Black Hills Day Trips Worth Booking

Mount Rushmore is worth the drive, and most first-time guests should see it. But it's also the one stop every visitor to the Black Hills already has on their list. Here's what our concierge desk points guests toward once Rushmore is checked off.

Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway

A 20-mile drive through a limestone canyon with waterfalls visible from pull-offs along the road. It's about 20 minutes from the resort and one of the more dramatic drives in the region, especially in fall when the canyon walls turn gold and red.

George S. Mickelson Trail

A 109-mile converted rail trail running through the heart of the Black Hills, with a trailhead a short drive from the resort. You don't need to ride the whole thing — even a two-hour out-and-back gives a solid sense of the terrain, and bike rentals are available near the trailhead.

Custer State Park

About 75 minutes south, Custer State Park's Wildlife Loop Road is the best chance most guests get to see a free-roaming bison herd up close from the car. Plan for a half-day trip if you want to also drive the Needles Highway, which is worth doing slowly.

Sanford Underground Research Facility, Lead

A less obvious pick, about 10 minutes from the resort in the neighboring town of Lead. The visitor center explains how a former gold mine became one of the world's leading physics research sites, built more than a mile underground. It's a quieter, shorter stop that pairs well with a Broken Boot Gold Mine visit the same day.

Booking Through Our Concierge Desk

Several of these can be booked as guided tours through our concierge desk rather than self-driven, which is worth considering for the Custer State Park loop especially if you'd rather not be the one driving the Needles Highway's tighter switchbacks.