A summer road trip through South Dakota’s Black Hills

From afar, South Dakota’s pine-laden Black Hills really do appear black, especially once the sun begins to dip behind their peaks. That’s what the Lakota Sioux also noticed about this sacred territory when they appropriately named it Paha Sapa, which literally translates to Black Hills.

It’s not hard to understand how this land’s lucrative appeal, both due to its natural beauty and the discovery of gold in the area in 1874, led to numerous brawls between the US military and the Lakota, who were ultimately forced to relinquish the land to the US government in 1977. 

Even still, a road trip through these hills today is one laced together with Lakota culture, complex history, otherworldly landscapes and all the bison a carnivore could ever want. And with Badlands National Park conveniently close by, a detour there is a hog-killin' time (that's Wild West slang for a lot of fun). Here’s how I recently did it.

• Trip length: 4 days; 178+ miles, depending on stops and detours

• Where to start and finish: Fly into Rapid City Regional Airport to begin your trip, which will wrap up in a few days at Badlands National Park.

• Things to know: Driving around the region consists of lengthy interstate stretches – especially around Badlands – and winding, take-it-easy cruises – notably around Custer State Park – to do the scenery justice.

• What to pack: In the summertime, the Black Hills warms up considerably during the day, but you’ll definitely need a jacket at night. Jeans are about as fancy as it gets. If you detour to Badlands National Park, keep in mind that shade is virtually nonexistent on the trails.

Stop 1: Rapid City

Vibes: The urban hub of western South Dakota, Rapid City is more than a gateway to the state's natural beauties. Be sure to linger in its creative, historic downtown.

Do: Perhaps the city’s most famous attraction is the statues of all 45 US presidents lining the main drag (allegedly 9/10 the size of their real-life counterparts). I could spend hours browsing Prairie Edge & Sioux Trading Post’s three stories of galleries and goods made by Northern Plains tribes before walking over to admire traditional buffalo hide drums at Dakota Drum Company. Top the day off (literally) by driving up to Dinosaur Park for panoramic views of Rapid City, accompanied by life-size dinosaur sculptures. 

Eat: Go for your daily bread (or pastry) at the Sour. For laid-back Mexican fare on an outdoor patio, it’s Qué Pasa Mexican Cantina.

Stay: Even if you don’t stay a night at the Hotel Alex Johnson, do pop into its lodge-like lobby and learn about their star-studded roster of past guests like Alfred Hitchcock and Jane Goodall – and some spooky guests rumored to have never left.

The drive (41 miles, 45 minutes): Take US I-90 W and get off at Exit 30. Follow US-14A to Deadwood.

Stop 2: Deadwood

Vibes: The stage of many a wild Western legend, Deadwood is where the gold rush (so much gold, it was sticking in the horses’ hooves, one observer reported) peaked in the Black Hills in the late 1800s. Architecturally, very little has changed since. Step inside any hotel today, however, and you’ll come face-to-face with one of Deadwood’s over 20 casinos.

Do: Book a tour at Deadwood's brothel museum, which is housed in one of the town's former brothels and covers the complex stories of the women who lived and worked in the town’s 104-year-long brothel scene. Then catch daily reenactments starring the town’s most famous gold rush characters like Wild Bill Hickok and Jack McCall, such as main street shootouts (sounds gruesome, but it’s oddly a family-friendly experience). Or dive even further into the town’s history at the Days of ‘76 Museum.

Eat: Sit outside for breakfast or lunch at Pump House at Mind Blown Studio, a former Texaco station that’s now a glass-blowing studio with an attached cafe. Then don your fanciest jeans for a fine steak dinner at Legends Steakhouse inside the Franklin Hotel.

Stay: If walkability is a priority, spend the night at Holiday Inn Resort Deadwood Mountain Grand, formerly a plant that extracted gold from slime in its earliest days, recently renovated with all the modern hotel amenities. For an elegant, better-than-glamping respite, book a night in one of the bungalows at Shortgrass Resort.

The drive (70 miles, 1 hour and 20 minutes): Take US-385 S to SD-87 S in West Pennington. Drive to SD-87 S in West Custer. Optional detours include Mt Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial.

Stop 3: Custer State Park

Vibes: A state park with the grandeur of a national park, Custer is bison country, though it's also roamed by elk, white-tailed deer, bighorn sheep, wild donkeys and an exploding population of chirping prairie dogs. I like to think Windows drew inspiration from Custer’s landscape when deciding on its default computer background.

Do: You can self-drive the park’s 18-mile Wildlife Loop Rd, but a buffalo Jeep safari grants you off-road access and fascinating background about the park’s wildlife. Book a 7pm tour to catch the sunset behind the hills. 

For a manageable hike, head to Sylvan Lake for a uniquely rocky descent on Sunday Gulch Trail. Just remember: however far you go, you’ll have to come back up to return to your car. Or take a leisurely 1-mile walk around the lake, pausing to admire the view from its colossal surrounding boulders (one of which has a cameo in National Treasure: Book of Secrets). Then saddle up for a guided trail ride with Blue Bell Lodge. Then impulsively switch career paths after buying a cowboy hat at a gift shop.

Eat: Over in the town of Custer, Skogen Kitchen is anything but traditional, where fried chicken steamed buns, beef tartar tacos and duck confit all feature on the innovative menu.

Stay: There’s something undeniably American about staying in a national park lodge. State Game Lodge is known as former US President Calvin Coolidge’s 1927 “Summer White House,” and today, guests can book its historic rooms as well as newer, regular hotel rooms attached to the original structure. I stayed in a cozy, woodsy room at Creekside Lodge right next door, which is also where the buffalo safari tours meet.

The drive (86 miles, 1 hour and 20 minutes, including a stop in Wall): Take SD-79 N back toward Rapid City and merge onto I-90E. Pull off in Wall for a pit stop at the infamous Wall Drug before entering the park's north entrance.

Stop 4: Badlands National Park

Vibes: Shade and grass are elusive at Badlands, whose striking rock formations are millions of years old, eroded over time by the elements. The result is a craggy skyline of painterly layers in varying hues of red, orange, brown, gray and, in the right lighting, purple.

Do: A hike is a must for any visitor in Badlands. With only a day to spare, four fabulous options sit beside each other: Window, Door, Notch and Castle. Window and Door are brief, accessible ¼-mile boardwalks with the option to continue onto the bedrock. Notch is the most popular trek in the park at 1.5 miles round-trip, and a portion of the trail climbs a log ladder. If you have more time, challenge yourself to the 10-mile round-trip Castle with the hopes of catching sight of bighorn sheep and pronghorn.

Take shelter in your car's AC and drive the entire loop around the park. Then watch the sunset turn the rocks a vivid orange from Pinnacles Overlook.

Eat: Drive 10 minutes from Badlands’ northern entrance to the town of Wall, which literally sits on the 20-mile wall of the park. Stop into Wall Drug – you’ve likely spotted many of its almost 300 bold signs miles before you arrive. Try one of their legendary donuts, free ice water (which put this formerly tiny pharmacy on the map in the 1930s) and peruse over 76,000 sq ft of gift shops, an arcade, photo ops like a giant jackalope and mini Mt Rushmore, a restaurant – and yes, there is still a pharmacy inside that mimics its original structure. Some say tourist trap; I say iconic roadside attraction.

Stay: Spend your final sleep in a private log cabin at Badlands Frontier Cabins in Wall, an easy hour’s drive from the Rapid City airport.

Ann Douglas traveled to South Dakota on the invitation of Travel South Dakota. Lonely Planet does not accept freebies in exchange for positive coverage.