Alabama Jim wrote:
When we go there we like to stay at Chris's RV Park in Spearfish. It is an hour drive to Custer, which is an awesome park to visit. Spearfish is also convenient to Spearfish Canyon and the waterfalls as well as Deadwood.
Maybe an hour in a helicopter? More like 1-1/2 to 2 hours, depending on traffic. It's seventy miles of twisty roads between them. Having spent many months there, camping, for the last twenty years, one thing that is obvious is that a through visit to the Hills really needs to be divided into two parts, northern and southern. Custer, Custer State Park, Hot Springs, Hill City, the big caves, Crazy Horse, Rushmore, and Keystone, are best enjoyed while camping in the area. OTOH, Deadwood, Lead, Spearfish, Sturgis, Bear Butte, and maybe even a day trip to the Devil's Tower, are great from locations like Chris's. Rapid City is an easy trip from both ends of the Hills, and if you are coming from the east, it's best to do a stop, even overnight, in the Badlands, before you get to the hills, instead of staying in the Hills and backtracking for a day trip.
