The rugged Black Hills & Badlands in Western South Dakota stand in stark contrast to the farmland to the east. In fact, the landscape here hasn’t changed much since the Lakota Sioux hunted bison here centuries ago. The Black Hills, with elevations topping 7,000 feet, tower over the Black Hills National Forest’s one million acres – roughly the size of the state of Delaware. The pine-clad mountains offer an infinite variety of recreational activities, all easily accessible from the area’s many campgrounds.
Millions of vacationers head west to the Black Hills and Badlands region every year to see some of our nation’s most important landmarks and parks:
- Legendary Mount Rushmore National Memorial
- Crazy Horse Memorial, a tribute to the North American Indian;
- Jewel Cave National Monument, the second-longest cave in the world;
- 109-mile long Mickelson Trail;
- Deadwood, a National Historic Landmark.
Of course, summer is the most active time to visit, and the famed Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is another event to behold.
