Travel to Mount Rushmore in the middle of winter? Why not?! In fact, we had plans to visit the national memorial last Spring Break, but a blizzard in South Dakota kept us from making the trip. So, if we’re not going to join the gazillion people during a summertime visit, why not take our chances on a winter break visit and maybe get lucky?

We set out knowing that somewhere along the drive from Chicago to Keystone, South Dakota we may have to punt and spend our school break doing something else, somewhere else. But luck was on our side, and though it was cold, the snow and bad weather stayed away for the few days we spent exploring the majestic park and surrounding destinations.

The positives about visiting Mount Rushmore in January? Well, the crowds are thin, which means we basically enjoyed what could be called a private viewing of this famous destination. So, for us to be able to just stand there and gaze at the monument without having to worry about being in someone’s way, or taking too much time, was absolutely fantastic! And for me to be able to take photos of JUST the monument, not the monument and all of the people, was so great! I love this first photo I took while on the walkway up to the viewing area. Even in the dead of winter, the pines and the dirty snow piled up look beautiful to me as we stepped closer and closer to the faces of the four Presidents of Mount Rushmore.

And why were those the men chosen for this massive monument? That’s another great thing about visiting this time of year. Just like out on the viewing area, the museum at Mount Rushmore wasn’t jam-packed. We were able to take in a movie about the making of Mount Rushmore very easily, learning so much about the history of this magical place. And there was plenty of seating available at Carver’s Cafe, a restaurant in the park located in what looks like a huge lodge, complete with a mammoth stone fireplace and large windows to gaze out and take in the beauty of this place.

Just south of Mount Rushmore, and also surrounded by the Black Hills of South Dakota, you’ll find Custer State Park. This is where we rented a cabin for our stay. We were able to catch a glimpse of wildlife around the park, like the big horn sheep that would practically walk right next to our car!

And one of the many wonderful things about staying at Custer is easy access to Iron Mountain Road. This winding and very scenic drive takes you from the park up to Mount Rushmore. Along the way you pass through some of the most beautiful areas of the Black Hills. Under stone bridges and along sharp turns, you see nothing but beauty out the car window. And for our drive, snow! Because we didn’t have heavy traffic, we were able to pull off at one point and get out of the car and really take in the sights. We were so lucky Iron Mountain was open, because at this time of year, snow could close the road in a heartbeat. With a clear forecast, we were able to make the drive and experience the breathtaking moment that you exit Mountain Road through a tunnel and merge onto the highway, seeing Mount Rushmore in the distance.

BADLANDS

A trip to South Dakota has so much to offer. The Badlands is another must see. And during winter, the park gives off such an awesome, another world feel. Again, with little traffic, pulling off the road at any time to watch the buffalo roam or the white tail deer meander up a hill, is so easy. Prairie dogs are a huge attraction at the park. That is one thing we were disappointed in. We saw prairie dogs, but only a few at a time, not the huge packs like we may have seen during a summer visit.

CRAZY HORSE

To say we packed in a lot of sightseeing would be an understatement! But, why not see as much as you can, while you can? And again, this was easy because of the time of year we traveled. Visiting Crazy Horse was easy. No long traffic lines to get into the memorial. We were able to park easily at the museum, take in a movie to learn about the history of Crazy Horse the man, and all about how this memorial started and is still being worked on to this very day. The museum has many artifacts that were fascinating to look at. And out on the deck, you are treated to an awesome view of Crazy Horse. You can take a bus up the hill to get a closer look at the memorial, but we decided to skip that so we would have time to visit the last destination on our agenda: Devils Tower.

DEVILS TOWER

The drive to Devils Tower was magnificent. Winding roads through the Black Hills, giving the most beautiful scenery of pines and snow and frozen waterfalls, all on the backdrop of a brilliant blue winter sky. To actually get to Devils Tower, you exit on to an expressway and then off on a long, long road