We had a great first night sleeping under the stars at Under Canvas Mount Rushmore. After we enjoyed our first sunset, followed by s'mores and hot chocolate around the fire pit, a storm moved in just in time for bed. We fell asleep to nature's most epic sound machine - rain gently falling on the canvas above us and rolling thunder in the distance. I'm not sure I can think of anything more cozy, except a fire in the wood stove beside us. Needless to say, we got a great night sleep and woke up to sunshine and blue sky for our first full day of South Dakota adventures.
The mornings may have been my favorite part here. Maybe except that pull-chain shower that required some quick (and cold) hair washing. ;)
Our first stop of the trip was the iconic Mount Rushmore just outside of Keystone, South Dakota. One of the things we quickly discovered about this area was that everything felt so accessible, probably a big reason why so many people travel here for family vacation. We enjoyed an easy and beautiful ten minute drive up to the parking lot, enjoying a magnificent view of the presidents the entire way there.
We arrived early and it was already packed! We didn't stay for more than an hour, but were glad to do the Presidential Trail that took us up lots and lots of stairs for a pretty great shot right up George Washington's nose!
Mount Rushmore was definitely neat to see in person, but we were ready to explore something a little more natural and a little less manufactured. I had done my research on South Dakota and new without a doubt we needed to carve (no pun intended) out space for a trip up to Spearfish. This is about an hour north of most of the touristy spots, but well worth your time. Spearfish Canyon is a 16-mile loop through some of the most gorgeous scenery, including several waterfalls with walking trails to stop and explore.
Our first stop was Bridal Veil Falls. We didn't bother staying with the crowd at the lookout spot, but changed into our suits and decided to get up close and personal to this gorgeous and refreshing waterfall.
But our favorite part of Spearfish Canyon was hiking Devil's Bathtub. This trail was about 2.3 miles round trip and included walking above, along, and right in a creek for most of our way. The scenery was gorgeous, we liked the challenge of climbing up rocks and forging our own way through the creek, and soon came to Devil's Bathtub, a natural spring "water slide" in the middle of some pretty impressive cliffs.
I was so proud of both our kids for climbing up there and trying it. One of them (Cruz), went again and again. The other one (Mila) decided one time was enough for her!
We ended our big day of adventures with a little shopping, pizza, and ice cream in Keystone before heading back to Under Canvas to enjoy another night in our little camper's paradise.
Nice blog ppost
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