The Hall Family Travels Blog

An Unexpected Landscape

Coming from Sioux Falls on the east side of South Dakota, after days of relentless heat, we weren’t quite sure what to expect as we made our way west toward the Black Hills. The drive along Interstate 90 was long, flat, and not particularly exciting. Then, as we neared Rapid City, everything changed.

Mountains began rising on the horizon, pine trees lined the roads, and the scenery transformed completely. It was hard to believe this beautiful pocket of the state was part of the same South Dakota we’d been driving across all day. We immediately knew we were in for something special.

Originally, we had planned to boondock in the Black Hills for about two weeks, spending our days exploring by dirt bike and sightseeing in the truck. But after our earlier schedule changes and the unexpected heat wave, we ended up with only two full days to explore. We decided to book a campsite with full hookups so we could run the air conditioner, and with such limited time, we opted not to unload the dirt bikes.

We stayed at Whispering Pines Campground just outside of Silver City. The campground itself wasn’t anything fancy, but it offered full hookups, a small pool (that we never found time to use), and a small playground with swings and a slide. More importantly, it ended up being the perfect central location for exploring both the southern and northern portions of the Black Hills.

Day One: Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park & Needles Highway

Our first day was dedicated to a scenic loop through the southern Black Hills, and we were gone from camp for nearly eight hours.

The Iconic Mount Rushmore

We started at Mount Rushmore, an iconic stop we couldn’t pass up. I’ll admit, I wasn’t especially excited about it beforehand. I’d seen countless pictures over the years and assumed it would simply be a quick stop to check it off the list. But standing there in person was much more impressive than I expected. We walked the Presidential Trail, which gave us several different viewpoints. We all left there impressed and happy we made the stop as we continued on to Custer State Park.

Sylvan Lake and Sunday Gulch Trail

Once inside the park, we stopped at Sylvan Lake for a more active adventure.

Sylvan Lake was absolutely breathtaking. The water was perfectly still, reflecting the surrounding granite boulders that seemed to rise straight out of the lake. People were kayaking, swimming, and relaxing along the shore, creating such a peaceful atmosphere.

From there, we hiked the Sunday Gulch Trail. The trail wound through towering rock formations and pine trees while following a small stream below. Much of the hike involved descending rocky staircases equipped with handrails and the ground seemed to sparkle with pyrite, making for a fun and unique experience. The entire loop was around 3.5 to 4 miles and took us roughly an hour and a half.

By the end, we were hot, tired, and definitely feeling the elevation, but it was absolutely worth it. As we finished along the lakeshore trail, a light breeze coming off the water cooled us down and reminded us how much we wished we had more time. Had our schedule allowed, we easily could have spent the rest of the day relaxing at Sylvan Lake. It’s definitely a place we’d love to return to someday.

The Beautiful Scenic Drive on Needles Highway

Next on our route was one of the most scenic drives of the trip: Needles Highway.

This 14-mile mountain road is famous for its tight hairpin turns, towering granite spires, and incredibly narrow one-lane rock tunnels. We barely squeezed through the tightest tunnel with our truck, which has only an 8-foot width by 9-foot height clearance. Although we didn’t spot any wildlife, the scenery alone made the drive unforgettable.

From Needles Highway we connected to Iron Mountain Road, another beautiful scenic drive filled with sweeping views and winding curves. The highlight came at the final tunnel, where the faces of Mount Rushmore perfectly framed themselves through the tunnel opening in the distance. We also stopped at one of the overlooks for an incredible panoramic view of the surrounding hills, with Mount Rushmore visible far away across the landscape.

A Fun Stop for the Boys: Golf, Gem Mining, and Mazes

To finish off the day, we surprised the boys with something just for them.

Our last stop was Putz-n-Glo, a blacklight mini golf course featuring an outdoor miner’s maze and gold panning experience. While I know the boys enjoyed everything we did that day, I think this was easily their favorite stop.

The glowing 18-hole mini golf course was incredibly well done, with vibrant artwork illuminated under blacklights and 80’s music playing throughout—something I (Terilyn) probably enjoyed more than anyone else.

After golf, the boys and I tried gemstone panning while Dustin searched for arrowheads. It was a quick activity, but the boys loved collecting their treasures.

