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.

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.

Preparing to Visit Mount Rushmore

Since Mount Rushmore can be visited in about 1-2 hours, we decided to make this our first stop on our second day in the Black Hills. We got up before sunrise so we could get to Mount Rushmore before sunrise. The grounds when we visited opened at 5 AM, so we got there around 5:45 before the crowds did.

Custer State Park (Wildlife, Sylvan Lake, & The Needles Highway)

The next time we come back (since we already decided we are), we will plan to spend a few more days in the area so we can do the hikes I mentioned above as well as more wildlife viewing and potentially one of the Jeep adventure tours. We’d take more of the backroads and try to pack a picnic to enjoy at one of the overlooks or lakes because there’s just something so peaceful about them.