116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Head for the hills
Visiting the Black Hills during the offseason offers a less hectic vacation coupled with amazing views
Early this year we discovered an open week in our March schedules. Where should we go? Most people head south for spring break, but we decided to point our car north a bit and west a bunch with our sights set on the snowy Black Hills.
The Hills are only one state away but it still is a 700-mile drive from Cedar Rapids to Rapid City, South Dakota, through farmland and prairies. We can drive it in one day but took our time, crossing South Dakota on Highway 44. It parallels Interstate 90, has little traffic, and feels closer to the land. Secondary roads and smaller towns give us the chance to meet folks. South Dakotans along the way helped us appreciate the land, and their lifestyles.
We stayed overnight at Molly’s Manor B&B in Platte, South Dakota, about a third of the way across the wide state. Our host, Donna Travis, greeted us warmly on a cold day, gave a tour of the Manor and its intriguing history, shared places to eat in town, and even had a basket of Dakota Style chips awaiting us in our room. All well-appointed and renovated rooms in this grand home offered unique insights into South Dakota history. From her we learned that agriculture west of the Missouri River typically is ranching, and farming is east of the river. Some do both and call it “franching.”
She honored our request for an early breakfast so we could get on the road to Badlands National Park and have time to enjoy its stark topography frosted in snow. From our car we spotted bighorn sheep and bison nibbling dry prairie grass.
An hour after leaving the Badlands we drove into Rapid City past a store with a name that perfectly describes South Dakota’s second largest city’s location — Prairie Edge Trading Company and Galleries. The downtown store sells Native American crafts, quality art and clothing. Here visitors immerse in South Dakota culture.
Rapid City is on the prairie’s edge. Stretching to the east are the vast Great Plains clothed in buffalo grass. Just west are steep pine-clad hills. The Rapid City sits precisely where the two ecosystems meet and is bisected by Rapid Creek, a gurgling clear water creek tumbling down from the nearby forest. This rambling city of about 72,000 residents is named for the creek.
In the city’s center stands the iconic Alex Johnson Hotel. Its 10 floors dominate the skyline like a beacon. We spent three nights in the 95-year-old hotel in a comfortable, modern room. Although the outskirts of Rapid City are packed with motels, “The A.J” offers distinct visitor advantages. We studied the authentic Sioux symbols stenciled in the lobby ceiling, took in sweeping views from the Vertex Skybar, and learned about their ghost adventure package! Restaurants and shops are nearby.
“You stay here for history,” a desk clerk told us. He was right. American presidents and celebrities of all sorts have based their Black Hills visits from the Alex Johnson Hotel.
Rapid City’s location is an ideal base to explore natural and human attractions. Six national parks are within day trip range and include Devils’ Tower and Jewel Cave National Monuments, Badlands and Wind Cave National Parks, Minuteman Missile National Historic Site, and Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Hundreds of other tourist sites are also within easy reach.
The Black Hills are a small island of rugged pine and prairie topography sandwiched between South Dakota’s grasslands and Wyoming’s sage brush openness. The Hills are roughly 110 miles north to south and 40 miles east to west, with Rapid City close to its central, eastern edge. From space it resembles a heart. Indeed, many consider The Black Hills the heart of Dakota land.
Over two days we explored the Hills. Although we have visited often in warm weather, this was one of our first ventures in decidedly winter weather. On Day One we headed north to Spearfish and walked through the campus of Black Hills State University. After stopping at Common Grounds coffee shop and D.C. Booth National Historic Fish Hatchery, we drove up Spearfish Canyon, enjoying views of towering rock formations jutting above pines, spruces, and birches. Spearfish Creek rushed downward below the road where a fisherman wet a line. Normally plunging off the cliffs are gorgeous waterfalls. In March they are ice towers. Across the road from Bridal Veil Falls a mountain goat grazed on sparse dead grass.
We continued uphill to Terry Peak Ski Resort. The northern Black Hills enjoyed record snow this past winter. Hundreds of skiers were swishing down the 7,000-foot mountain, the tallest ski resort between the Alps and Rockies. It was definitely “on season” there. From the ski slope we descended a twisty road to historic Deadwood, where gambling is never offseason. The town swarms with tourists all summer but in March parking was easy to find. Quaint, small casinos were alive but not jam packed. Like most visitors we departed with a few less dollars than we arrived with.
We headed south on our second day stopping at Mount Rushmore. Visiting The Hills without seeing Rushmore is akin to a New York City trip without seeing Times Square. The Monument crawls with more than 2 million tourists during warm months but few were there on our sunny March visit. We avoided the $10 parking fee and viewed the sculpture from a nearby roadside where we gazed at the granite profile of George Washington in the morning sunshine.
Mount Rushmore gives us mixed feelings and twinges of sadness. Its creation was designed to stimulate tourism, which it certainly did. But the carving was done on Federal land illegally taken from the Lakota people and funded mostly with public funds. We don’t linger there.
The northern Black Hills are moist and more heavily forested than the open southern Hills, where large prairies intersperse with ponderosa pines. Wildlife diversity is astounding. At Custer State Park, we slowly drove along the Wildlife Loop Road, spotting deer, antelope, prairie dogs and eagles. At one point the park’s famous small herd of feral donkeys begged for food.
Our destination was Wind Cave National Park, which adjoins the park on the south. With 35 other people, we ducked below the earth’s surface on a guided Fairgrounds Tour. We followed a convoluted pathway up and down, back and forth for 90 minutes, yet only covered a tiny part of the huge cave. Since we have previously toured Jewel Cave National Monument, we bypassed it and drove back to Rapid City on small roads that twisted through the pines and crags.
There are, in general, two types of Black Hills tourism. One is a veneer of mostly privately owned commercial attractions that range from zoos to galleries. Some have no apparent relevance to the area, but galleries do feature art of The Hills. The other tourism is the wondrous Black Hills themselves. We quickly pass through the veneer of billboards and commercialism to reach the soothing sound of breezes passing through pines, rocky outcrops, clear streams, wildlife and magnificent caves. Visitors can, of course, enjoy both types of attractions.
Offseason Hills’ activities include cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, wildlife observation, snowmobiling and enjoying peaceful views. Restaurants offer diverse foods and many remain open through winter. One of our best meals was at Calamity Janes in the town of Custer. Friendly staff and locals chatted about their town.
The Black Hills are one of the most visited of America’s scenic areas and are a convenient stop for people en route to the Rockies. Tourists swarm everywhere during the warm months. Lumbering RVs clog roads. Parks, hotels and campgrounds are filled to capacity. The offseason is less intense and more relaxing. Traffic is light and many tourist sites and restaurants are uncrowded and open. Wise visitors at any season make reservations for lodging and attractions in advance.
There are more places to explore than it’s possible during a brief visit, so research and prioritizing create the best experience. Two websites help make trip preparations: visitrapidcity.com and travelsouthdakota.com.
A winter storm threatened as we neared the end of our Hills visit, so we streaked home on Interstates. Leaving the Black Hills’ beauty and charm is sad, so as our car sped east, we glanced back to see them gradually fade into the distance.
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