Custer State Park and Devil's Tower NM - Road Trip Day 7

Custer State Park 

The morning after we went to Wind Cave NP and Cold Brook lake we had some time to spare before our next destination on the road trip so we hit up Custer State Park on our drive to do the Wildlife Loop which was highly rated and suggested. Boy oh boy, is it aptly named. We saw wildlife for sure. You'll see why the dogs did not get of the car here! It cost $20 per car to enter the road, as you are then entering State Park Limits. That's a fairly steep price, but this is like a mega state park, so it makes sense. You could spend days just in this park.

Custer State Park is in the ever beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota. It's a huge park. 70,000 acres of beauty! I see why but it's often rated one of the best STATE parks in the country! If you're in the area and have extra time to kill, you'd be silly not to go here, even just for the bison sightings.

 

Bison / Buffalo lounging in the mud on a beautiful morning at Custer!

Custer State Park is best known for its amazing bison herds that roam freely across the land. There's countless other animals here, but lets be honest, we all come for the bison.

At the beginning of the wildlife loop road an SUV slowed down almost to a stop on the opposite side of the road of our car and rolled down their window. We're like oh great, what is this guy going to yell at us about. He didn't look super friendly at first. But then he spoke. He said "UP THERE. ACROSS THE BEND. THERE MUST BE HUNDREDS OF THEM. 300 AT LEAST". Thanks for the heads up dude. There were so many bison man. 

 

Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo. Actually I guess they're bison? Everyone uses it interchangeably which isn't correct. There's so many of them!!!

 

The Begging Burros

The 'begging burros' were in interesting and unexpected addition to our Custer drive. These friendly donkey dudes often come right up to cars, hoping for a snack. They're actually descendants of old pack animals that used to carry folks up to Black Elk Peak way back in the day. Once those trips stopped, the burros were let loose in the park and have since become a sort of unofficial mascot for the park.

We had no choice but to get out and see them since they blocked traffic for awhile! They were incredibly kind and docile. A bunch of kids got out of an SUV and had carrots in their hands. There was little begging to be had, they simply took what they wanted!

We met the Begging Burros on the side of the road. They were blocking traffic so we decided to get out and say hi! They were very nice.

Even though they're not originally from around here, they've made themselves at home and get along well with the local wildlife. While they're not the main focus of the park's conservation work, they are kept an eye on to make sure they don't cause any trouble.

There were so many other awesome places we wanted to hit up but didn't have time, like Sylvan Lake and the Needles. I would totally and completely come back to just this park alone. 

 

This dude needs his space.

There's almost 60 MILES of trail here. How is this place not a National Park? I guess maybe some people don't want the hands of the federal government involved. South Dakota seems to be doing a good job with it. 

Devil's Tower National Monument

From Custer State Park we continued on to Devils Tower National Monument. A bit out the way but completely worth it, I'd say, just for the visuals. Like most National Park Service managed sites, dogs are not allowed on the trails. Thankfully, the sights along the way are still incredible. Not to mention, the walk up to the tower from the parking lot was only 0.2 miles or something so we were able to do that by going one at a time and staying back with the dogs while the other person walked the trail. Not too bad!

Approaching Devil's Tower in the car.

 

This dude was formed by magma that surged upwards and then cooled beneath the Earth's crust. Over millennia, erosion revealed the tower's robust core, exposing its unique, columnar structure. This feature is not only a magnet for geologists and rock climbing enthusiasts but also holds significant sacred value for several Native American tribes. Pretty cool!

Boulder Field in front of Devil's Tower

 

The area surrounding Devils Tower National Monument was striking and showcases a striking color palette of red rocks. It was one of the first things we saw driving into the National Monument Area! 

These red rocks are sedimentary formations,mostly comprised of sandstone or red shale, and their vibrant hue comes from the presence of iron oxide, or rust, in the rock! The contrast between the dark, almost foreboding columns of Devils Tower and the warm, crimson red of the nearby rocks creates a visually stunning landscape that looks almost otherworldly. I couldn't believe it!

 

What a great festival of color

Devil's Tower view from the beginning of the Joyner Ridge trail. (A national park ranger mentioned this was their favorite trail and favorite view of the tower!)

