The 11 Top Things to do in South Dakota

While I was in the US and I was visiting South Dakota to see a friend, I thought that I would explore the area. Before this trip I had never heard of either North Dakota or South Dakota but I soon found that there are many reasons why you should visit, and these were my top things to do in South Dakota.

I was traveling around South Dakota as a solo female traveler and I felt very safe. Everyone was very friendly, I entered South Dakota via the Greyhound bus, but once I arrived in Rapid City, I rented a car so that I could explore more of the area, like the Blackhills and Badlands National Park.

A few places in South Dakota I had heard of previously like Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse but I had no idea they were in South Dakota or even where it was.  It’s definitely a state worth visiting, as there are many famous attractions in South Dakota.

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South Dakota Facts

How much do you know about South Dakota, if you were in a quiz would you be able to answer any of the questions about this state? Well hopefully a few of these facts might help you win that quiz!!

• South Dakota is located in the midwest of the USA and was the 39th state to be added to the Union.
• South Dakota has a population of 885,000 and the state capital is Pierre which is a small town with a population of less than 15,000!!
• It is most famous for the statues at Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse, with over 2 million visitors visiting Mount Rushmore.
• Despite being inland in the middle of the country, South Dakota has been miles of shoreline than Florida!!! This is mainly due to Lake Oahe, but also other small lakes and the tributatries that lead to the Missouri river that runs through the center of the state.
• The state was once under the sea and that has made Badlands National Park a place where the fossils of over 175 species that lived between 33.7 and 23.8 million years ago have been found.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial

I had previously seen Mount Rushmore in films and once I found out that it was in South Dakota, I knew that I was visiting Mount Rushmore.  As I had just picked up a rental car in Rapid City it only took me 35 mins to drive there.  The entrance is free but it costs $10 to park. 

Mount Rushmore is the most visited place in South Dakota with just over 2 million visitors every year and it was originally built as a tourist attraction to get more visitors to South Dakota in 1941.

There is also a small hike, the Presidential Trail that you can do to get a closer view of the mountain and the presidents heads before returning to the main complex where you can enjoy a meal or an ice cream in the on site cafe.

The Mount Rushmore lighting ceremony is on an evening as the sun is setting, you will see a ranger talking about the history of the site and South Dakota before a video is shown, the ceremony ends with the mountain being lit up and the ranger inviting all past and active military to come up and help lower the US flag and put it away for the evening. It is well worth a visit if you are in the area, and very interesting to hear them talking about the history behind it.

Mount Rushmore is the top South Dakota tourist attraction and a place that you should visit if you find yourself in the Blackhills of South Dakota.

Crazy Horse Memorial

Crazy Horse Memorial South Dakota is still a work in progress.  They began work on it in 1948 and there is no projected finish date as all work is funded by donations or the fees from visitors.  Many people ask when will Crazy Horse Monument be finished, it has already been 74 years that they have been working on it and compared to Mount Rushmore there is barely anyone working on it.

Mount Rushmore had 400 workers working on it for 14 years whereas for many years Korczak Ziolkowski worked on it solo, even nowadays it has just one foreman and 3 permanent workers on the mountain, though in summer there are more seasonal workers.

It costs $12 per person or $15 in summer, though there is a discount for 3 or more people in a car, and an extra $5 to take the shuttle for a closer look.  Though being able to get right up to the face of Crazy Horse will set you back about $125. 

On an evening there is the Crazy Horse Laser Show, telling the story of Crazy Horse which is well worth staying to watch if you visit late afternoon. Unfortunately this show was stopped at the end of the season in 2023 and we are still waiting for confirmation as to whether you will be doing something similar or not in the 2024 summer season. 

Custer State Park

Custer State Park was one of my favourite parks in the US, but maybe that’s because it was the first time I had seen Bison, it is a great park, with a lot of wildlife.  It’s about a 40 minute drive from Rapid City or as I did it, a 45 minute drive from Mount Rushmore. 

If you plan to visit Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse in the same day, a great way to drive between them is through Custer State Park, where you will more than likely see lots of wildlife. If you just plan driving through on Highway 16a without stopping then a pass is not needed.

I would definitely recommend doing the Wildlife loop road, then Needles highway to Sylvan lake before continuing your journey to Crazy Horse or Mount Rushmore.

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It costs $20 per vehicle into the park and this is valid for 7 days, though if you expect to spend more time there or plan to visit other state park’s in South Dakota you can get an annual pass for South Dakota’s state parks for $36.

Badlands National Park

Badlands National Park is located about an hours drive east of Rapid City.  It’s a great park to visit and see the way the landscape has been shaped over the years.  It is also the home to many fossils that lived on earth over 23 million years ago!!

Badlands is a large park covering a huge area and it has a few scenic drives, with beautiful viewpoints to stop off at to enjoy the park. You can drive Sage Creek Road, which is a dirt road located in the north of the park. You might not want to drive it all, but it is certainly worth driving a few miles along it as you won’t see as many cars on this road as on the Badlands Loop Road.

The Badlands Loop Road is the most popular drive in the park and covers a distance of 39 miles from Highway 90. There are many stopping points where you can see the rock formations and the prairie in the park. Close to the Ben Reifel Visitor Center you will also find a few short hikes to do.

There are many short hikes within the park and a couple of longer hikes where you can see the diverse landscape, make sure to get out of your car and go check out some of the best hikes in Badlands National Park South Dakota.

The mountains here have been eroded by water over time and further on in the park is a prairie.  It costs $30 per vehicle or if you are visiting a few national parks then it’s worth investing in the $80 annual pass for all parks as I did.

