Rapid City & Black Hills, South Dakota

We arrived at Three Flags RV Park in Blackhawk, just outside of Rapid City, on Friday, September 4th. We started our tour of the area by visiting some of the sites in the city which has a population of almost 70,000.

 

Dinosaur Park

Built in the 1930's, this Apatosaurus (Brontosaurus) can
be seen from all over Rapid City. 

This is the same place Kurt sat for a picture 55 years
ago on his first trip to Rapid City.

The narrow winding Skyline Drive to the park provides
great views of the city.

Stavkirke Chapel

Built in 1969 as a replica of the famous 850 year old
Chapel in Laerdal, Norway.

Rapid City Formal Gardens

Three formal garden settings maintained
by the Garden Club and Parks Department.

Ellsworth Air Force Base and South Dakota Air & Space Museum

Home to the B1-B Bomber

Getting in a little practice time.

The Mammoth Site of Hot Springs, SD

One of several in North America,
this mammoth site, located on an ancient sinkhole, was
discovered by a housing construction company.

The actively working excavation site has uncovered
61 Columbian and woolly mammoths so far.

Wind Cave National Park

This Ranger is standing in front of the largest natural
opening to Wind Cave. We are glad they made a
larger unnatural opening for visitors.

Boxwork, a thin, honeycomb-shaped structure, protrude
from the walls and ceiling. Almost all of the known
boxwork worldwide is found within Wind Cave.    

Devil's Tower

 

Traveling west, we made a stop in Sundance, Wyoming, staying at Mountain View RV Park for two nights. This was our first stop in the Black Hills. We spent most of a day leisurely touring the nearby Devil's Tower National Monument. This unique and striking geologic formation rises vertically 1,267 feet above the Belle Fourche River.

First stop was the Visitor Center

Indian legend tells of a giant bear that scored the sides
of the "Tower" with its claws.

The 1.3 mile Tower Trail around the base of the monolith
gave us an up close and personal view of the "Tower" .

The Black-Tailed Prairie Dog town was
fun to watch and an added bonus.

 

Warren Peak Lookout Tower

After visiting Devil's Tower we circled back toward Sundance, making a stop in the Black Hills National Forest at the Warren Peak Fire Lookout (el. 6650). This is one of five active lookout towers in the Black Hills area.

From the top we could see a total of four states
(WY, MT, CO, SD) as well as the flat top of Devil's Tower.

We climbed the 83 steps to the top.

We enjoyed a nice chat with the attendant while
we took in the fantastic view.

Sheridan, WY, and The Bighorns

Traveling only 70 miles south of The Little Big Horn we stopped in Sheridan, Wyoming for six nights over the Labor Day weekend. Peter and Barbara, the owners of Peter D's RV Park, were excellent hosts. They have a large garden filled with tomatoes and squash. Every morning she picks fresh produce and shares it with their guests.

 

There is much to do in this area. We spent two complete days exploring the Bighorn Mountains. The Bighorn Mountains is a beautiful area which seems to be much overlooked by travelers who are hurrying along I-90. Sheridan is a great home base to tour this area.

 

Bighorn Scenic Byway

Day 1 in the Bighorns

Starting West on Bighorn Scenic Byway
US 14 to US 14A

Steamboat Point resembles the bow of a steamboat.

Medicine Wheel National Historic Landmark/Medicine Mountain

Constructed about 700 years ago, the Bighorn Medicine Wheel is believed to be built by a member of the Crow Tribe. The landmark is made of rocks gathered in the area and arranged into a "Wheel" with 28 spokes about 8 feet long that radiate from a center pile of stones. We took the three mile, round trip, hike to the "Wheel" at nearly 10,000 feet elevation.

The views along this high ridge trail were outstanding.

The Wheel is a sacred place for many
Native Americans today.

Several Marmots were sunning along the trail.

Box Canyon on West Side of Mountains

Mason-Lovell Ranch

On our way to the Bighorn Canyon NRA Visitor Center we stopped at one of four historic cattle ranches located within the recreation area. This ranch was in operation from 1883 to 1902. In its day, it was the largest operating ranch in Wyoming with a cattle herd of over 25,000.

Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area

Yellowtail Dam holds back the waters of the Bighorn Lake which makes up the Bighorn Canyon NRA. This 71 mile long lake straddles the states of both Wyoming and Montana. The northern 2/3 of the lake is on the Crow Indian Reservation. The Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range, with a herd of about 120 mustangs, is within the Recreation Area. We did see five of these wild mustangs on our drive.

There was a very modern visitor center in
the town of Lovell, WY.

Bighorn Canyon from the Devil Canyon Overlook

The lake sits over 1,000 feet below the canyon rim.

From the top it appears as a large crack in the earth.

Barry's Landing is the end of the road.
To access north of this point requires a boat.

Cloud Peak Skyway Scenic Byway

Day 2 in the Bighorns along US 16

 

Sheep Mountain Fire Lookout

Perched atop a forested mountain, the historic Sheep Mountain Fire Lookout  was constructed in 1950 by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) at an elevation of 9,600 feet. The lookout was historically occupied as a fire lookout until the early 1970s. It is now available for overnight rental during the summer.

Ten Sleep Canyon

Ten Sleep Canyon looking West

Ten Sleep Canyon Looking East

Kurt remembered this campsite from his childhood.
We had a picnic lunch here, alongside Ten Sleep Creek.

Red Gulch/Alkali Scenic Back Country Byway

32 mile Gravel Backway

 

The Alkali Road, completed in 1897, served as a mail route over the Bighorn Mountains. The trip took several long days. Today it is a scenic gravel road providing access to some beautiful scenery and interesting sites.



Medicine Lodge State Archaeological Site

Medicine Lodge is home to a large sandstone cliff that displays hundreds of Native American petroglyphs (etchings) and pictographs (paintings). This rock art is directly associated with the human habitation of this site dating back more than 10,000 years.

Archaeological Dig Site and
Petroglyph Site

We thought this one looks like a rabbit.

Looks like some kids playing with a large turtle?

Red Gulch Dinosaur Tracksite Paleontology Area

Hundreds of tracks were discovered in 1997
and are visible at BLM's Red Gulch Dinosaur Tracksite.

This three toed beast appeared to have
stomped through the middle.

Hoodoos, strange, artistic rock formations.

Shell Canyon

Heading back east to Sheridan, we followed US 14 to see the southern portion of the Bighorn Scenic Byway. This took us into the mountains through Shell Canyon, a deep narrow canyon.

Pyramid Mountain atop Shell Canyon

Shell Falls

Beautiful 120 foot tall Shell Falls

 

Out and Around Sheridan

 

Fort Phil Kearny State Historic Site

The Sheridan Area is rich in Indian war history. Many forts were built in order to protect the miners, settlers and travelers along the Bozeman Trail. Fort Phil Kearny, 1866-1868, is one such site.

Massacre Hill Monument
Captain William Fetterman and 80 of his men were killed by over 1,000 Sioux, Cheyenne and Arapho warriors in December of 1866. This was considered the worst defeat by the Army until Custer's Little Big Horn ten years later.

Reconstructed Site

After the Army abandoned the Fort, the Sioux
burned it to the ground.

Historic Sheridan Inn

We had a wonderful Sunday lunch at the
Historic Sheridan Inn, which opened in 1893.

Brinton Ranch House and Museum

Brandon Brinton Ranch House built in 1892.

Brinton Western Art Museum with works from
Frederic Remington, Charles M. Russell and
Edward Boreinas as well as
an American Indian Artifact Gallery.

Custer's Last Stand

On our first night out we stopped in Livingston, Montana at a quiet RV Park. Kind of a coincidence since our formal address is Livingston, Texas. This stop was a little more than half way to Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. We toured Livingston in the afternoon. This is a town of about 8,000 people. We visited the old train station/museum and had an excellent dinner at the Montana Rib & Chop House. Arriving the next day at 7th Ranch RV Park in Garryowen, MT, we stayed two nights just a few miles from the Battlefield entrance.

First night out at Osen's RV Park

Custer National Cemetery at
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument

7th Cavalry Memorial on
Last Stand Hill

Along the five mile park road 265 white marble markers
indicate where a 7th Calvary soldier had fallen.
On "Last Stand Hill" the black painted marker is where
George Armstrong Custer fell along with the final 41 men.

The Indian Memorial, completed in 2013, stands
75 yards northeast of the 7th Cavalry monument.

The Deep Ravine Trail leads down to where  
two of Custer's companies remains were found.