South dakota

[hunts_with_stick]

So thinking about taking the family to sd for a vacation. I live in south west pa, so it would be a long drive, especially with. 14 and 9 yo. About 18 hrs if we go to the bad lands. I am not sure it is worth the drive with 2 young kids. I don’t mind the drive, but want to make it fun for the family. Anyone have any thoughts or advice? Could do Acadi, but that is 13 hr drive. It would be in July that we go (end of)

 

[hillrunner]

I live right along the South Dakota border on the east side of the state. If you go to South Dakota for a vacation, unless it's a fishing or pheasant hunting trip, you need to go west to the black Hills. There are enough attractions out there that you will never get it all done in 1 trip.
Here's just some of the things to do:
Badlands
Mt, Rushmore
Crazy Horse
Custer State Park
Needles Highway
Iron Mountain road
Rushmore Cave
the mammoth site
1880s train in Hills City
Deadwood
Devil's Tower isn't far


If you want to stop in Sioux Falls for a day and break up the trip here are a few things to do, but you need to continue out west if you want to see what South Dakota really has to offer.
Falls Park
Great Plains Zoo
Wild Water West (probably the kids favorite)
Battleship museum

I'd get your rooms booked ASAP. We like to find a cabin to stay in when we go out there.

 

[Turkey Creek]

We took the family to the Black Hills 2 summers ago at the end of July. It was a good trip, but only about a 8 hr car drive for us. You might get burned out making the haul from PA to SD. We saw many of the things that Hill Runner mentioned. It was personally my 3rd trip to that area on a vacation. I like history so every time I go I learn something new. Depends on how screen dependent your youngsters are.

 

[Tree Spud]

You need to stop at the Corn Palace when traveling through SD. A sight to behold

Mitchell Corn Palace, SD | Official Website

cornpalace.com

 

[Kooch]

You need to stop at the Corn Palace when traveling through SD. A sight to behold

Mitchell Corn Palace, SD | Official Website

cornpalace.com

Just don't go inside unless you want to be super disappointed.

 

[Turkey Creek]

Just don't go inside unless you want to be super disappointed.

or drive out of your way to view it for the same reason LOL...... my Ex thought it would be worth driving out of the way 2 hours to see it at the end of a long "vacation" with her and the kids. It was not worth it! LOL

 

[Foggy47]

Sorry, But A building covered with ears of corn is just a bit corny for me. You see one.....you seen 'em all.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

If you get bored seeing all the sites in western South Dakota, you could visit Devils tower, and YellowStone National park as well. I think your kids will love the trip.

 

[bwoods11]

The Pierre area is also very nice . Might be a good spot to stay over ! Lake Oahe/Missouri River .

Good restaurants there.

 

[BuckSutherland]

So thinking about taking the family to sd for a vacation. I live in south west pa, so it would be a long drive, especially with. 14 and 9 yo. About 18 hrs if we go to the bad lands. I am not sure it is worth the drive with 2 young kids. I don’t mind the drive, but want to make it fun for the family. Anyone have any thoughts or advice? Could do Acadi, but that is 13 hr drive. It would be in July that we go (end of)

If you wanna drive all the way from PA to the west side of the country I would not stop in western SD. The black hills are nice and I will definitely be going back someday, BUT...... For a few more hours of driving you can make it all the way to Yellowstone and the Rocky mts. They are exponentially more impressive.


Last year we did a loop (11 days) and went 94 through ND and MT into Yellowstone. Then headed down to Grand Teton National Park and came home through the Big Horn MTs, then devils tower, black hills, Custer state park, badlands, etc..... If I was rating my trip on a scale of 1-10 the black hills would have been a 2 or 3. Yellowstone would have been a 12 or 13. It was spectacular and we are going again next year. Also gonna head up to Glacier and stay a few days. The mountains, the thermal features, the moving water, the size and the animals of Yellowstone blow the doors off everything else. We camped in a tent in Yellowstone at the end of July for $32/ night. Cant even take the family to McDonalds for that price.

 

[Foggy47]

^ IMO.....Yellowstone adds allot more driving for a trip with young kids. But it is spectacular. If Yellowstone is a 12 on a scale of 10......then Glacier is a 40. I think Glacier is the most beautiful and scenic area in the USA. I want to get farther north to Canada, Lake Louise, Banf etc......and that is on my short bucket list.

 

[BuckSutherland]

^^^ That's good to hear. We are hoping to hit Yellowstone on the way out to Glacier next year and see some stuff that was closed to us from flooding last year. We didnt get to see the Lamar Valley, the beartooth highway in MT, and we lost a whitewater rafting trip. We hope to do all of those and then maybe hit the rodeo in Cody, Wyoming. We stayed at the Canyon Campground in Yellowstone and will go back there.


Then we are gonna head up through MT and go to Glacier for about 5 days. I've been told by several that its better than Yellowstone. Gonna try to camp up in the Many Glacier area. If everything goes right next year I should get to fish in BWCA at the end of May and then hit the Rockies at the end of July and beginning of August. I cant go do enough stuff.... Wanna do this shit while I still have mobility.

 

[Angus 1895]

If you are heading near salmon Idaho look me up please!

Suggestions for the OP traveling…….if going through Minnesota, New Ulm has really good catfish from shore.

 

[Foggy47]

If you are heading near salmon Idaho look me up please!

Suggestions for the OP traveling…….if going through Minnesota, New Ulm has really good catfish from shore.

I used to live along the Minnesota river about 7 miles east of New Ulm. In the summer we could hear the catfisherman that would spend the night camping on a sandbar on the river. Lots of Iowa folk. I never seriously fished cats......to many mosquitos for me. They do get some good fish.

 

[Angus 1895]

I got a 34 inch white channel this year. I think it weighed 15 #s

i got a 20, 15, and a 10 pound flathead last year.