Minuteman Missile National Historical Site

Contributed by Jim from Travel Stories & Images

If you ever find yourself in South Dakota and close to the eastern side of The Badlands National Park, I’d suggest a quick detour to visit Minuteman Missile National Historical Site. I discovered the site during a driving trip through a few western National Parks, and I found it to be a fun and interesting side trip and the entrance is free.

Minuteman Missile NHS was created to preserve and share the impact of the Cold War and the nuclear arms race. It contains the only components that are intact from a nuclear missile field that contained over 150 Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and covered over 13,000 square miles of South Dakota. The remaining components are an underground missile silo – over which the visitors’ center is located – and a separate launch control facility, approximately 10 miles to the southeast.

Visitors to the Site can experience a self-guided tour through a multimedia exhibit that explains the history of the Cold War and the role of the US nuclear arsenal in our national defense program. They can also see a decommissioned Minuteman missile in its original launch silo. Due to safety concerns, visitors can’t descend into the launch tube area and get “up close and personal” with the missile. Still, it’s a sight to behold – especially for those who grew up in the Cold War era.

Minuteman Missile NHS is located just off Interstate 90 in Pennington County, SD. It sits approximately five miles from the northeast entrance to Badlands National Park, and is 24 miles south and west of Wall, SD via Interstate 90.

Deadwood

Contributed by Rhonda from Travel Yes Please.

Deadwood is a small town in the Black of Hills of South Dakota where you can go to experience the excitement and drama of the area’s gold rush past. Deadwood still looks much like it did in the late 1800’s, when the town attracted all sorts of interesting characters during the Black Hills Gold Rush.

During a trip to Deadwood, you can try your luck at the casinos, have a drink in an old-timey saloon, go on a ghost tour of a former brothel, and watch Deadwood’s history come alive during the free shows that happen throughout town. There’s even a dramatization of a wild-west gunfight that happens on Main Street.  It is one of the most popular South Dakota attractions.

Deadwood can easily be reached from the cities of Spearfish and Sturgis in about a 20 minute drive. Mount Rushmore and other attractions in the Black Hills National Forest are also nearby.

Watertown

On my 2 month trip around the US, I decided to visit South Dakota to visit a friend and his wife who I had met in Patagonia.  He lives in Watertown, a small city in the East of South Dakota.  Luckily the greyhound bus stops at a gas station out of town and so I got dropped off there before Bipin Amin picked me up.

The first night Bipin and his wife Surekha took me to see Lake Kampeska which is near their house in Watertown.  It’s a great lake for taking a walk or cycling around, though it is 13.5 miles round trip.

The next day we visited the Redlin Art Centre.  Terry Redlin was born in Watertown and is one of America’s most popular wildlife artists.  The centre contains most of his artwork.  It is free to visit and I really enjoyed seeing his paintings.  The Terry Redlin art center hours are Monday to Friday 9-5pm, Saturday 10-4pm and Sundays April to December 12-4pm.

Thanks Bipin for the picture and for letting me stay with you and Surekha, I had a great few days.

Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls is the biggest city in the state of South Dakota with a population of 200,000 people. Originally the city was settled around the falls which is in the centre of the town. 

The Falls are not large but still Sioux Falls Park South Dakota is a popular place to visit. I caught the bus as I was staying on the outskirts of the town and got off the bus in town and walked along the river until I arrived at the falls. There is also a 16 mile bike trail along the river.

If you do decide to visit the falls then make sure to stay until evening when the falls are lit up. If you visit around Christmas then you can see the amazing lights, lighting up the whole of the park.

During your visit make sure to climb to the top of the 5 story viewing tower attached to the visitors center and then enjoy some food in the Falls Overlook Cafe while enjoying the views.

Sylvan Lake

Sylvan Lake is located in the Blackhills of South Dakota within Custer State Park.  It is one of the most popular places within Custer State Park as a swim hole and also for weddings (I actually saw a wedding on the edge of the shore while I was walking around).

The lake is not natural and it was created in 1881 when a dam was built across Sunday Gulch Creek.  It’s a great place to spend a few hours, to walk around it or to stop and enjoy lunch at one of the many picnic tables.

Make sure to walk around the lake while you are there, it is just 1 mile long, and you are walking around the lake, through some boulders but on a sunny day it is beautiful.

Black Hills South Dakota

The Black Hills are a mountain range that runs from west of South Dakota into Wyoming.  They are called the Black Hills as they look so dark from a distance because of the number of trees on them. 

The Black Hills are a very popular part of South Dakota and within them you will find many of the most popular spots in South Dakota including Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park, Wind Cave National Park, Crazy Horse, Spearfish Canyon, Deadwood and many more places.

There are some beautiful scenic drives within this area and just driving from one location to another you will see stunning sites. Within Custer State Park there are a couple of popular drives, Needles Highway & Iron Mountain Road, purposely built to be scenic drives throughout this stunning part of the state.

Mammoth Site, Hot Springs

The Mammoth Site in South Dakota is a place that you must visit if you are visiting the Blackhills and it is just south of Wind Cave National Park. Here you can learn all about the mammoths that lived in the Ice Age and were found at this site.

61 mammoths have been found at this site and 87 other animals from the Late Ice Age, you can view some of the mammoths that have been found and even see the indoor dig site that is still unearthing animals at this site.

Some of the site is still being excavated and you can see actual bones being unearthed and still in the earth while you are visiting.

It is fascinating to see what remains of animals that used to roam the earth 190,000-140,000 years ago. It is a must-visit while you are in South Dakota.

South Dakota Tours

There are many things to do in South Dakota, whether you want to explore yourself or whether you want to join a group or a guide.

If you don’t have a car then it is possible to do a tour of Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills or why not try a hot air balloon ride at sunrise.

Is there any other places you have visited in South Dakota, you think should be on the list or tell me why you should visit North Dakota, is it as beautiful as South Dakota? If so, let me know.

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