From Rawlins Wy to Mt Rushmore

I want to thank everybody for the responses. Looks like there is no "bad" way to get there. This means lots of options for me, and that is a good thing.

Again thanks for all the tips and help!

Can't help with the route in questions, but Overnighting Sites & Sights in the Douglas & Wheatland Area. Includes Guernsey & Fort Laramie Area.

Guernsey State Park ------- Fort Laramie National Historic Site ------ Oregon Trail Ruts and Register Cliff

We have used I-25 N to US 18/20 E to Lusk US 18/85 N to US 18 E to SD 89 N which turns into US 385 N to US 16 near Custer, SD follow US 16/385 N to SD 244 E to Mount Rushmore.

We gone by Guernsey/Ft. Laramie to US 85 N to Lust as well. Once we used US 85 N to Newcastle then took US 16 E to Custer & on up to Mt.Rushmore.

Hwys 287 and 34 out of Laramie should be fine. 287 is straight and flat; 34 drops down into Sybille Canyon and is a bit hilly and curvy but nothing to avoid in the summer. (It can get nasty with winter storms.) You might want to stop at the Sybille Wildlife Research Center for a short break if you spot it. It's not big, but it's handy right along the highway. I've stopped there a few times to get some easy wildlife photos. The only thing is, I can't recall if there's any parking for a rig. My trips through there have always been in a car or pickup, usually heading to/from Laramie while visiting my kids at UW, attending a football game, etc.

I wouldn't have thought to take that route, but since you mentioned it, it sounds good to me. The more typical route would be I-80 to Cheyenne, then Hwy 85 north.

When you leave Mt. Rushmore, turn to the right and go about 1/4 mile. There is a tiny parking lot, and you can get a side shot of the monument.

Also while in the parking lot of Mt. Rushmore, if you look carefully to the east, especially in the morning, you might be able to pick out the three or four tunnels through that mountain. The lack of trees indicates the locations pretty well. There are 4 tunnels on highway 16 that line up perfectly with the monument, and you will find a bunch of cars parked at the first and 4th tunnel (first from the other direction) while the center two tunnels see less traffic of people taking pictures of themselves in the tunnel, with the monument in the background.


I stayed at Custer State Park, and took highway 16 to see the monument, and sightsee around the area. There is also a 30 mile (or so) wildlife self guided tour, if you want to see local wildlife in the area.

One trip I stopped in DeSmet South Dakota, to spend the night at the Laura Ingalls homestead on the Prairie.

Fred.

287 out of Rawlins to 220 into Casper.
I-25 (S) to US 18/20 towards Lusk

Then 18 to Hot Springs, SD
OR 20 towards Chadron, NB and 385 to Hot Springs
(Using Hot Springs as a jumping off place for which way YOU want to continue to Mt. Rushmore)

WHY......hate traveling on Interstates any longer than needed
Love traveling on back roads/secondary roads.