What is crazy to me is...the columnar structure of the tower offers a variety of routes suitable for climbers with varying levels of experience, but it's generally considered a destination for more seasoned climbers due to the technical demands of scaling its vertical fissures and columns. I suppose it makes sense, but I couldn't believe people climb that thing! Never in a million years would I...Looking at it far away is beautiful enough for me. I don't need to know what the rock smells like :). I'm also surprised they allow climbing. I feel like this could potentially damage the rock in a way that is doesn't represent the best for the Natives and the rocks cultural significance. But hey, what do I know.

Lodging for the Night 

Another KOA! A lot of experienced campers look down on KOAs. Bro, calm down, this is our first road trip and we weren't possibly thinking about camping in a tent after day 1. KOAs have readily available things we need for the trip. Like an air conditioned primitive cabin! 

Also, where else are you going to get the views that we had? Insanely cool views from our cabin! 

Late sunset silhouette Devil's Tower at the Devil's Tower KOA. Spooky!

Cooking with a view. Nothing fancy. I didn't have the energy.

Here's the row of cabins at the Devil's Tower KOA. Heck of a red rock background!

Continue on with us to Theodore Roosevelt National Park on Day 8 of this road trip!

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Wind Cave National Park and Cold Brook Lake -- Road Trip Day 6

Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota was next on our roadtrip out to WA from PA with two dogs in tow. We arrived here after our day at Badlands National Park! Wind Cave NP, like most national parks, does not allow dogs on pretty much all trails (or caves!). They are allowed in parking lots and within a few feet of trailheads. This is usually to both protect the landscape AND to protect the dogs from uncontrollable wildlife situations. That's okay with me. I'm not sure our dogs would fare well against a bison (I'm sure the dogs think they would though)

We did the Prairie Vista Loop Trail which is one of the only dog friendly trails in the park. I think large wildlife is actually fenced off from this area. From there we got back in the car and just enjoyed seeing the landscapes from the car and pulloffs. Wind Cave is really two parks in one. Sprawling beautiful landscapes on the surface, as well as a massive cave system below. It was another scorching hot day so we weren't going to do much with the dogs anyway!

 

Prairie Vista Trail -- Wind Cave NP. The only trail dogs are allowed on!

Wind Cave National Park is located in South Dakota's Black Hills and was actually the first NP to protect a cave system! It's too darn bad we didn't get to see it. This road trip was my first time learning about the Black Hills in general. What an incredible region. Super beautiful. It's not what I was expecting areas of South Dakota to look like at all.

 

Cute Trees! Maybe we didn't get to see the caves, but the above ground scenery is amazing!

See this is what I mean, look at those sweeping Black Hills views!

 

This part of the park surprised me.As we drove along the park road, it starts to look more...alpine almost. Beautiful vegetation, rocks, and trees!

 

We unfortunately didn't see much wildlife. That's mostly how our luck goes wherever we go. We saw a bison from far away, but were certainly got to see some more prairie dogs, much like at Badlands NP. Look at this guy below! It's almost like he was posing for us!

 

I caught this Prairie Dog dude just chillin'. Beautiful Black Hills in the background.

 

Rolling hills of Wind Cave NP

I think the dogs enjoyed themselves even though they could only do a single trail. Anything to get out of the car for a little while! This was right on a car pull off so we tried to get the dogs posed with the beautiful scenery. They did...okay.

 

I would love to come back without the dogs to visit the cave system that we unfortunately missed on our trip to Wind Cave NP! I've been on several cave tours before, almost all in Pennsylvania. PA does have some pretty cool cave systems too. 

In fact, Penns Cave near State College, PA offers boat tours through its cave system which is filled with water. Super cool experience. We also did Luray Caverns in Virginia as a side quest when we went to Shenandoah National Park. Interestingly, a lot of sites seem to rate Luray Caverns higher than Wind Cave. I didn't realize it at the time but apparently Luray Caverns is one of the most popular and sought after cave trips in the country. It'll be interesting to see how Luray stacks up to Wind Cave if we every make it back to see the cave system!

Since we couldn't take the dogs into the cave, we had some extra time in the area. Based on daylight, we decided we could spend some time at another site, preferably closer to our lodging area. On Roadtrippers we found out about Cold Brook Lake / Reservoir so we visited that before heading to lodging for the night!

