Tons of strange and interesting attractions lay hidden in the Black Hills of South Dakota. From caves loaded with treasures to roadside attractions hiding mysterious secrets, the Black Hills are filled with more than a few unexpected surprises. This dog-friendly adventure is definitely one you’ll want to take with your favorite furry friend.
There’s no better place to appreciate the strange wonder of the Black Hills than in Badlands National Park. The rugged, colorful sandstone formations and rolling, grassy plains make for an interesting landscape, and you can climb the hills and rocks in search of rare fossils (if you happen to find any, let a park ranger know so they can check it out.) Antelope and bison roam the park, as do adorable prairie dogs. Take it all in on a hike with your furry friend (leashed dogs are welcome), or enjoy the sights from the comfort of your car on the Badlands Loop State Scenic Byway.
3919 Cheyenne Boulevard, Rapid City, South Dakota, United States
3010 East Highway 44, Rapid City, SD, US
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Conveniently located right in the middle of all of the coolest attractions in Black Hills, the Rapid City KOA offers tons of amenities that make your stay super fun. All-you-can-eat pancake breakfasts, seasonal watermelon feeds, and s’mores parties are can’t-miss events. Their guided tours make discovering everything the region has to offer extremely easy, and your furry friends can even get in on the fun at their Kamp K9 Dog Park.
13622 South Dakota Highway 40, Keystone, South Dakota, United States
Mount Rushmore is one of America’s most iconic landmarks: No road trip through South Dakota is complete without a stop at the mountain carved with the faces of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abe Lincoln. But perhaps the coolest part of Mount Rushmore is something that few know about, and even fewer get to see: the secret room hidden inside.
Yep, there really is a secret room in Mount Rushmore! Original plans for the monument included a Hall of Records, which would contain important texts and documents from American history. However, the plans for Mount Rushmore were scaled back quite a bit, and even though the Hall of Records had been started, the project was abandoned… temporarily. Reportedly, in 1998, enamel tablets etched with the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the story of the presidents, among other documents, were placed in a box in a titanium vault and sealed shut with a 1,200-pound capstone inside the Hall of Records, to be left untouched for thousands of years.
If you’re looking for a real adventure, nothing beats uncovering the mysteries of the Black Hills. With your furry friend at your side, exploring caves, hunting for fossils, and camping out under the stars are even more fun!