Ready-made plans

Custom planning is temporarily unavailable for this route. Ready-made plans are still available.

Home › Journeys › North America › Black Hills, Deadwood & Badlands Road Journey

Black Hills, Deadwood & Badlands Road Journey: Route Guide

Last updated:

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

Drive from Rapid City and Mount Rushmore through Custer State Park to Deadwood and the Badlands. Granite peaks, prairie roads and saloon history lead to striped rock formations; bison sightings vary, and hikes or cave tours are optional.

Black Hills, Deadwood & Badlands Road Journey is a 335 km one-way journey (self-drive). It works best as 4–5 days; the plan below is the 5-day version for June, built from 154 verified places, with planned transit times, opening hours and daylight checked.

4–5
days
335km
distance
5
Stops
154
curated stops

View ready-made plans 4-day plan · 5-day plan · best time to go

The route

Rapid City→ 40 kmMount Rushmore & Keystone→ 50 kmCuster & the Needles→ 100 kmDeadwood→ 145 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
1881 Courthouse Museum
Step inside to explore preserved courtrooms and historic county records.
Custer & the Needles
Adams House Museum
Explore a beautifully preserved Queen-Anne mansion steeped in history and charm.
Deadwood

Choose your length

4-day plan22 stops · 12.7 h transit5.5 stops/day · 3.2 h transit/daySee the full plan →5-day plan28 stops · 13.6 h transit5.6 stops/day · 2.7 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

View ready-made plans