Area guides
Where to go in the Black Hills
Six places that between them cover most of what people drive out here for.
Badlands National Park
An hour east of Rapid City, and unlike anywhere else you have driven.
Read the guideDevils Tower
America's first national monument, and a place that repays slowing down.
Read the guideCuster State Park
Bison, granite spires and the best driving in the Hills.
Read the guideRapid City
The base camp for everything else, and worth a day in its own right.
Read the guideDeadwood and Sturgis
A gold rush town that kept its buildings, and the most famous motorcycle rally in the world.
Read the guideThe scenic drives
Three roads that are the reason to have a car out here.
Read the guideBefore you set off
Weather out here turns quickly and roads close with little warning, particularly in winter and early spring. These are the sources we check ourselves before a tour, and they are worth a look the morning you drive rather than the night before.
Road conditions
- South Dakota 511: closures, current conditions and road cameras across the state. You can also dial 511 inside South Dakota, or 1-866-MY-SD511 from out of state.
- Wyoming 511: the same for the Wyoming side, which is the one you want if you are heading to Devils Tower.
The parks themselves
Opening hours, entrance fees and closures inside the parks all shift with the season, so the official page is always a better answer than ours.
- Badlands National Park
- Mount Rushmore National Memorial
- Devils Tower National Monument
- Wind Cave National Park
- Jewel Cave National Monument
- Custer State Park: run by South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks rather than the National Park Service, so it charges its own entrance fee and a national park pass does not cover it.