One Day at Badlands National Park (+1 Day Itinerary)

Teddy and I took a 12 day road trip through five western states in the summer of 2022. One of the states we were able to explore was South Dakota. During our time there, we visited spots like Wind Cave National Park, Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, Devil’s Tower, and Badlands National Park.

Another Visit to Theodore Roosevelt National Park (+1 Day Itinerary)

This is one of those National Parks where you appreciate it most when you do research ahead of time and more planning. If you plan a trip here, I’d recommend finding a way to learn about Teddy Roosevelt and his presidency through a book or podcast as well as about General Custer and the Sioux before coming. Knowing the people who lived in these areas, those who fought there, and those who have tried to protect it makes the experience in the park much more worthwhile.

1 Day in Petrified Forest National Park

So while this post is how to spend a day in the park, you could spend only a few hours here and still get to see most of it.

Tips For Visiting Crazy Horse Memorial

“My fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know the red man has great heroes, too.” — Henry Standing Bear

Hikes on Our Bucket List (Rocky Mountain + Midwest States)

On our 12 Day Road Trip through portions of the Midwest and Rocky Mountain states of the USA, Teddy and I were able go on about 15 hikes. There were quite a few we had on our list of options, but we knew we would only end up being able to do 1-2 per day based on the amount of driving we planned to do (around 3,000 miles) across Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Idaho. Below you will find those that we either just didn’t get a chance to do or those that we saw along the way that we added to our list for our next visit.