Finally, we tackled the outdoor miner’s maze. The objective wasn’t simply finding the exit—you also had to locate every letter in the word GOLD hidden throughout the maze.

Dustin finished first in about six minutes. The boys came in second around the 15–16-minute mark, while I eventually finished in about 18 minutes with a little help from everyone else. The maze ended up being the boys favorite part of the stop.

Quick Stop into Rapid City

Before heading back to camp, we drove into Rapid City to grab a few groceries. As much as I would’ve loved to spend more time walking around downtown, everyone was exhausted after a full day of hiking and exploring. By the time we got back to camp, we’d been gone for about eight hours.

It was a long day, but with only two full days in the Black Hills, I’m so glad we made the most of every minute.

Day Two: Waterfalls, Hidden Caves & Historic Towns

If we thought day one was great, day two somehow managed to top it.

This time we headed north toward Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway, and once again the drive itself was just as beautiful as the destinations.

One for the Books: The Devil’s Bathtub

Our first stop was Devil’s Bathtub, which quickly became one of our favorite hikes of the entire trip.

The trail crossed the creek over and over again, winding through roots, rocks, and shallow water crossings before eventually reaching a small natural waterslide that emptied into a clear swimming hole.

We arrived just as another group was leaving, giving us about five to ten minutes completely to ourselves.

Of course, all four of us had to try the waterslide.

Calling it “fun” might be a stretch—it was more of a bucket-list experience. The rock was a little rough, the slide was fairly bumpy, and the water at the bottom was only about three feet deep and pretty cold. But it was such a unique experience that we’re all glad we did it.

As more hikers began arriving, we made our way back to the truck.

A Hidden Cave and Waterfall

Our next destination required a little more effort to find.

I had discovered Community Caves Trail during a Google search, but actually locating the trailhead turned out to be surprisingly difficult. There were no signs, no official parking area, and no obvious indication that a trail even existed.

After reading a few online reviews, we picked a direction and hoped for the best.

The trail crossed the creek before climbing steeply up the mountainside over loose rocks. Eventually we noticed water trickling down the rocks we were climbing, reassuring us we were headed toward the waterfall we’d read about.

Soon we arrived at an enormous open cave filled with smaller caverns and a gentle waterfall cascading from above.

It was unlike anything we’d ever seen.

The hike itself was short but strenuous, and we spent quite a while exploring the cave, peeking into every little opening we could find. One of the best parts was that, because the trail isn’t marked, there was nobody else there. From above the cave we could even look down and spot our truck parked far below.

The Historic Downtown Deadwood

After our hikes, we drove into historic downtown Deadwood.

The town immediately caught our attention, so we parked and spent some time walking along Main Street. The old brick roads, historic buildings, souvenir shops, and classic saloons gave the entire town an authentic Old West atmosphere.

From Deadwood we continued through Sturgis simply to see it before the annual motorcycle rally began a few days later. We’d been told traffic would become nearly impossible once the rally started, so this was our chance to drive through while it was still relatively quiet.

Even then, the town was already buzzing with activity. Tents, vendors, and event setups lined the streets as everyone prepared for one of the largest motorcycle rallies in the country.

An Amazing Natural Rock Maze

Our final stop was another hidden gem with no signs pointing the way.

I stumbled across the Rock Maze during another Google search, and it looked too interesting to skip.

After parking along the roadside, we quickly found the maze—and it exceeded every expectation.

I had imagined something partially man-made with just a few pathways winding through rocks. Instead, it was an entirely natural maze of towering granite boulders standing 10 to 15 feet tall, with narrow passages weaving between them.

Some gaps were so tight we had to turn sideways to squeeze through.

The boys absolutely loved exploring every possible route, climbing onto the rocks, and searching for new paths. Eventually, as the afternoon heat and 8-hour day of exploring caught up to us, we decided it was finally time to head back to camp.

Final Thoughts

The Black Hills completely stole our hearts.

It was fascinating to experience just how dramatically the landscape changes from eastern to western South Dakota. What began as a long drive across endless prairie turned into two unforgettable days filled with granite peaks, scenic mountain roads, hidden caves, swimming holes, historic towns, and incredible hikes.

Even though we barely scratched the surface of everything there is to see, we left knowing one thing for certain:

We’ll be back.