Things to do in South Dakota
26 places worth stopping for and 7 places to stay on a road trip through South Dakota.
See and do
- Scenic drive
Scenic drive · Interior
Badlands Loop Road & Big Badlands Overlook
A 30-mile loop of overlooks over striped, eroded badlands.
Scenic drive · Custer State Park
Needles Highway & Sylvan Lake
A narrow granite-needle road with tunnels and a lakeside hike.
- Roadside oddity
Roadside oddity · Wall
Wall Drug
The enormous roadside shop that started with free ice water and now sprawls across a whole block.
- Wildlife
Wildlife · Custer
Custer State Park Wildlife Loop
An 18-mile drive past bison herds, pronghorn and burros.
- Scenic drive
Scenic drive · Spearfish
Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway
A canyon drive past waterfalls, cliffs and forest in the northern Black Hills.
- Viewpoint
Viewpoint · Keystone
Mount Rushmore National Memorial
The four carved presidents above a grand avenue of flags.
- Cave
Cave · Hot Springs
Wind Cave National Park
Boxwork cave formations and a wildlife-rich prairie above.
Cave · CusterHidden gem
Jewel Cave National Monument
One of the longest caves on Earth, with sparkling calcite crystals.
- Walk
Walk · Custer State Park
Black Elk Peak
The highest point in South Dakota, topped by a stone fire tower.
- History
History · Custer
Crazy Horse Memorial
A monumental mountain carving still being blasted into shape by a family, a few miles from Rushmore.
Gallery · Chamberlain
Dignity of Earth and Sky
50-foot stainless steel statue of a Native woman above the Missouri River.
- Scenic drive
Scenic drive · Keystone
Iron Mountain Road
Winding Black Hills road with pigtail bridges and tunnels framing Mount Rushmore.
History · WallHidden gem
Minuteman Missile National Historic Site
Climb down into a Cold War missile control room still buried on the prairie.
- Roadside oddity
Roadside oddity · Wall
Wall Drug Store
The sprawling store famed for free ice water and roadside billboards.
- Walk
Walk · SturgisHidden gem
Bear Butte State Park
A sacred mountain on the plains with a ridge trail and bison below.
- Museum
Museum · Hot SpringsHidden gem
Mammoth Site
An active dig site with a pile of mammoth bones preserved in a sinkhole.
Activity · Hill City
Hill City 1880 Train
Steam train ride from Hill City to Keystone through the Black Hills.
- Town
Town · Deadwood
Deadwood
A Gold Rush town with saloons, casinos and Wild Bill's grave.
- Roadside oddity
Roadside oddity · Mitchell
Corn Palace
A concert hall whose outside is redecorated every year in murals made from corn.
- Wildlife
Wildlife · Rapid City
Reptile Gardens
Long-running reptile zoo and gardens on the way to Rushmore.
- Waterfall
Waterfall · Sioux Falls
Falls Park
Big Sioux River tumbling over pink quartzite in the middle of Sioux Falls.
- Waterfall
Waterfall · Lead
Roughlock Falls
Pretty waterfall in Spearfish Canyon with a short flat path.
- Walk
Walk · GarretsonHidden gem
Palisades State Park
Pink quartzite cliffs along Split Rock Creek.
- Walk
Walk · SissetonHidden gem
Sica Hollow State Park
Wooded glacial hollows with springs and short trails.
- History
History · Lake CityHidden gem
Fort Sisseton Historic State Park
Restored 1860s fort among the lakes of north-east South Dakota.
- History
History · Pierre
Oahe Dam
One of the largest earthen dams in the world, with a visitor centre and river views.
Places to stay
- Freedom camping
Freedom camping · WallHidden gem
Buffalo Gap National Grassland dispersed camping
Free dispersed camping with Badlands views on public grassland.
- Campground
Campground · Badlands National ParkHidden gem
Sage Creek Campground
Free primitive camp among the badlands.
- Campground
Campground · InteriorHidden gem
Sage Creek Campground
Free primitive camping among bison in the Badlands Wilderness.
- Campground
Campground · Custer State Park
Sylvan Lake Campground
Granite-ringed lake camp in the Black Hills.
- Freedom camping
Freedom camping · CusterHidden gem
Black Hills National Forest dispersed camping
Free camping anywhere legal in the national forest, with rules.
- Campground
Campground · Interior
Cedar Pass Campground
Badlands camping close to the visitor centre and trails.
- Campground
Campground · Lake CityHidden gem
Fort Sisseton campground
Prairie camping beside a restored 1860s fort.
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Plan the drive, not just the stops
Roadtrip works out what the drive costs in fuel for your car, splits it into days with the best stops and places to sleep, and finds the cheapest fuel on the way.
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