming from the cave’s only natural entrance. It turned out to be caused by the difference between the air pressure inside and outside the cave. Wind Cave has many rare and delicate formations, including boxwork, a honeycomb-like calcite structure, and “popcorn” and frost-work, formed by evaporating water. Three different tours (Adm. fee) cover about a half mile [0.8 kilometer] of trail through the cave.

Bison at Custer State Park

Photograph © Michael Forsberg

Adjacent to Wind Cave National Park, north off South Dakota 87, lies Custer State Park (+1 605 255 4515. Adm. fee), a large state wildlife and nature preserve with a wide variety of recreational activities. Stop at the Peter Norbeck Visitor Center (US 16A. +1 605 255 4464. May-Oct.) for information on the numerous hiking, historical, and interpretive trails. Also offered are exhibits on the park through the four seasons, a “touch and feel table,” and other displays about the history, geology, and wildlife of the park.
Near the Visitor Center is the State Game Lodge, where President Calvin Coolidge was vacationing when he delivered a note to reporters with his famous statement, “I do not choose to run again for President of the United States.” Also close by is the beginning of the Wildlife Loop Road, along which you may see herds of bison and burros, as well as mountain goats, pronghorn, deer, elk, bighorn sheep, and coyotes.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial

Photograph © Michael Forsberg

Choose to head north out of the park on either the Needles Highway (South Dakota 87), a 14-mile [22.5-kilometer] scenic tour through the sharp, granite needle-like formations that give the drive its name, and South Dakota 244; or on the zigzagging Iron Mountain Road (US 16A). Both routes are part of the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway, both offer ever changing views of the Black Hills, and both lead to the “Monument to America.” The faces of Presidents Washington, Jefferson, T. Roosevelt, and Lincoln, immortalized on the shining white granite, comprise Mount Rushmore National Memorial (Off South Dakota 244. +1 605 574 2523. Fee for parking). Take the short path to the overlook or the rugged mile-long [1.6-kilometer] trail up to the sculptor’s studio. In addition, the newer, half-mile [0.8-kilometer] wheelchair-accessible Presidential Trail leads from the Visitor Center to the base of the mountain. On summer evenings you can view a sculpture-lighting ceremony from the amphitheater, complete with a talk, film and singing of the national anthem. Mount Rushmore was dedicated in August 1927, and more than 450,000 tons [457,221 metric tons] of rock were moved over 78 months. At the current rate of erosion, the granite faces should still be distinguishable centuries from now—if anyone is here to recognize them.

Keystone
Beyond Mount Rushmore, the gaily painted honky-tonk gateway community of Keystone offers numerous restaurants and curio shops. On the way into town, the Parade of Presidents Historical Wax Museum (609 US 16A. +1 605 666 4455. May-Aug.; Adm. fee) preserves in wax the American Presidents at an important moment in their history—Adams and Jefferson with Benjamin Franklin reviewing the Declaration of Independence; Grant accepting Lee’s surrender at Appomattox; and Reagan seated with Gorbachev at the Moscow summit are examples.
The Borglum Historical Center (342 Winter St. +1 605 666 4448. May—early Oct.; Adm. fee) attempts to address the “Why?” of Mount Rushmore through presentations on the life, career, and varied accomplishments of creator Gutzon Borglum. The museum’s reproduction of the eye of Lincoln, the same size as it is on the mountain, gives visitors an idea of Rushmore’s scale.
From mid-May to early October, the 1880 Train (113 Winter St. +1 605 574 2222. Call for schedule; Fare), a steam engine of the Black Hills Central Railroad, makes daily trips between Keystone and Hill City. Along the way, a narrator discusses the history of the Black Hills and the whole scenic ride takes about two hours round-trip.
North on US 16 in Bear Country U.S.A. (8 miles [12.9 kilometers] S of Rapid City. +1 605 343 2290. May—mid-Oct.; Adm. fee), about a hundred grizzly and black bears roam free while humans are restricted to their cars. This drive-through wildlife park also holds virtually every large mammal resident in the Rockies—bighorn sheep, bison, mountain goats, coyotes, wolves, mountain lions, and others. Stop at the wildlife center at the end of the drive to see the baby animals born in the park—bear cubs, wolf and coyote pups, and more.
Two miles [3.2 kilometers] north is a roadside attraction that the kids will have to see, Rep tile Gardens (US 16. +1 605 342 5873. April-Oct.; Adm. fee). Here slither many snakes and gators, including the mandatory rattlers, pythons, cobras, and boa constrictors. But there are also entertaining trained animal acts that must be seen to be believed—Alice, the poker-playing chicken, and a rabbit that shoots a Ping-Pong ball gun. In a sort of animal-act arcade, a chicken will hit a home run and run the bases, or beat the grown-ups at tic-tac-toe.
South Dakota 44 leads southeast to Scenic (a town, not a description), where you might consider taking a detour on Rtes. 589 and 27 into the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation—and into Native American history. About 50 miles [81 kilometers] south, in the heart of spectacular Badlands country, lies the undeveloped Wounded Knee Massacre Site (Off Rte. 27 just outside town of Wounded Knee). In December 1890 Chief Big Foot was arrested near here for his support of the Ghost Dance. He and his band of Lakota, some 100 warriors and 250 women and children, were brought to this field. On December 29, they were surrounded by nearly 500 soldiers of the Seventh Cavalry under Col. James. W. Forsyth.
It is not entirely clear what started it, but shots rang out, and the soldiers fired on the Lakota. A bloody battle ensued, with the soldiers firing rifles and Hotchkiss guns with two-pound [.9-kilogram] explosives, and the Native Americans answering with clubs, knives, and revolvers. When the killing was done, as many as 200 Lakota men, women, and children, including Big Foot, were dead. In contrast, only some two dozen soldiers died in the fighting, many killed by their own comrades in cross fire.
This was one of the bloodiest battles ever fought between the U.S. Army and Native Americans and the last conflict of the Indian war period between the Lakota and the Army. The massacre seemed to break the Native Americans’ spirit, and most retired to reservations thereafter, with no f urther hope of regaining their lands lost. Only a plaque marks the historic site, but its stark primitiveness is appropriately affecting.

Ben Reifel Visitor Center

Badlands National Park

Photograph © Michael Forsberg

From Scenic, continue east on S. Dak. 44 to the north unit of Badlands National Park (+1 605 433 5361. Adm. fee). The term “badlands” describes an area where erosion has exposed a cratered moonscape of steep white canyons, knife-edged ridges, and flat shale-bottomed washes. Continue east to South Dakota 377 and the Ben Reifel Visitor Center, which offers an introduction to the Badlands’ geology, history, and wildlife through displays and videos. A hands-on area allows visitors to touch the furs, fossils, and grasses of the area. Here, too, are views of the Badlands Wall, with the region’s serrated signature formations.
A short drive northeast leads to several short hiking trails along which you can see the wonders of the park close up. For example, the Cliff Shelf Trail conveys a sense of the erosive power of the mere 16 inches [40.6 centimeters] of rain the area receives annually. Or hike the very short Windows and Notch Trails to a spectacular panorama of teeth and canyons. Then get back in the car and travel the well-planned and scenic Badlands Loop Road, which offers the full spectrum of badlands topography with frequent scenic turnouts. In particular, the Seabed Jungle Overlook presents the sort of multihued geology that J.R.R. Tolkien might have used for his hobbits’ adventures.
When you’ve had your fill of the fantastic scenery, finish the drive back to Wall.