All 50 States Visited After an Epic Camping Adventure in the Dakotas National Parks and Monuments (1 of 2)

"I was totally unprepared for that revelation called the Dakota Bad Lands… what I saw gave me an indescribable sense of mysterious elsewhere—a distant architecture, ethereal…an endless supernatural world more spiritual of the earth but created out of it".  -- Frank Lloyd Wright

We just had an unforgettable camping trip to the Dakotas in mid-June 2025!

Days 1-4: After a few days of traveling from Maryland to Indiana, we stayed at a winery/brewery called Tippy Creek Winery.We then headed to Iowa to mark my 48th state visited. In Iowa, we found out that we were only 30 minutes away from the filming location of “The Field of Dreams,” so we stopped by for a visit before continuing our journey to South Dakota (My 49th State).

Days 5 and 6: We arrived at the Badlands early enough to visit the Ben Reifel Visitor Center and a few overlooks. We also went on some incredible hikes, including the Notch, Door, and Window Trails. That evening, we set up camp at the Cedar Pass Campground in the Badlands National Park (highly recommended). After showering and eating at the Lodge, we had a really cool Ranger-led astronomy evening. The next morning, we completed the Badlands Scenic Loop and stopped at a short trail called the Fossil Exhibit and two overlooks called Yellow Mounds and Pinnacles. We even spotted a few bison and visited Roberts Prairie Dog Town. After that, we stopped at the famous Wall Drug (it’s a bit gimmicky, but it’s worth checking out). Then, we headed to Ellsworth Air Force Base for a lovely night with AC, laundry, and dinner.

Day 7: After waking up to another scorching day, we drove to Hot Springs, SD to cool off in the Evan’s Plunge. We had a lovely lunch and then took a gentle hike around Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park (the $25 entrance fee was worth it). To end the day, we drove around the Wildlife Loop and saw a herd of bison, lots of prairie dogs, a coyote or two, beautiful burros, mule deer, and wild turkeys. Finally, we headed to a very hot evening at Elk Mountain Campground in Wind Cave National Park.

Day 8: Rise and shine! We started our day with a visit to the Wind Cave Visitor Center. Then, we had an amazing guided tour of the Wind Cave Natural Entrance led by Ranger Madeline. It was worth every penny! In the afternoon, we hiked the Wind Cave Canyon Trail. We had to cut it short because we encountered a very large bison guarding the trail. We thought our chances of survival were better if we turned around and headed back. After a long and hot day, we finally reached the Custer/Mount Rushmore/Black Hills KOA Campground. We walked (not recommended!) 6+ miles roundtrip into the town of Custer for dinner and drinks. Just a heads up, there are no Ubers in Custer.

On Day 9, we had to check out Crazy Horse Memorial and Mt. Rushmore National Memorial before we headed to our Harvest Host - Naughti Wines and Sick-n-Twisted Brewery.