We left home on September 14, 2021 with a plan to be near Rushmore on the 22nd. We made reservations for a private park (Spokane Creek) near Keystone, SD months before the trip. The path there was planned just before we left. As we were on the way, we had no plans for the return trip.
The timing of the trip was planned to avoid the summer crowds while enjoying decent weather. I had also hoped to change course on the fly and still be able to find safe places to camp. We were successful on all points.
The majority of our stays were in private parks, including some KOAs. For a safe and clean place to stay, these served their purpose. They were mostly crowed, expensive, and close to a freeway. For these reasons, I would not travel like this again.
Spokane Creek Campground near Keystone, SD
The exceptions to the private parks we visited were Spokane Creek, Boots, and the Devils Tower KOA. SC was a great location for visiting Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and Custer State Park. It was a clean, well kept park with full hookups and amenities. Remote enough to be quiet but close enough to the sites to avoid spending all day driving back and forth. The prices were reasonable for the area.
Boots Campground is near Medora, ND and Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The camp sites are close together and there are no amenities, but the views are incredible. It is only 1 mile out of town however it feels very remote. Medora and TRNP are must sees.
Devils Tower KOA is another park in a great location. It was also clean and quiet with reasonable rates for the location. They show the movie Close Encounters every night. (if you are familiar with the movie, you know why)
Rushmore was the destination for this trip but there was so much more in the area to see. The Crazy Horse Memorial, Custer State Park, and The Needles Highway are a few of the attractions. We were fortunate enough to be here for the annual Buffalo roundup at CSP where they gather 1400 buffalo to be sorted, branded, and vaccinated. The next roundup is September 30, 2022
On the return trip we stopped at Devils Tower, Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, Jackson Hole, a couple of Idaho State Parks, a Harvest Hosts winery and an Oregon State park.
We stayed at Colter Bay in Teton for four nights. It is very close to Yellowstone and Jackson, WY. I made the reservation at the last minute with no problems. Turns out that I was extremely lucky and probably booked right after a cancellation. The Park was completely booked during our stay with some people reserving six months in advance.
We only got a brief look at Yellowstone. You should really allow at least three days for this park alone.
The town of Jackson is worth a visit but a little touristy.
Teton is more spectacular with a little snow on the mountains and water in the lakes. There were fewer people visiting this time of year, so we did not have to fight any crowds.
If you are in the area, be sure to stop at Mormon Row and the Moulton barn (see the photos above taken through the crystal ball).
Over the course of 20 days we drove 3400 miles through seven states, stopping to camp in all of them. This was the first visit to Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, and South Dakota for Shawna. (Rob had never been to the Dakotas.)
Rob and Shawna 