How to get there by driving:motorists arrive via I90 which connects Rapid City to Sioux Falls and Billings. From the south, visitors can get to the Black Hills via US highways 79, 85, or 18. From the North, most drivers arrive via US highway 85. The Black Hills of South Dakota  is one of the most scenic areas in the nation. For many travelers, it remains one of the overlooked jewels of the West. Comprised of some of the oldest mountain the world, the Black Hills are a mix of lush green forests, open mountain prairies, creek-carved canyons, and crystal-clear lakes encompassing more than 1.2 million acres.


The Black Hills welcome more than 3 million visitors per year from around the world who come to see one of the highest concentrations of parks, monuments, and memorials anywhere in the world. The ideal time to visit the Black Hills is during the summer months - except during the first full week of August, when a half-million motorcycle enthusiasts flock to the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and fill virtually everyhotel room and campground between  Sundance, WY, and Wall, South Dakota.

SIGHTS AND TOURS 

Mount Rushmore National Memorial
At Mount Rushmore, one of the nation's most famous sights, 60-foot-high likenesses of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt grace a massive granite cliffs, at an elevation of 5,725 feet, towers over the surrounding countryside and  faces the sun most of the day. Start your day with breakfast with the presidents, and allow 2 hours to tour the memorial.  The memorial is spectacular at night in June to September, when a special lightning ceremony dramatically illuminates the carving. The Mount Rushmore Information Center, between the park entrance and the Avenue of Flags, has a small exhibit with photographs of the president's faces as they were being carved.  Admission and parking are free. Opens 8am to 10pm daily May-Sept.; 8am to 5pm Oct. to Apr.

Crazy Horse Memorial
Designed to be the world's largest sculpture, the tribute to Crazy horse, the legendary Lakota leader who helped defeat General Custer at the Little Bighorn, is a work in progress. So far the warrior's head has been curved out of the mountain, and the head of his horse is starting to emerge. when work is underway you can expect to witness frequent blasting. The completion date is unknown, since activity is limited by weather and funding. Near the work site stands an exceptional orientation center, the Indian Museum of North America. Admission: $10 per adult or $24 per carload for more than 2 adults. Opens daily 8am to 9pm May-Sept.; 8am to 4pm Oct.-Apr.

Deadwood
Its brick-paved streets plied by old-time trolleys, illuminated by period lightning, and lined with original Victorian architecture, Deadwood today owes much of its historical character to casinos. In 1989 South Dakota voters approved limited-stakes gaming for the town, on that condition that a  portion of revenues be devoted to historic preservation. Since then, more than $200 million has been dedicated to restoring and preserving this once infamous gold-mining boomtown, which earned distinction as  a National Historic Landmark.

The Badlands
If you are traveling to the  Black Hills from the east, at least 100 billboards will alert you to your pending arrival at the Wall Drug Store near the Badlands, about 55 mi east of Rapid City. It ll began with the offer of free ice water, but has evolved into third generation attraction that commands the entire block. The landscape of Badlands National Park east of the Black Hills is other-worldly, with 244,000 acres of ragged ridgelines and sawtooth spires that make it look like the surface of the  moon. Best seen at sunup or dusk, the 32-miles Badlands Loop Road is well worth the drive.

Devil's Tower National Monument
The Black Hills  spill over the  South Dakota state line into extreme northeastern Wyoming, where you'll discover Devil's Tower National Monument, the first such monument established in the U.S. The trading post outside the park's entrance is worth a stop, as is the monument's visitor center. A gentle walking path surrounds the geologic up-thrust made famous in the movie Close Encounter of the Third Kind.