Our South Dakota adventures took us to the Black Hills and Custer State Park for the remainder of our stay. My intention for the first half of our trip was to stay close to our campsite and keep things pretty low key so we could enjoy our stay at Under Canvas. But by the time we packed up and said goodbye to our little canvas tent in the woods, we were ready to explore! So after a quick pit stop at Rushmore Tramway Adventures for a couple more rides down the alpine slide, followed by the best berry smoothies from the coffee shop across the street, we headed to Needles Highway, a drive that was at the top of our list of must-see places in South Dakota.
This place was likely one of the most scenic drives I've ever been on. Set up high in the Black Hills, this short loop takes you through several underpasses of needle-like rock structures that shoot up into the sky. There were a few that we had to bring the side mirrors in on the truck because we weren't sure we were going to make it! We pulled off on the roadside parking spots several times to explore and take in the views. We just happened to be there a few days before the official start of Sturgis, and while I was a little afraid of what the influx of bikers would do to our experience, that hum of thousands of Harleys only added to the energy of this place.
I had done a little research ahead of time about hikes that would be a good fit for our family. We had conquered Devil's Bathtub a few days prior and were ready to work our legs again. I had my heart set on either the Sunday Gulch trail or Cathedral Spires, so imagine my surprise when I just happened to see a trail head sign while we were driving through Needles. Without a second thought, Beau pulled over on the side of the road and we got ready to climb.
Next time, we will pack more than the measly two bottles of water we grabbed from the truck, but we had the best afternoon pushing our leg muscles and making it up the very top of this gorgeous place. While it was just 3.2 miles round trip, a good chunk of it was uphill, earning it a "strenuous" difficulty level by the park. The kids did awesome, no one got hurt, and we all decide the views at the top were worth every step.
After making it back to the truck hungry and parched, we were thankful to have a picnic lunch waiting for us in the back of the truck. We walked off the beaten path a ways and found a secluded, shady area to enjoy our pb&js. It was maybe my favorite meal of the whole trip! And no bears!
After driving through more of Custer, we ended our day at our new home, the Custer State Game Lodge. Located right in the heart of Custer State Park, this was once known as the summer White House to President Calvin Coolidge. It had a big front porch with rocking chairs, gas fire pits outside every few rooms, and an air conditioned dining hall for our evening meal. It felt great to shower in the hot shower, use my blow dryer, and get a little dressed up for dinner! We even let the kids watch some cable TV after dinner and Beau and I played cribbage on the porch. But we all turned in early because we had a bright and early start the next morning. We had a sunrise date with some buffalo!
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