Badlands & Black Hills Map
Two of the Great Plains' best landscapes in one weekend, from Rapid City.
3-day Badlands and Black Hills road trip itinerary out of Rapid City. Drive the Badlands Loop Road, spot bison on Custer State Park's Wildlife Loop, and see Crazy Horse, Mount Rushmore, and the granite spires of the Needles Highway in one long weekend.
Excellent itinerary planner! Detail oriented with thoughtful tips for my family’s trip.
14 stops on a real mapEvery stop pinned in order→Every stop is a real pin, in order.
Badlands · Custer State Park · Mount Rushmore · South Dakota
5 of the stops on these 3 days.
Plan and book your 3 days in Badlands & Black Hills, one step at a time
How 3 days in Badlands & Black Hills split up
This 3-day Badlands and Black Hills road trip pairs the eroded moonscape of Badlands National Park with the granite peaks, bison herds, and carved monuments of the Black Hills. Fly into Rapid City Regional Airport (RAP), base night one in Wall, then shift west to Custer or Keystone for nights two and three.
Day 1: Badlands Loop Road & Short Hikes · ~40 miles
5 stops · Day one
Day 2: Custer State Park Wildlife & Crazy Horse · ~90 miles
5 stops · Day two
Day 3: Mount Rushmore & the Needles Highway · ~60 miles
4 stops · Day three
Badlands Loop Road & Short Hikes · ~40 miles
Drive from Rapid City to Wall, home of the famous Wall Drug Store, then enter Badlands National Park at the Pinnacles Entrance. Spend the day on the scenic 39-mile Badlands Loop Road (SD-240), stopping at overlooks for the eroded buttes, pinnacles, and spires that define the park.
Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.
- Drive from
~1 hr to Wall · car required · DriveFly into Rapid City Regional Airport (RAP) and drive about an hour east on I-90 to Wall, home of the famous Wall Drug Store. From Wall it is a short hop to the Pinnacles (west) Entrance of Badlands National Park. A rental car is essential, no transit reaches the parks.
Jdzhu49 / CC BY-SA 4.0Badlands Loop Road (SD-240)39-mi scenic drive · 15+ overlooks · ViewpointDrive the scenic 39-mile Badlands Loop Road from the Pinnacles Entrance toward the Ben Reifel Visitor Center, stopping at more than 15 overlooks for the eroded buttes, pinnacles, and spires. Watch for bison, bighorn sheep, and prairie dogs. Badlands National Park entry is $30 per vehicle for 7 days.
- Chris Light / CC BY-SA 4.0Notch, Door & Window Trails
0.25–1.5 mi RT · boardwalks + a log ladder · HikeFrom the shared trailhead lot two miles east of the Ben Reifel Visitor Center, stitch together three short hikes. The Window Trail (0.25 mi) is an accessible boardwalk, the Door Trail (0.75 mi) opens through the Badlands Wall, and the Notch Trail (1.5 mi) climbs a log ladder to a canyon-rim viewpoint. Skip the ladder after rain.
Yellow Mounds & Pinnacles OverlookColor-banded soils · sunset spires · ViewpointContinue along the Loop Road to the Yellow Mounds, ancient color-banded soil layers of yellow, orange, and brown, then the Pinnacles Overlook for a classic vista of countless spires. Both are excellent late-day photo stops and good places to spot bighorn sheep.
Tony Webster / CC BY 2.0Overnight in Wall$100–200/night · near Pinnacles Entrance · lodgeCheck into Wall for the night, just outside the Pinnacles Entrance with several motels and restaurants. For an in-park stay, Cedar Pass Lodge near the Ben Reifel Visitor Center books far in advance, and Cedar Pass Campground is the camping option.
Custer State Park Wildlife & Crazy Horse · ~90 miles
Leave the Badlands and drive west into the Black Hills to Custer State Park. Cruise the 18-mile Wildlife Loop Road at dawn for the park's 1,300-strong bison herd, plus pronghorn, deer, and the famous begging burros. Stretch your legs on the easy 1.1-mile Sylvan Lake Shore Trail, the "crown jewel" of the park.
Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.
- Jay Sturner from USA / CC BY 2.0Drive to Custer State Park
~1.5–2 hr · Badlands to the Black Hills · DriveLeave the Badlands and drive west about 1.5–2 hours into the forested Black Hills, entering Custer State Park near Hermosa. The landscape shifts from open prairie to granite peaks and ponderosa pine. Fill up on gas and snacks before you enter, services thin out inside the park.