Cold Brook Lake

We paid for a year of the Roadtrippers app to help us along our way from PA to WA. Cold Brook Lake showed up on there as a place near Hot Springs. What a suggestion! I'm sure glad we went! It was a beautiful spot. The roads down the lake were super unkept and unmanaged though. I thought we were going to sink into a pothole and be stuck in South Dakota forever.

It's a smaller reservoir created by the Cold Brook Dam, which is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The site is primarily geared toward outdoor recreation and offers a variety of activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming, although the primary purpose of the dam is for flood control.

 

On top of the Dam! Cold Brook Lake. Incredible view!

We walked out over the top of the dam to view the lake in all its glory. We then walked to the bottom for a different view. We also wanted to leave because two trucks drove by, kinda watched us for a bit then left. South Dakota is beautiful, but the people were.... a little odd. I don't think they like outsiders in their area. Whoops on the PA license plate. 

Picnic areas are also available, offering a great spot to relax and enjoy a meal amid the natural beauty of the area.

 

So glad we found this place!

 

I had to take a picture. This red soil was too cool. taken from atop the Cold Brook Lake Dam

 

Now if only they could pave the road so our little hybrid car can make it down the hill to the lake. Not in SD I guess. Gotta have a truck *shrugs*. We slammed and banged the entire way down to the lake itself with washboarding and potholes on the road. I guess that usually means you're about to see something cool! Once we got down there people stared pretty hardcore at us. We noticed that a lot until we got into Washington. There was a lot of staring. When on the dam section there was a truck that very noticeably stopped to stare us. A young unmarried couple with a two tiny dogs in the middle of nowhere. Unusual I guess?

 

Clear Blue Water with tree lined red hills. Love it!

 

Lodging for the Night

Ah the Hot Springs Waterfall. This was down the street from our lodging cabin. Right before the Hot Springs waterfall pictured here was Kidney Springs.

Kidney Springs in Hot Springs, South Dakota, is apparently renowned for its therapeutic natural thermal spring, historically sought after for its healing properties. Visitors often collect the spring's mineral-rich water, believed to benefit health, from a pipe flowing at a constant 83°F. You can fill a bottle with the springs water if so desired!

After visiting Badlands then Cold Brook,  we headed to our lodging for the evening. We stayed at Americas Best Value Inn "Inn By The River" in Hot Springs, SD. They had a motel with a few cabins that were pretty cool. It appears however, they are now known as Springs Lodge and Cafe. It was a pretty neat location and the cabin we rented was cozy with AC. PRAISE THE COOL AIR GODS.

Unfortunately, we passed through on a Monday so nearly all of the food places in the area were closed, as Mondays usually are days off for restaurant folk. We settled on... please don't judge us...but pizza and wings from Pizza Hut. It was a guilty pleasure. Shush. That night, out of nowhere, the radar started popping up with some crazy storms. We had some severe thunderstorms roll through with torrential rain, lightning, and even brief small hail. I LOVED it!! Apparently that is very normal for the Black Hills during summer. 

Onward to Day 7 Custer State Park and Devil's Tower National Monument!

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Badlands National Park -- Road Trip Day 5

After visiting the Great River Bluffs, the next stop on our roadtrip from Pennsylvania to Washington was Badlands National Park in South Dakota. Dogs are not allowed on any trails here, or at most national parks for that matter, especially in the west. It was also 102 degrees F on the day that we visited. Yes, we're the crazies visiting during the hottest part of the year. It just happened that way.  Needless to say...our car idled a lot with the AC blasting to keep the dogs cool, while we pulled off to see the views along the park's 'loop' road. 

There were some amazing sights to be seen despite not being able to do any true trails or hikes. There were some small walks to go see sights so my GF and I would alternate and grab the views while the other stayed with the dogs in the car. Just trying to be economical here right? See as many sights as possible while also being a good dog parent.

BEWARE. RATTLESNAKES! We didn't see any Rattlesnakes but we swear we heard some!

