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The Black Hills & Badlands: Route Guide

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Mount Rushmore — The Black Hills & Badlands
Photo: Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Four presidents in granite, a mountain still becoming Crazy Horse, and a wall of striped rock where the prairie falls apart: the Black Hills stack Rushmore and 1,300 free-roaming bison into one compact loop, with Deadwood's saloon history on the side. The Badlands at golden hour close the show in bands of rose and bone.

The Black Hills & Badlands is a 335 km one-way journey (self-drive). It works best as 3–5 days; the plan below is the 4-day version for June, built from 150 verified places, with real road-routed transit times, opening hours and daylight checked.

3–5
days
335km
distance
5
Stops
150
curated stops

Plan your own version → 3-day plan · 4-day plan · 5-day plan · best time to go

The route

Rapid City→ 35 kmMount Rushmore & Keystone→ 25 kmCuster & the Needles→ 60 kmDeadwood→ 100 kmBadlands

What you'll see

Museum of Geology
Marvel at diverse fossils and sparkling minerals from the earth.
Rapid City
Mount Rushmore National Memorial
Behold the monumental faces of four U.S. presidents carved into the granite of the Black Hills.
Mount Rushmore & Keystone
Crazy Horse Memorial
Witness the monumental sculpture honoring Native American heritage and culture.
Custer & the Needles
Mount Moriah Cemetery
Take in panoramic views of the town and visit graves of Wild West legends.
Deadwood
Cliff Shelf Nature Trail
Walk through boardwalks with stunning valley views and gentle climbs.
Badlands
The Journey Museum & Learning Center
Explore fascinating exhibits on Native American history and culture.
Rapid City
Lakota, Nakota, and Dakota Heritage Village
Discover the customs and traditions of local American Indian communities along the Presidential Trail.
Mount Rushmore & Keystone
1881 Courthouse Museum
Step inside to explore preserved courtrooms and historic county records.
Custer & the Needles

Choose your length

3-day plan17 stops · 8.9 h transit5.7 stops/day · 3 h transit/daySee the full plan →4-day plan20 stops · 10.4 h transit5 stops/day · 2.6 h transit/daySee the full plan →5-day plan26 stops · 10.5 h transit5.2 stops/day · 2.1 h transit/daySee the full plan →

When to go

Best months: June, July, August, September

The Needles Highway's granite eye-of-the-needle tunnels are open, Custer State Park's 1,300 bison graze the loop road, and the Badlands glow pink at both ends of the day.

See the month-by-month breakdown →

Similar journeys

Plan your own version →