- Jay Sturner from USA / CC BY 2.0Wildlife Loop Road
18-mi loop · bison, pronghorn & burros · ViewpointDrive the 18-mile Wildlife Loop Road, the highlight of Custer State Park, winding through prairie and pine. Watch for the park's 1,300-head bison herd, pronghorn, deer, and the famous begging burros. Go early morning or late afternoon for the best sightings, and never approach or feed the wildlife.
- Qyd / CC BY 2.5Sylvan Lake Shore Trail
1.1 mi loop · easy · granite lakeshore · HikeStretch your legs on the easy 1.1-mile Sylvan Lake Shore Trail, the "crown jewel" of Custer State Park, ringed by dramatic granite formations. It is a great family walk and connects to the longer Black Elk Peak trail if you want South Dakota's highpoint (7,242 ft).
Crazy Horse MemorialOngoing carving since 1948 · ViewpointVisit the Crazy Horse Memorial, a still-in-progress mountain carving begun in 1948 by Korczak Ziolkowski and funded privately as a non-profit. Explore the museums, cultural center, and viewing veranda, and learn the history and vision behind the largest sculpture in progress in the world. Admission varies by carload.
Jerry Huddleston from / CC BY 2.0Overnight in Custer or Keystone$120–250/night · central to the Black Hills · lodgeSettle into Custer or Keystone for the next two nights. Custer is the relaxed small-town base with local restaurants like Black Hills Burger & Bun Co; Keystone sits closer to Mount Rushmore with more tourist amenities. In-park resort lodges (Sylvan Lake, State Game, Blue Bell) are the scenic splurge, book them far ahead.
Mount Rushmore & the Needles Highway · ~60 miles
Start early at Mount Rushmore National Memorial to beat the crowds and catch morning light on the four presidents. Walk the Presidential Trail for close-up views and stop at the Lincoln Borglum Visitor Center before the parking lots fill.
Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.
- Mount Rushmore National Memorial
Presidential Trail · go at opening · ViewpointStart early at Mount Rushmore National Memorial to beat the crowds and catch morning light on the four presidents. Walk the Presidential Trail for close-up views and visit the Lincoln Borglum Visitor Center. There is no entrance fee, but parking is about $10 and valid for the calendar year.
Vladsinger / CC BY-SA 3.0Needles Highway (SD-87)14 mi · granite spires + one-lane tunnels · DriveDrive the 14-mile Needles Highway (SD-87) through Custer State Park, threading towering granite spires, pine forest, and narrow one-lane rock tunnels including Needles Eye Tunnel. The tunnels are roughly 8'6" wide, so RVs and large trailers should skip it. The road closes with the first snow and reopens around April 1.
Little Mountain 5 / CC BY-SA 3.0Needles Eye Tunnel & Cathedral SpiresPhoto stop + optional 1.5-mi hike · HikeStop at the Needles Eye Tunnel, where the road threads through a slender granite formation, for the classic photo. Nearby, the Cathedral Spires offer dramatic views of skyward granite towers and an optional 1.5-mile moderate hike, a favorite of rock climbers.
Jeffrey Beall / CC BY 4.0Depart Rapid City Regional Airport (RAP)~1 hr from Keystone · return rental car · DriveWrap up the trip with the roughly one-hour drive from Keystone to Rapid City Regional Airport (RAP). Allow buffer for peak-season traffic and returning your rental car. If time permits, grab a final meal in Rapid City, the largest city in the Black Hills.
Book the 2 nights
Beds near the trailheads are the one thing on this trip that genuinely runs out. Everything else can be decided later.
Tell us your dates and we will do the calling. We check every booking site, put your points and card perks against the cash price, and email you this plan back with the best room we can find for each night. Nothing is charged and you decide at the end.
Request to bookWhat to pack for Badlands & Black Hills
Built from this route, not a generic list. Every line says why it is here.
On every day of this trip
On your feet
Because you are sleeping indoors
For the driving days
Essential park rules & planning.
Fly into Rapid City (RAP)
Rapid City Regional Airport is the closest major airport, about 1 hour from both Wall and the Black Hills attractions. A rental car is essential, this is a scenic-drive trip and no transit reaches the parks. Reserve the car several months out for the best rates.
Park fees, not permits
Badlands National Park is $30 per vehicle for 7 days and Custer State Park is $25 per vehicle for 7 days. Mount Rushmore has no entrance fee but charges about $10 to $11 per car to park, and Crazy Horse Memorial runs roughly $35 per vehicle for three or more people ($30 for two). Note that the America the Beautiful pass covers Badlands (and Devils Tower) but is not accepted at Custer State Park or Crazy Horse. Backcountry camping in the Badlands is free but requires visitor-center registration.
