Cheyenne to Mt. Rushmore: daytrip? (Mills: campers, live, restaurants)

[mandK]

I'm here in Cheyenne for the next few weeks and I'd really like to take the opportunity to visit Mt. Rushmore. The problem is I only have one available day to do it. Online maps tell me it's about a 5 hour drive each way from Cheyenne.

Does that sound about right? Are there any other good stops along the way?

Thanks!

MandK

[WyoNewk]

It's been a long, long time since I took the route from Rapid City to Cheyenne, but 5 hours sounds about right. There's lots to see in the Black Hills -- a week's worth of sight-seeing -- but there's not much between the Hills and Cheyenne. It's mostly all grasslands.

[rjl78]

It would would be a long day and you would miss a lot in a day trip. Take a 3 day weekend and have a more relaxed weekend.

[StealthRabbit]

yes, its quite a trip, I would leave the night before and do the scenic drives through Custer State Park around dawn, then visit the Mt Rushmore and drive around for a bit then comeback and see Mt Rushmore in different light. Take an afternoon nap, so you can drive all night home. It is also nice to see the lighting of Mt Rushmore in the evening.

There are other things to see, I like the wind caves (Near Hot Springs, south of Custer), but you might like Deadwood and historic towns.

[Froggie Legs]

Jewel cave and Crystal cave are nice

[sunsprit]

The Black Hills area around Mt Rushmore has been thoroughly developed into what I'd call a "tourist trap" resort area. So a lot of the choices you'd make about what to "see and do" in the area will be dependent upon your personal interests. Crystals? Yogi Bear's camp? Indian Artifacts? Antiques?
Old West mining lore? Horribly overpriced Pendleton Mills outlet store merchandise?

In our case, we were able to see all we needed to see of Mt Rushmore in a very sloooow drive-by through the parking lot in an off-season time frame.

During the summer tourist season, be prepared for slow going on the roads in the area with campers, rubbernecking tourists, and the driving challenged.

IMO, a one-day trip to Mt Rushmore would be a very difficult experience to enjoy. It's a lot of driving under the best of conditions, and by the time you get to the parking lot, you won't have much time to do much sightseeing ... or stop for food.

My experience has been that food service in the area ranges from slow to slower ... you can time the delivery of food at many restaurants with a sundial. My wife and I went through this area last year after the tourist season rush, and rented a cabin for a week. We took the opportunity to walk out of 5 restaurants in the Black Hills area when it took the servers more than 20-30 minutes just to acknowledge that we'd been seated ... let alone take our order or bring us a menu or a beverage. And that was when they were overwhelmed with about 10% or less of their tables being occupied with a lot of very bored looking patrons ... not with a high season tourist rush of customers. I don't believe that our expectations of good service for high-priced quality food were unreasonable. I wound up going back to Rapid City and a supermarket for our cabin kitchen several times as a better way during a week's time.

[mandK]

thanks all. It sounds like a long road trip to stop somewhere for an hour. I guess I was feeling eager to visit since I have the chance.


MandK

[Dinowy]

Originally Posted by sunsprit

The Black Hills area around Mt Rushmore has been thoroughly developed into what I'd call a "tourist trap" resort area.

I wholeheartedly agree, we spent right around a week over there a few years back and more or less the area around Rushmore [especially Rushmore] (and the greater black hills area) is one big tourist trap. Now there is a lot of neat stuff to see over there (we went in a ton of caves that were really cool), but I'm not sure if I'd drive 10 hours all in one day just for the teeny tiny bit you'll be able to see. Rushmore is neat, but after you've seen it for 5 minutes it really isn't going to be changing much anytime soon . If you had 2 or 3 days to spend it'd probably be more worth it as Rushmore is actually one of the more eh things there.

If I was planning on driving that far just for a day trip personally there are other places I'd much rather visit than Rushmore. Devil's Tower isn't quite as touristy (or at least it wasn't when I was last there years ago, maybe its changed) and pretty cool to see. Certainly more to do there than right at Rushmore. I'd think Yellowstone is about the same driving distance and there is a lot more there to see than at Rushmore.

[GEORGIAINMT]

Originally Posted by Dinowy

I wholeheartedly agree, we spent right around a week over there a few years back and more or less the area around Rushmore [especially Rushmore] (and the greater black hills area) is one big tourist trap. Now there is a lot of neat stuff to see over there (we went in a ton of caves that were really cool), but I'm not sure if I'd drive 10 hours all in one day just for the teeny tiny bit you'll be able to see. Rushmore is neat, but after you've seen it for 5 minutes it really isn't going to be changing much anytime soon . If you had 2 or 3 days to spend it'd probably be more worth it as Rushmore is actually one of the more eh things there.

If I was planning on driving that far just for a day trip personally there are other places I'd much rather visit than Rushmore. Devil's Tower isn't quite as touristy (or at least it wasn't when I was last there years ago, maybe its changed) and pretty cool to see. Certainly more to do there than right at Rushmore. I'd think Yellowstone is about the same driving distance and there is a lot more there to see than at Rushmore.

Sorry to disagree, but Yellowstone is MUCH further than the Black Hills is from Cheyenne. That's not even an option! As for the day trip idea, yes, it would be 10 hours on the road, but if Mt. Rushmore is on your "bucket list" then you should go for it. So what if you only have a few hours to spend in the area. It would be worth it if it is something you truly desire to see. I'd do it. I'd compare it to me being somewhere 5 hours away from Vegas and not at least making the drive to see it and say I've been there! (I could say the same for the Golden Gate Bridge, St. Louis Arch, Mall of America........just examples!). If you go, just enjoy your drive and enjoy the time you do have to see a national landmark!!!

[jdavid93225]

Originally Posted by mandK

thanks all. It sounds like a long road trip to stop somewhere for an hour. I guess I was feeling eager to visit since I have the chance.


MandK

I think that once you reach Mt. Rushmore, you will find that you'll want to stay for longer than just an hour. I think two or three hours would be more likely, especially for a first time visitor. There actually is a lot to see there besides just looking at the sculpture on the mountain (which is definitely impressive). When I visited, I stayed for a few hours and read or heard a lot of interesting information about the mountain and the surrounding area. The evening light show is also worth seeing if you're there at the right time.

Now, the other thing to keep in mind is that the road trip itself is probably worth doing, especially if you haven't seen western Nebraska, western South Dakota, and eastern Wyoming. This is a beautiful area, but as others have said, a day doesn't do it justice. I would suggest taking a loop route if you decide to go. My suggestion would be to head east into Nebraska, then north into South Dakota and on up to Mt. Rushmore. Once you've visited, head west back into Wyoming, then head south back to Cheyenne. There is actually a lot to see along such a route, even if all you get to see is the scenery along the way. There is a lot more to see than just the scenery, though, as has been stated in several earlier posts. In the area of the loop I've suggested, there is Scottsbluff, Chimney Rock, Jewel Cave, Wind Cave, the 1880s train, the Crazy Horse Memorial, numerous historical towns and sites, and much more.

I agree with the others that have suggested taking at least a weekend to make the trip. If that's possible for you, I would suggest such a plan, too.