The Black Hills in South Dakota are a small mountain range rising abruptly, thousands of feet from the Great Plains. Their dark appearance comes from the way the pine forest cast deep shadows across the slopes. When sunlight hits these forests, the dense needles absorb much of the light, creating deep shadows. From a distance, the hills look almost black, even though up close the trees are a vibrant green.
It was here in the Black Hills that we caught our first glimpse of Mount Rushmore.
It was fun to have the boys view Mount Rushmore in person after having read books about the monument. They read that the faces of the presidents featured on Mount Rushmore are 60 feet tall. Their noses are 20 feet tall!
Mount Rushmore was officially declared complete in 1941 when work stopped after 14 years of carving, but the sculptor’s original plan was to feature the presidents from head to waist. We could make out part of George Washington’s jacket, what appeared to be the collar.
This is a profile view of Mount Rushmore as we headed to our campsite.
At the campground, the boys enjoyed the important luxuries of their life: swimming, mini golf, trampoline jumping, bike riding, and all you can eat pancake breakfasts : )
If we are ever looking for Asbury or Auggie on the mini golf course or playground, we just have to locate the kids wearing their bike helmets. I guess you never know when you will need to make a quick getaway!
The Black Hills are also known for their one‑and‑a‑half‑billion‑year‑old granite spires that rise from the landscape. These spires — often called “needles” — get their name from their tall, thin, sharply pointed shapes that can reach hundreds of feet into the air, resembling needles emerging from the mountainside. The spires took shape over millions of years as erosion from rain, wind, snow, and repeated freeze–thaw cycles slowly carved the rock into the narrow pillars seen today.
Custer State Park, located in the Black Hills, is home to the Needles Highway, one of the region’s most famous drives. It is a narrow, curving mountain road built in 1922 and engineered to take drivers through the granite needles rather than around them. South Dakota’s governor at the time, Peter Norbeck, designed this remarkable route and personally scouted it on foot and horseback to ensure it would feel immersive and dramatic. In addition to weaving through, alongside, and beneath the spires, the highway includes several well‑known one‑lane tunnels — some only eight feet wide.
It was very hot when we arrived in the Black Hills, so we were able to comfortably swim in Sylvan Lake, which is also located in Custer State Park. The lake was beautiful — clear water surrounded by the pine trees of the Black Hills and the granite rock formations; so many landscapes in one place.
A chipmunk blending in perfectly with the rocks here.
Custer State Park is named for Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer, whose 1874 expedition surveyed the Black Hills and confirmed the presence of gold, triggering the Black Hills Gold Rush. Two years later, during the Great Sioux War, Custer and his men fought Lakota and Cheyenne warriors led by figures including Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in Montana. Although that battle took place in Montana, the Crazy Horse Memorial rises from the Black Hills because this land is sacred to the Lakota, and Crazy Horse was a key leader who fought to protect it.
One of the activities we planned for the Black Hills was to tour Jewel Cave, the third longest cave in the world. Discovered in 1900 by prospectors Frank and Albert Michaud, who noticed cold air blowing from a small hole. Early explorers thought the cave was only about 2 miles long until the late 1950s. Herb and Jan Conn mapped over 65 miles between 1959–1981 and sparked decades of continued exploration. Today, explorers still add 3–6 miles of new passage each year, and scientists estimate that only 3–5% of the cave has been discovered — leaving thousands of miles that may remain unexplored.
The cave is 396 feet below ground accessed by a series of stairs with landings between. It is not as steep as it looks in the picture above.
Jewel Cave is one of the best known examples of a breathing cave, where changes in outside air pressure cause air to flow in and out of the cave.
The cave is lined with calcite crystals, including nailhead spar and dogtooth spar, which sparkle when illuminated — the “jewels” that give the cave its name.
This is called a soda straw: a thin, hollow mineral tube that hangs from a cave ceiling. It is one of the earliest stages of stalactite formation.
There is never a shortage of things to see on our drives to and from the campsite.
On the drive from the cave we spotted more bison.
As well as a prairie dog town. A prairie dog is a type of ground squirrel. The prairie dog town is a large colony of prairie dogs made up of many interconnected burrows and tunnels. These underground systems serve as homes, nesting areas, and protection from predators and weather.
And…….a Pizza Hut. Hello, ’90’s!
We decided to return to Mount Rushmore at night to experience the program that takes place there each evening, which includes a ranger talk, patriotic music, the lighting of the monument, and a special acknowledgement of active‑duty military members, veterans, their families, and Gold Star families. The crowd honored these men and women with genuine appreciation.
Next stop: Grand Tetons National Park in Wyoming!