Watch tunnel dimensions
The Needles Highway (SD-87) and Iron Mountain Road tunnels are narrow, roughly 8'6" wide and 10'8" tall. Large RVs and trailers should avoid them. The Needles Highway closes with the first snow and reopens around April 1.
Respect the wildlife
Custer State Park has a 1,300-head bison herd plus pronghorn, elk, and begging burros. Never approach or feed wildlife, stay in your vehicle on the Wildlife Loop, and keep a safe distance. Bison are fast and unpredictable.
Go spring or fall
May, early June, September, and early October bring mild temperatures, thinner crowds, and active wildlife. Summer (July–August) is hot with afternoon thunderstorms and heavy crowds at Mount Rushmore. Carry layers, sun protection, and rain gear year-round.
Download offline maps
Cell service is spotty to nonexistent inside Badlands National Park and in the Black Hills canyons. Download offline maps (AllTrails, Gaia GPS, or Google Maps) and any reservations before you head out, and carry at least 2 liters of water per person.
Everything you'll actually want to know.
Everything you'll actually want to know before a Badlands & Black Hills trip.
Three days is enough for the highlights: one full day in Badlands National Park, one day for Custer State Park's Wildlife Loop and Crazy Horse, and one day for Mount Rushmore and the Needles Highway. Fly into Rapid City Regional Airport (RAP), base night one in Wall and nights two and three in Custer or Keystone. Add a fourth day if you want Wind Cave, Jewel Cave, a Black Elk Peak hike, or the waterfalls and limestone cliffs of Spearfish Canyon on the northern edge of the Black Hills.
We'll find the cheapest way to do this trip.
Tell us your dates and we price the plan you just built: every booking site, the hotels direct, and your own points and card perks against the cash price. You get it back by email with a link for each night and what it saved you.
- It is free. The hotel pays us, not you. You pay their normal price.
- Nothing is charged and nothing is held. You decide at the end, or you walk away.
- Beds near trailheads are the part that runs out. Everything else can wait.
The figures below are estimates from local nightly rates, so you know the ballpark before you ask. The real number comes back once we have checked what is free.
- 2 nights, sites held for you
- Any permits secured before you fly
- Gear rented locally and waiting at the site
- The route pinned to your phone before you leave
- Everything in Camped
- Rooms booked for every night, one base where the route allows
- Dinner reservations on the nights that need them
- A rain-day plan written before you go
- Everything in Glamped, plus a local guide for the trip
- Airport pickup and every drive handled
- All the gear rented and waiting, so you pack clothes and nothing else
- Weather turns and they rewrite the day while you are still at breakfast
Written and walked by Yulia Vasilyeva · Co-founder · Lead planner and guide
Builds every custom itinerary herself and leads guided hikes in the Pacific Northwest, rated 5.0 by 20+ verified guests. Based in Seattle.
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What adventurers say about us.
All reviews are from verified guests. ★★★★★ 5.0 average from 20+ bookings.
"Felt like going out with a really knowledgeable friend who just happens to know everything about the area. No awkward tour-guide energy, just a magnificent day."
"Yulia is an incredible guide. She knew every trail, every viewpoint, and exactly how to pace the day for our group. The photos she took of us were stunning. 100% booking again."
"I was visiting Seattle solo and this was the best decision I made on the trip. Yulia picked me up, had snacks, and took us to a trail I never would have found on my own. Absolute must-do."
"We did this as a couple's trip and it was perfect. Yulia adapted everything to us, our pace, our interests, our photo obsession. The mountain views were unreal."
"Phenomenal experience. Yulia has deep local knowledge and a real passion for the outdoors. She went out of her way to show us the hidden gems tourists never see. Will remember this forever."
"I've done a few guided hikes and this was by far the best. Yulia is warm, funny, and genuinely expert. The trail she chose had the most insane wildflower bloom, we got so lucky."
Fees, reservation windows, shuttle dates and trail closures are planning estimates. Confirm hours, road status and any reservations with the land manager before you go.
What other travelers are saying
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One tap. It goes straight to Yulia and Margarita.
You can't hike it if you can't get the permit.
The best hikes in America run on lotteries that open once a year and sell out in minutes. Every trail runs on its own calendar. Pick the ones you want and we do the watching.
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How it works
- An email the morning each window opens, never the day after.
- A 14-day heads-up so you can line up your group and dates.
- Win odds and a ranked backup plan for every trail you pick.
Didn't win? We keep watching. We check recreation.gov every day for The Enchantments, Half Dome and Angels Landing, and email you the moment a sold-out date frees up. Cancellations are the second chance most people never hear about.
Excellent itinerary planner! Detail oriented with thoughtful tips for my family's trip.