South Dakota Travel Guide
Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
South Dakota's Black Hills hold the country's most famous mountain carving: Mount Rushmore's four 18 m presidential faces, completed in 1941. Nearby, the Crazy Horse Memorial has been carving since 1948 and will dwarf Rushmore when finished.
Badlands National Park's striped spires are the stark counterpoint. Custer State Park's bison herds, the Needles Highway's tunnels, and the Missouri River's lakes cover the rest.
Destinations in South Dakota
Badlands National ParkThe Loop Road's striped formations; bighorn sheep at Roberts Prairie.
Mount RushmoreThe 1941 Borglum carving; the evening lighting ceremony in summer.- Custer State ParkThe Wildlife Loop's bison herds and the Needles Highway.
- Wind CaveThe boxwork formations in one of the world's longest caves.
- Crazy Horse MemorialThe ongoing mountain carving and the Indian Museum of North America.
Hover a state to explore it. Click a city pin to open its guide.
Top Cities & towns in South Dakota
Regional food
- Chislic (cubed, deep-fried meat, the state dish debate)
- Bison burger (from the Custer herds)
- Kuchen (the German-Russian coffee cake, official state dessert)
Getting there
Rapid City (RAP) is the Black Hills gateway. The Hills are a driving loop from Rapid City; the Badlands are an hour east.