A quick 36 hours to South Dakota in the summer will leave you wanting more, make sure you add these dog friendly stops to your trip!
First stop in the state was one of the most iconic places in the US, Mt. Rushmore. Unfortunately, it is not dog friendly. I guess those presidents didn't like dogs? Weird, right? We hiked a little on the outskirts of the memorial to snap a few pics, but overall not a good stop for dogs.
After Mt. Rushmore, we headed to Rapid City. One of the bigger cities in South Dakota, it still had such a small town vibe. The baristas at the coffee shop were so friendly and told me how cute I was. We took our coffee to a local park that was along a river to chill for a little after sleeping the previous night in the car. I had so much fun chasing all the squirrels and playing frisbee. Apparently Rapid City has a dog park/bar called Bar K-9 that we didn't have enough time to visit. If you get a chance to check it out, let me know how it is!
About 60 miles east of Rapid City, you will find Badlands National Park. All along Highway 90, you can't help but notice the billboards for Wall Drug EVERY.QUARTER.MILE. These signs are hilarious, and since we had no idea what this place was, we had to check it out! Turns out, the place is pretty dog friendly and I enjoyed walking around this old time Western town. You will find all kinds of shopping and some delicious treats! My favorite was a stylish collar that looked like a Western belt.
After our slight detour we headed into the Badlands from the west entrance. This park is filled with amazing views and crazy rock formations. We decided to explore off the main road and this was totally worth it! We drove along Sage Creek Rim Road. Mostly a dirt road, it was not heavily trafficked and 10 miles out, you will find an epic campground. We saw bison, big horn sheep, and prairie dogs.
Mom was worried I would try to go hang out with the bison so we decided to check out the campground on the other side of the park. We drove along the famous Badlands loop and checked out all the scenic overlooks. This national park is awesome and we thoroughly enjoyed all the beautiful scenery along the drive. Towards the east entrance, you will find Cedar Pass campground where we decided to stay for the night. Watching the sunset over the Badlands was epic. We had the best time here!
A trip to South Dakota wouldn't be complete without a stop in Sturgis. Famously known as the location for the big motorcycle rally, Buffalo Chip, we stopped here on our way to Wyoming. It was early in the morning, but we could just tell from the vibe that this place is rockin on a weekend (pre-covid times). Added it on our list of places to go back!
Even if you don't stop in South Dakota, if you are driving through, TAKE THE SCENIC ROUTE! There are several detours that will take you off Highway 90 for amazing views and a beautiful drive and then drop you right back on Highway 90. We took the Spearfish Canyon highway and it was amazing! The drive takes you from Sturgis to the awesome old Western town of Deadwood and through Spearfish Canyon.
We stopped halfway through the drive to do a quick little mile long hike to a waterfall. It was a great point to get our and stretch our legs. This hike is easy with lots of benches along the way if you need to take a break. We hadn't planned on taking this little detour, but it was totally worth it and was one of my favorites parts of the trip. Definitely recommend!
South Dakota was a state I didn't know I needed to visit. We added it to our trip because it was close by our route and I had to check it out eventually, but I am so glad we went. I loved this state and now I can plan to stop here for a little bit longer on future road trips. Mom and Dad even started looking at housing prices, but then remembered how cold it gets in the winter. For now, we will stick to adding it to our summer vacation plans!
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