Bad lands area

I’m going to vote for Mt. Rushmore as five stars. One needs to attend the evening lighting ceremony. They ask and honor every past and current service person by asking them to come down to the stage. Will bring tears to anyone that’s patriotic.

agesilaus wrote:

Badlands 4 Stars
Wall Drug 2 stars
Minute Man 3 stars if silo tour included
Rushmore 2 stars
Crazy Horse 1 star
Two NM Caves 4 stars
Custer SP 4 stars
And lots of other small stuff

I largely agree with this, but would adjust slightly:

Badlands 4 Stars
Wall Drug 1 stars
Minute Man 3 stars if silo tour included
Rushmore 2 stars
Crazy Horse 1 star
Two NM Caves 4 stars
Custer SP Needles area - 4 stars
Rest of Custer SP - 3 stars
Devils tower - 3 Stars if you just look at it, 4 stars to hike around it, 5 stars if you climb it.

I have never understood the attraction of Mt Rushmore - it is a statue, you pay to park and get out of your car, you have seen it and then you are done. Other folks seem to feel differently.

FWC I can go with that, Wall Drug is kitschy and they used to have signs all over the country---XXXX miles to Wall Drug and I grew up with those...heh. They don't seem to do it any more. But they occupied more of my mental space.
I am not intimately familiar with Custer. We stayed there once but it was looong ago, you probably have a better feel for the place. We went thru it a couple of years ago.
As for Devil's Tower, it just does not seem to be part of the Black Hills complex to me. But we've been there multiple times. Camped there a couple times and my son is a rock climber (I was but long ago) and he wants to climb it. We always do the loop trail an see the prairie dogs.
My objections to Rushmore are these:
The outrageous parking fees not covered by a park pass. What was it, $13?
Two I've been thru the museum/visitors center several times and have been underwhelmed. I can't say that any of the many visitor centers we've been to are very interesting. Why not hire some people to redo the displays, either good videos or animatronics maybe.
When you see the carvings you are far away, you can hold your hand up and cover them at arms length. Stone Mountain is just about more impressive but it isn't in the round.
The place is an absolute mob scene, that causeway was shoulder to should almost the full length.
I have not seen it from that tunnel mouth at sunset which I understand is quite a good view.
Lastly the rangers really irritated me when they tried to block off the roadway from which you can see the figures during that park closure years ago. Even tho the road isn't in the park, just out of spite so far as I could tell.

Frankel y I'm surprised we have not heard more from the statuary lovers, I thought there were more of them.

rbtglove wrote:
Many years ago Crazy Horse and Deadwood were 4 star places but they have become tourist traps. You can get a good view of Crazy Horse from the road and save a expensive entrance fee. Gambling has ruined Deadwood unless you like gambling. The boot hill cemtary is worth a short vist. "here lies Less More - four shots fro a 44 - no less no More!

Wrong Boot Hill. "No Les , No More" lies buried in Boot Hill at Tombstone, AZ.

I don't consider the parking fees excessive at Mt. Rushmore. People pay more than that for a couple of drinks and think nothing of it. I don't understand why people think that everything should be covered for life because of a free senior citizen pass or $80 yearly pass. RVing is an expensive hobby or lifestyle. Accept that and get the wallet out.

BarabooBob wrote:
I don't consider the parking fees excessive at Mt. Rushmore. People pay more than that for a couple of drinks and think nothing of it. I don't understand why people think that everything should be covered for life because of a free senior citizen pass or $80 yearly pass. RVing is an expensive hobby or lifestyle. Accept that and get the wallet out.

No thanks, I can tell you we don't pay that much for a couple of drinks, but we don't drink alcoholic beverages. And I do not want to pay $13 for something I don't really want to see in the first place. Last time I went was to take my youngest son who had not been to the place, everyone should see it once I guess.
And my main objection to the parking fees is that the NPS is trying to make you pay for something that Congress has said we do not have to pay for. It's well known that the NPS intensely dislikes all of the passes.
As for expecting 'stuff' for free, I paid in to the tax system for 40+ years plus buying park passes. I finally got a Interagency Access Pass based on VA disability rating so I certainly paid the hard way for that pass. And no I'm not looking for sympathy..heaven forfend.

Even though I always have an (too cheap) annual pass, I don't object to paying money to the NPS and donate every year to the NPCA.

That said, the parking at Mt Rushmore is NOT the NPS but is a private company, Xanterra Resorts. I have no idea who they paid off to get the NPS to contract that out, but I highly object to paying a private company to park at a NPS monument. As far as I can remember, this is the only place I have had to pay to park at a National Park. That being said, this is all academic to me. I went 20 years ago, spent my 20 minutes there, left wondering what the point was, and don't plan on returning.


As for Devils Tower, the 'normal route' called Durance is pretty straight forward 5.7 crack climb, and is fun as long as you like a lot of crack and don't mind crowds.

As for Devils Tower, the 'normal route' called Durance is pretty straight forward 5.7 crack climb, and is fun as long as you like a lot of crack and don't mind crowds.

I was never a great climber tho I met some, Royal Robins and others in Camp 4 at Yosemite. That was after the rangers broke up the place. The USN seemed to insist on taking up most of my time.
So I could lead maybe a 5.8 or so. My son is really into it tho, takes trips out to climbing areas during college breaks, his GF is the president of the local climbing club. Which in the flattest state doesn't amount to much past the climbing gyms.

RetiredRealtorRick wrote:
BTW, if you don't get to Wall Drug, it's no big deal. Definitely a "1 star" attraction in our book

Remember, opinions vary. You make the call.

I agree, but it’s one of those places you have to go to just to say “I’ve been there!”

RetiredRealtorRick wrote:
BTW, if you don't get to Wall Drug, it's no big deal. Definitely a "1 star" attraction in our book

Remember, opinions vary. You make the call.

I agree, but it’s one of those places you have to go to just to say “I’ve been there!”