One of the most popular Yellowstone Tour Itineraries starts in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, travels through Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park, and ends at Mount Rushmore near Rapid City, South Dakota.

So - is the nine hour drive from the center of Yellowstone National Park worth it?

If you’re planning to see Mount Rushmore for an hour or two, then head to the Rapid City Airport, the easy answer to this question is NO.

If you’re able to stay on for a few days in the Black Hills of South Dakota, the answer is also easy - absolutely YES!

Riding north on Route 16, the Crazy Horse Monument is about 15 miles before Mount Rushmore. This unfinished sculpture is a powerful symbol of Native American heritage, and on track to be the world’s largest sculpture. If you have time, stop in at the visitor center to for a traditional dance performance or story telling session.

Shorty after leaving Crazy Horse, the colossal carved faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln peeking over the treetops welcomed us to the Black Hills! Finally, we could answer YES to our most-asked question: “Are we there yet?”

When we arrived at Mount Rushmore, we passed through the pavilion, lined with flags from all 50 US States, Washington DC, Puerto Rico and four US territories. We walked the presidential trail, giving us views of the sculpture from various angles. Standing immediately below George Washington, G looked up and was fascinated by the size of his nostrils. It’s amazing what some kids will focus in on! Fortunately, the faces are so high above the trail that there was no discussion about investigating any presidential noses up close and personal.

Leaving Mount Rushmore, we drove the spectacular Needles Highway into Custer State Park, where we had reserved three nights in a log cabin at the Blue Bell Lodge. The cabin was clean and cozy with a big firepit right outside. G loved that we had our own little house! The main lodge building has a nice restaurant and also sponsors chuck wagon dinners and hayrides.

We loved Custer State Park every bit as much as Yellowstone. When you drive the 18 mile wildlife loop, you’ll see herds of bison, pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep, elk, adorable little prairie dogs, and if you’re lucky, a wild donkey will come up to your car begging for an apple. Compared to the vastness of Yellowstone, we saw more animals with less drive time - something we were definitely ready for! Custer State Park doesn’t have hot springs or geysers, but the lakes with are safe for swimming - definitely a good sensory trade-off.

The Mammoth Site was discovered in 1974 when land was being cleared for a housing development. This former Ice Age sinkhole is an active paleontological dig where over 60 woolly mammoths have already been uncovered. Visitors can walk through the dig area and watch paleontologists at work. Learn more about this fascinating place at www.mammothsite.org.

We spent our final full day in South Dakota in the Badlands. The Park is made up of multi-colored rock formations shaped into buttes, pinnacles, and spires, set against the backdrop of the prairie. G loved watching bighorn sheep jump fearlessly through the cliffs and laughed at the prairie dogs popping up out of the ground.

These best thing to do in Badlands National Park happens after dark, so we spent our final night in South Dakota at the Cedar Pass Lodge in the park. The extremely remote location and lack of light pollution gave us unparalleled views of the night sky. What a great way to wrap up our vacation!