(07-01-2026 07:15 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(07-01-2026 11:16 AM)TripleA Wrote:  

(07-01-2026 11:02 AM)Redwingtom Wrote:  If you're out that way, DO NOT miss going to Devil's Tower. It's the coolest place in America that I've ever visited. I went just before sundown and watched the setting sun behind it which was very cool and made for great photos. Since it was later in the day, there weren't many people there so it was incredibly serene. You could hear the wind blowing past it and it make a spiritual sound that filled me with an amazing peace. It was easy to see why the natives used it as a spiritual retreat.

That's definitely on my list, as is all of the Black Hills and Badlands NP. I am likely going to create my domicile in South Dakota, so that area will be the very first place I visit.

Its pretty cool.

Warning. Hail is common in South Dakota in the summer. We got in a big storm near Custer State Park, but didn't get the worst of it, merely about 5 minutes of golf ball size. The next town looked like it had snowed. We saw a couple cars in the parking lot at our hotel that looked like golf balls with all the dimples. There was a couple on motorcycles stopping in a tunnel and the woman looked pretty dazed.

Probably said this in the original thread, but Wind Caves NP and Custer State Park are really worth it for the buffalo herds. And if its hot, it will feel GREAT being in the cave. Don't miss Wall Drug Store when you go to Badlands. Its not possible to miss all the billboards! The MinuteMan Missile NHS near Badlands is also worth the stop.

We went in the summer of 2021 just after all the quarantines were lifted. We flew into Rapid City and rented a car and of course did Badlands and Mt. Rushmore. Didn't get to Crazy Horse. Didn't have time to do the Deadwood old West Town. Then we went on to Glacier NP and did Teddy Roosevelt NP in North Dakota. Teddy Roosevelt was nice, but the buffalo herds paled in comparison to Wind Caves and Custer.

And in case you haven't already, you need to figure out the restrictions on the National Parks. We had to get into Glacier before 6 am. There were supposedly daily reservations freed every day at 8am, but we could never get through the phone line. It wasn't bad since it was less crowded. After we did Going to the Sun Road, we tried to enter the east side of the park in one of the unrestricted entrances. But it was closed for an undetermined amount of time because they had no parking. It was 4 or 5 at that point, so we headed back to Whitefish where we were staying. And if you are planning on eating out at a restaurant, Whitefish was completely booked up. We drove down to Kalispell to eat.

I haven't been anywhere near the Black Hills at all, so this visit will be great fun for me.

I worry about hail. Best action is to get under a roof or a giant tree, if possible. Hail that big would destroy my solar panels and the fiberglass roof. I would be SOL if I were in Badlands NP.

I'm on no schedule, other than dying, lol, so I will stay at each area location until I have seen all I want to see. As for restrictions, since the time you visited, almost all NPs have dropped restrictions, per my searches.

At Glacier, I plan to park my RV and ride one of the old motor cars across GTTS Road and back.

I will eat out now and then, but most of the time plan to grill outside the RV, so as not to stink up the joint. Anybody have suggestions for a grill? I would like a combo gas grill and griddle but haven't found one with the right price and reviews yet.

In my previous lifetime of travel, I find that I should aim for weeknights, and skip trying to eat out on weekends or holidays.

Thanks for all the suggestions.