Classic Badlands & Black Hills Loop
Depart from Rapid City to explore the Badlands, Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore, and Deadwood.
The most popular route for first-time visitors to western South Dakota: head east to explore the Badlands first, then return to the Black Hills to spend two days at Custer State Park and Mount Rushmore, and finish the loop via Deadwood and Spearfish Canyon in the northern Black Hills. Daily driving times are short, and by skipping Wind Cave and Devils Tower, this itinerary is perfect for first-timers and families with children.
Needles Highway is closed in winter; crowds peak around the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in August
每日安排
第 1 天 · Airport to Wall
Pick up your rental car at the airport and drive east on I-90 for about 1 hour to Wall. The Minuteman Missile National Historic Site is about 30 minutes east of Wall.
Tours of the Launch Control Facility at the Minuteman Missile site require advance reservations.
住宿：Wall
第 2 天 · Badlands Loop Road through the Wilderness
拉皮德城與黑山（惡地國家公園） → 拉皮德城與黑山（基斯通小鎮）
Spend the day driving along Badlands Loop Road (SD-240), then head west on SD-44 in the evening for about 2 hours to Keystone.
The light is best at sunrise and sunset. Summer middays can be extremely hot, so bring plenty of water.
住宿：基斯通
第 3 天 · Custer State Park Bison & Needles Highway
拉皮德城與黑山（卡斯特州立公園、針眼隧道、大教堂尖峰、西爾萬湖）
Drive from Keystone via Iron Mountain Road into the park, then take the Wildlife Loop Road and Needles Highway, with a total driving time of about 3–4 hours.
The Needles Highway tunnels are very narrow and close after the first snow. Large RVs should check width limits beforehand.
住宿：基斯通
第 4 天 · Mount Rushmore & Crazy Horse Memorial
拉皮德城與黑山（拉什莫爾山國家紀念公園、瘋馬紀念像、希爾城與1880蒸汽火車） → 拉皮德城與黑山（戴德伍德）
Drive to Mount Rushmore in the morning (approx. 15 minutes), continue to Crazy Horse Memorial (approx. 40 minutes), and head north to Deadwood in the evening (approx. 1.5 hours).
Mount Rushmore is less crowded and has the best lighting in the morning; arrive as early as possible in July and August.
住宿：戴德伍德
第 5 天 · Northern Black Hills Canyon & Return
拉皮德城與黑山（摩利亞山墓地、斯皮爾菲什峽谷、羅克洛克瀑布）
Drive round-trip from Deadwood to Spearfish Canyon (approx. 1.5 hours), then take I-90 for about 1 hour to the airport.
Lodging is extremely tight during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in early August.