Black Hills and Badlands loop

The Black Hills have granite spires, tunnels and wildlife, with Needles Highway and Iron Mountain Road as the highlights. Custer State Park's Wildlife Loop is famous for bison. The loop then drops east to the Badlands. It suits families and road-trip fans who like short stops.

The stops

1. Start

   Rapid City

2. Viewpoint

   Mount Rushmore

   Early morning means fewer crowds

3. Worth a look

   Crazy Horse Memorial

   Mountain carving in progress

4. Viewpoint

   Iron Mountain Road pigtail bridges

   Wooden bridges and tunnels framing Rushmore

5. Beach

   Sylvan Lake

   Granite lake in Custer State Park

6. Viewpoint

   Needles Eye tunnel

   Narrow granite tunnel on the Needles Highway

7. Park · Overnight

   Custer State Park Wildlife Loop

   Bison herds, burros and pronghorn

8. Park

   Wind Cave National Park

   Cave tours and prairie bison

9. Viewpoint

   Badlands Loop Road

   Overlooks along the Badlands Loop Road

10. Worth a look

    Wall Drug

    Roadside institution with free ice water

11. Back to the start

    Rapid City

Where to stay

• Night 1

  Custer

  Sylvan Lake campground · Custer motels

• Night 2

  Wall

  Cedar Pass Campground · Wall motels

When to go

May-Oct; Needles Highway can be icy early or late in the season

On the road

Custer State Park needs an entry licence. Some tunnels are narrow, so check vehicle width limits before driving.