Black Hills area

While staying in Spearfish, South Dakota, and later while staying in Hot Springs, South Dakota, we visited several of the nearby scenic byways and towns in the Black Hills area, including Spearfish, Belle Fourche, Deadwood, Custer, and Hot Springs, amongst others. This post is a collection of some interesting pictures from this region. (Several big attractions of this area, including Crazy Horse Memorial, Mount Rushmore National Monument, Custer State Park, Iron Mountain Road, and Wind Cave National Park, will be covered in separate posts.)

We really enjoyed the Black Hills area, and could see ourselves buying property here one day. Though we still have lots more of the country to see, so you never know!

Here’s an interactive map of the Black Hills area; part of it is in Wyoming, but the majority is in South Dakota:

Roughlock Falls Road, south of Spearfish:

Roughlock Falls Road

Roughlock Falls Road

Roughlock Falls Road

Roughlock Falls Road

Roughlock Falls Road

Roughlock Falls Road

Roughlock Falls Road

Roughlock Falls Road


Spearfish Canyon Highway:

Spearfish Canyon Highway

Spearfish Canyon Highway

Spearfish Canyon Highway

Spearfish Canyon Highway

Some mountain goats licking something on the road:

Spearfish Canyon Highway

Spearfish Canyon Highway

Spearfish Canyon Highway

Spearfish Canyon Highway

Another day, still there:

Spearfish Canyon Highway

Spearfish Canyon Highway

Spearfish Canyon Highway

Spearfish Canyon Highway


Custer:

Custer

Custer

Custer

Custer

Custer

Lunch at the Purple Pie Place:

Custer

Custer

Custer

Custer

Custer

Custer

Custer

Custer

Custer

Custer


Keystone:

Keystone

Keystone

Keystone


Deadwood:

Deadwood

Deadwood

Deadwood

Deadwood

Deadwood

Deadwood

Deadwood

Deadwood

Deadwood


Hill City:

Hill City

Hill City

Hill City


Dinner in Lead:

Lead

Lead


Dinner in Rapid City:

Dinner


Belle Fourche:

Belle Fourche

Belle Fourche

Belle Fourche

Belle Fourche

Belle Fourche

Belle Fourche

Belle Fourche

Belle Fourche

Belle Fourche claims to be the geographic center of the US, when including Alaska and Hawaii:

Belle Fourche

Belle Fourche

Belle Fourche

Belle Fourche

Belle Fourche


Hot Springs:

Hot Springs

Hot Springs

Hot Springs

Hot Springs

Hot Springs

Hot Springs

Hot Springs

Hot Springs

Hot Springs

Hot Springs

Hot Springs

Hot Springs

Hot Springs

Theodore Roosevelt National Park South Unit

We also visited the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.

The South Unit is easier to get to, and thus more popular, but in our opinion not quite as interesting. Still scenic, though. This post is about the South Unit; see yesterday’s post for the North Unit.

Here’s a map:

Map

An interactive map:

Entrance:

Entrance

Info signs:

Info signs

Info signs:

Info signs

Display:

Display

Gift store:

Gift store

Exhibits:

Exhibits

Exhibits

Cabin

Cabin

Cabin

Cabin

Cabin

Cabin

Jenn and David:

Jenn and David

View

View

Prairie dog town:

Prairie dog town

Prairie dog town

Prairie dog town

Scenery

Wild horses:

Wild horses

Scenery

Bison:

Bison

Scenery

Bison

Scenery

Wild horses:

Wild horses

Wild horses

Wild horses

Wild horses

Scenery

Scenery

Hike:

Hike

Hike

Hike

Hike

Hike

Hike

Hike

Hike

Hike

Scenery

Scenery

Bison

Theodore Roosevelt National Park North Unit

We visited the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.

The park is split into the North and South Units. The North Unit is a bit more remote and less popular, but in our opinion more scenic. This post is about the North Unit; see tomorrow’s post for the South Unit.

Here’s a map:

Map

An interactive map:

The entrance:

Entrance

Info signs:

Signs

The Visitor Center is just a modular building:

Visitor Center

Visitor Center

Heading into the park:

Scenery

Scenery

Scenery

Scenery

Scenery

Scenery

Bison:

Bison

Bison

Bison

Scenery

Scenery

Scenery

Scenery

Scenery

A viewpoint:

Scenery

Scenery

Scenery

Scenery

Scenery

Scenery

Nice rustic scenery.

Devils Tower National Monument

We visited Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming. It was America’s first National Monument, but made famous by the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Devils Tower

Devils Tower

Devils Tower

Devils Tower

Passport stamp outside the visitor center:

Passport stamp outside visitor center

Model:

Model

Visitor center:

Visitor center

Visitor center

Trail info:

Trail info

View from West Road:

View from West Road

View from West Road

There’s a prairie dog town on the way to the tower; these burrowing ground squirrels create massive underground colonies. We stopped on the way back:

Prarie dogs

Prarie dogs

Prarie dogs

Prarie dogs

Prarie dogs

Prarie dogs

Prarie dogs

A video of prairie dogs:

Devils Tower is unusual in that you pay on the way out, probably to avoid a line blocking the KOA campground and shops immediately outside:

Devils Tower is unusual in that you pay on the way out

On the next day, we went back to do a hike around the tower:

Model

Devils Tower

Devils Tower

View

Devils Tower

Devils Tower

View

A peek of our coach in the KOA from the tower trail:

A peek of our coach

Devils Tower

Devils Tower

Devils Tower

Devils Tower

Devils Tower

Rock

Devils Tower

Devils Tower

A timelapse video of hiking around Devils Tower:

Alpenglow view from West Road:

View from West Road

View from West Road

Such an iconic monument.

Crazy Woman Canyon

A scenic drive though the interestingly named Crazy Woman Canyon:

Crazy Woman Canyon

Crazy Woman Canyon

Crazy Woman Canyon

Crazy Woman Canyon

Crazy Woman Canyon

Crazy Woman Canyon

Crazy Woman Canyon

Crazy Woman Canyon

Crazy Woman Canyon

Crazy Woman Canyon

Crazy Woman Canyon

Crazy Woman Canyon

Crazy Woman Canyon

A timelapse video of the drive through the canyon:

After that, we had a picnic dinner at Tie Hack Reservoir:

Picnic at Tie Hack Reservoir

Then walked to the dam:

Tie Hack Reservoir

Tie Hack Reservoir

Tie Hack Reservoir

Tie Hack Reservoir

Tie Hack Reservoir

Tie Hack Reservoir

Tie Hack Reservoir

Some interesting rocks on the return leg:

Interesting rocks

Interesting rocks

Bighorn scenic drive

We did a scenic drive loop from Cody, Wyoming to the Bighorn mountains, with a detour into Montana:

Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area:

Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area

Bighorn Canyon

Bighorn Canyon

Bighorn Canyon

Bighorn Canyon

Bighorn Canyon

Bighorn Canyon

Bighorn Canyon

Bighorn Canyon

Bighorn Canyon

Bighorn Canyon

Bighorn Canyon

Bighorn Canyon

45th parallel:

45th parallel

Bighorn Canyon

Bighorn Canyon

Scenic

Scenic

Scenic

Scenic

Scenic

Scenic

Scenic

Shell Falls:

Shell Falls

Shell Falls

Shell Falls

Butterfly:

Butterfly

Scenic

Scenic

Scenic

Scenic

A nice drive.