 

Like I mentioned on previous days, we actually had to change our itinerary for lodging quite a bit. We had a lot of campgrounds, tipis, and primitive cabins planned but the insane heatwave that was blanketing the country forced us to change things. MAYBE we'd suck it up and camp in 102 degree weather by ourselves, but not with two dogs. We found some air conditioned cabins at KOAs and hotels along the way. You GOTTA be resilient on these kind of trips right???

Look at those colorful bands!

 

 It was truly a unique experience, and the first park to really look different from anything we've seen before out East. You could definitely tell we made headway on our road trip after seeing this place. The other places and other parks were beautiful, but the Badlands were a punch in the face. A punch saying "YOU AREN'T IN PENNSYLVANIA ANYMORE. OR EVEN THE EAST". What a wild feeling.

Life finds a way with this trying Sunflower in 100+ degree weather!

Look at all that erosion! Everything was so strikingly neat here! There were quite a bit of people here. In fact we waited at the entrance gates in a line for quite some time before getting in. That's one thing I wish the National Park Service would figure out. Sitting in our cars idling for so long can't be the best thing for the immediate environment, or the environment over all. Some National Parks actually have America The Beautiful "Pass Holder" entrance lines to make things go quicker. This is a good idea, but could also be implemented better too.

 

Spiky badlands poking the sky. This doesn't even look real, but it certainly was.

 

A boardwalk out to a viewpoint! Look at that sprawling vastness.

 

Prairies and Badlands

The badland formations often appear as "islands" surrounded by expansive mixed-grass prairies. These prairies are themselves complex ecosystems that play a critical role in the park's biodiversity. The grasses vary in height and type, each adapted to the park's highly variable climate, which can range from hot, dry summers to cold, snowy winters. On this 100+ degree day, it's hard to believe winter exists in this place. I'm sure its just as brutal.

These mixed-grass prairies create a habitat for a variety of animals, many of which have adapted to the harsh environmental conditions, I would hope. Bison and bighorn sheep graze the land, while pronghorns can be seen running through the prairies.. We saw a pronghorn for far away...but boy did we see prairie dogs. Hundreds. Thousands? In the prairie. On the sides of the road (please drive slowly here), in their mounds, everywhere.

No dogs on trails! Well I guess Prairie Dogs don't count, huh?

Burrowing animals like prairie dogs construct extensive underground towns, and rattlesnakes make their home in the park's crevices and canyons. We were able to walk right up to where the prairie dogs live (In Prairie Dog Town of course) and watch them. It was adorable and hilarious. 

 

Gotta love any flower that can survive this weather!

 

The park's climate adds another layer of complexity to its ecosystems. The semi-arid conditions result in sparse vegetation and make water a precious resource for the area.  Sudden weather changes, including thunderstorms with intense rainfall, can and do lead to flash floods that further shape the landscape. We actually had an awesome thunderstorm when we got to our cabin that night after the insane heat. It was a magnificent show of lightning. There was a bit of hail as well!

 

I was not expecting these colors!

 

A wonderfully beautiful park! Sights go on for miles!

 IDK man. These lands were pretty good. I wouldn't consider them bad. Why are they called badlands anyway?

Man that's so cool!

The term "badlands" actually originates from the Lakota people, who called the area "mako sica," (Yes, like Makoshika State Park in Montana) translating roughly to "bad lands." This name was given due to the harsh and rugged terrain, which was challenging to traverse and offered limited resources for survival.Totally appropriately named!

This was definitely an awesome and must see National Park to see! We did not make it to Wall Drug. I'm not sure what the appeal is. It's just a huge drug store? I was chastised for not visiting by some people. It just seems like a silly waste of time. Much like Mount Rushmore. Didn't visit there either. I'd rather see a non-defaced mountain, but that's just me.

KOA Lodging

After a long hot day, we drove a short distance to the Badlands / White River KOA to our (Air Conditioned) primitive cabin. We took a break from cooking on the propane stove and got something from the "Cook Shack". I think it was more I was exhausted from the heat to want to cook anything over a flame in the first place! I got a Bison Burger with fries. It was...okay...apparently they have Philly Cheesesteaks too which is kind of fascinating...I'll be the judge of that.

Follow us to Day 6 on the Road Trip! We checked out Wind Cave National Park.

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