Three days in the Black Hills: an itinerary from Custer

Three days is the perfect length for a first visit to the southern Black Hills. From a base in Custer, every sight on this route is less than an hour away, so you spend your time looking at bison and granite rather than at the road.

The route at a glance

• Day 1: Custer State Park and Crazy Horse
• Day 2: the Iron Mountain Road, Mount Rushmore, Keystone and Hill City
• Day 3: Jewel Cave or Wind Cave, and Hot Springs

Day 1: Custer State Park and Crazy Horse

Leave early and drive the Wildlife Loop Road while the bison are active. Continue to the Needles Highway, taking it slowly through the tunnels, and stop at Sylvan Lake for a picnic and the short shoreline walk. Fit hikers can climb Black Elk Peak from here instead, a half-day hike.

Back in Custer, head ten minutes north to the Crazy Horse Memorial in the late afternoon. Stay for the laser light show if you visit in summer.

Day 2: Mount Rushmore, Keystone and Hill City

Take the scenic route to Mount Rushmore over the Iron Mountain Road, whose tunnels frame the four faces in the distance. Arrive by mid-morning, walk the Presidential Trail, then have lunch in Keystone.

In the afternoon, ride the 1880 Train from Keystone to Hill City and back, or treat yourself to a helicopter flight over the memorial. Spend the evening in Hill City, or return to Mount Rushmore for the evening lighting in summer.

Day 3: the caves and Hot Springs

Choose a cave. Jewel Cave, 20 minutes west of Custer, glitters with calcite crystals. Wind Cave, 30 minutes south, is famous for its boxwork and the bison on the prairie above. Check which tours are running and how to get tickets before you go.

In the afternoon, continue south to Hot Springs to see the Ice Age mammoths at the Mammoth Site, then drive back to Custer through Wind Cave National Park and Custer State Park.

With more time

• Spend a day in the Badlands, about two hours east.
• Head north to Deadwood and Spearfish Canyon.
• Ride part of the Mickelson Trail by bike.

Tips

• Buy a Custer State Park license on day one. It is valid for seven days.
• Book the park lodges, a jeep safari and summer cave tours ahead.
• Plan hikes for the morning: summer storms often build after lunch.
• Avoid early August unless you are coming for the Sturgis Rally.