Page Updated: August 28, 2023
Western South Dakota
Part of this journey is to travel and see the sights and other parts are to scope out places we might like to live. With that in mind, we’re doing out best to follow autumn around the country and see the fall foliage in different regions. We spent leg 9 in the Black Hills of South Dakota and enjoyed the beauty the season had to give. It’s a pretty place!
Our rental was in a a small neighborhood in Sturgis. The motorcycle rally that draws an average of over 500k people annually had come and gone.
Tourism had died down in town, and it would’ve been the perfect time to check out Sturgis without the fanfare. We drive through town a couple of times but still found ourselves in other locations for the majority of our stay.
We booked 4 weeks in this little corner of South Dakota. We made time to experience autumn on two scenic drives, backtrack to WY to see Devils Tower, visit two memorials, hike a national park, and start shopping van shopping.
It was a busy month!
THE LOCAL GRUB
Tatanka Stew/
Fry Bread
Laughing Water Restaurant at Crazy Horse Memorial has plenty of comfort dishes on the menu, including Native American Tacos and this amazing stew made with Black Hills bison. Could’ve had seconds.
Sirloin Tips
Of course, I’ve had steak tips a time or two in my life. The Buffalo Bodega in Deadwood is the first place I’ve had them breaded. Phenomenal. Could add sauteed onions and mushrooms if you wanted.
We didn’t dine in Sturgis during our stay, but we made a point to drop into Sturgis Brewing Co to taste local brews. Good set up with options of bar appetizers, pizzas, burgers, and sandwiches if you get the munchies. Great gift shop!
Flight of Locals
scenes from the leg!
THE FUN STUFF
09/19/2021
Located just off I-90 in Crow Agency, MT sits Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. The location has multiple elements creating the monument…
Little Big Horn Battlefield
09/26/2021
Sacred “Bear Lodge” - also known as Devils Tower - rises 867ft from its base and is comprised of some of the coolest vertical igneous rock formations…
Devil’s Tower National Monument
09/26/2021
Good trail to get closeup views of Devils Tower. Trail is paved, accessible, well maintained and loops around the tower…
Devil’s Tower Trail
09/26/2021
Located in the Black Hills of South Dakota and founded on a gulch of dead trees and a creek loaded with gold, Deadwood quickly became a boom town for prospectors…
Deadwood
09/26/2021
We love autumn in New England and wanted to experience what the season had to offer in the Black Hills of South Dakota…
Spearfish Canyon
09/27/2021
Designated a game preserve in 1919, Custer State Park is best know for its free ranging bison herd and its Annual Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup…
Custer State Park
10/02/2021
A colossal sculpture with faces 60ft high, Mount Rushmore, along with the American flag, the Statue of Liberty and the bald eagle, has become…
Mount Rushmore
10/02/2021
Mount Rushmore Presidential Loop
Presidential Loop isn’t very long, and it’s rated moderate based on the number of stairs along the way…
10/02/2021
The Crazy Horse Memorial is a project decades in the making. The joint vision of Chief Standing Bear of the Lakota and sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski…
Crazy Horse
10/03/2021
To say the Badlands are otherworldly is a cliché but accurate description. Located in the American Great Plains, Badlands National Park protects…
Badlands National Park
10/03/2021
Super cool trail that makes you feel like you’re on another planet. And the addition of a rope ladder is a cool feature. Doable unless you’re scared of heights…