Mount Rushmore to Yellowstone Trip Vs. 2

Drive to Keystone. Check in at K Bar S Lodge for one night (note: called and requested first floor in main building). Dinner in Rapid City or Keystone. (Powder House Lodge Restaurant, Ruby House Restaurant)

Monday, Sept. 19 (Willi's BD!)

Day 2 – Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorials, Deadwood and Spearfish (est. 2 hour 8 min driving time + est. 6 hrs. sightseeing)

Morning: Drive to Mount Rushmore National Memorial (3.3 mi./9 min. from hotel). No entry fee but parking is $5 for seniors. Plan on 1-2 hours. Go early to beat the crowds and because early morning is best time of day to see Mt Rushmore illuminate pinks and oranges before turning back to grey granite rock color. Visit Carver’s Marketplace for breakfast while watching sunrise behind sculpture. Walk the presidential trail boardwalk, which includes over 400 steps. Visit the Lincoln Borghum Visitor Center.
Note: can not use America the Beautiful pass because it is a memorial; not a monument.

Morning/Afternoon: From Mount Rushmore, drive to Crazy Horse Memorial (16 mi./27 min. drive). Entry fee is $35 per car. Plan on 2-3 hours. Visit onsite restaurant (Laughing Water Restaurant), museum and culture center.

Afternoon: Drive 1 hour to arrive at Deadwood. Spend an hour walking around the historic main street, stopping in for a drink at a cafe or bar. Head back out of Deadwood the same way but take 14-ALT through Lead to Cheyenne Crossing (South) to Spearfish Canyon Lodge. (12 mi./19 min. to Cheyenne Crossing)

Stop at Cheyenne Crossing on way to Spearfish Canyon to visit gift shop or for dinner if it's getting late (instead of going out for dinner after checking in at Spearfish Canyon Lodge). Background: Starting as a stage stop in 1878, known as the Ice Box Canyon Valley Station, this little dot on the map continues today as a great destination for the modern day traveler. Home of the Legendary Indian Taco as seen on Food Network TV and Magazine. (Cheyenne Crossing to Spearfish Canyon Lodge 11 mi./20 min.).

Check in for one night at Spearfish Canyon Lodge. (Note: Requested per email for first floor.) Birthday celebration dinner for Willi's birthday! Dining options: The Latchstring Restaurant (by lodge) or drive 20 min. to Spearfish -- Atunez, Steerfish Steak & Smoke (Steerfish menu looks really good!).

Tuesday, September 20

Day 3 – Devils Tower, Cloud Peak Skyway and Cody, Wyoming (est. 6 hours 48 min. driving time + est. 2 hours sightseeing)

Morning: Early start! The big road trip driving day between Spearfish and Cody. Take the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway to Spearfish and continue to Devil's Tower (71 mi./1 hr. 24 min.)

Devil's Tower is visible from WY Hwy 24. Entrance fee is $25 but we should be able to use our America the Beautiful pass. Walk around monument and go to Visitor's Center (plan on 1-2 hours). On the way back out of the main parking lot, take a right on W Rd to Joyner Ridge. Views over Devils Tower from Joyner Ridge are fantastic.

Back on the I-90 it’s around a 2 hour 16 min. (135 mi.) straight shot to Buffalo, Wyoming. Pick up quick late lunch at fast food place, Dash Inn, 620 E. Hart St. or call ahead for takeout at Sagewood Cafe, 15 N. Main St., (307) 684-7670, open til 2:30 pm. Afternoon: Now comes the fun part of the drive. US-16 Cloud Peak Skyway climbs, winds, dips and climbs some more as we pass over the southern part of the Bighorn Mountains. 

Stop off at overlooks and enjoy the scenery but the best is yet to come. As we descend from the Bighorn pass just crossed, there’s a 10-15 mile section of epic scenic driving as we drop into a canyon with towering cliff edges.

Next up, drive to Ten Sleep: 64 mi., 1 hr. 24 min.

It’s less than 2 hours from Ten Sleep to Cody (106 mi./1 hr. 53 mi.). This is a really relaxing part of the road trip between Mount Rushmore and Yellowstone after I-90 and a narrow scenic drive over a mountain pass!

Check in at Cody Legacy Inn for one night. Note: Called hotel and requested first floor. Dinner in Cody: Bubba's Bar-B-Que, Pat O'Hara Brewing.

Wednesday, September 21

Day 4 – Cody, Lake Yellowstone, Mud Volcano, Hayden Valley and Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone (est. 1 hour 49 min. driving time)

Morning: Visit the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. Spend 2-3 hours. Lunch in Cody before driving to Yellowstone: Our Place Cafe.

Afternoon: Drive to Yellowstone National Park. Take the east entrance slowly and keep an eye out for wildlife. 76.7 mi/1 hr. 42 min to Fishing Bridge Museum.

Stop at Fishing Bridge Museum and Visitor Center (not much to see at this museum but good rest stop). (Fishing Bridge Museum to Canyon Lodge 16.7 mi./30 min.)

Yellowstone Lake will be to the south. The lake is the largest one in the park, covering 136 square miles. Of note: This lake has the largest population of cutthroat trout in North America! Take the right on Grand Loop Road to begin our Yellowstone adventure.

Quick stop to check out rapids. This is one of those small areas off the Park Loop Road to pull off. There's a small parking lot & a boardwalk trail. Pull off road to the right.

The first stopping point is Mud Volcano, a major geyser in Yellowstone, and Dragon’s Mouth Spring. Spend 15 min, very little walking. Most of the best attractions in Mud Volcano are located just outside the parking lot. There’s a short loop trail here. Check out Mud Cauldron and Mud Geyser (both roadside). Just left of Mud Volcano is Dragon’s Mouth Spring (small walk), shown above. It’s a spot where boiling water has gradually eroded away the hillside, creating a cavern that resounds constantly with roaring waters—almost like there really is a dragon lurking in there.

A little further ahead (15.9 mi.) is Hayden Valley (to the left), which is a well known wildlife spotting area. Spend about 15 min if there are no traffic jams or stops; most likely longer. This isn’t really a stop. There are no parking lots in Hayden Valley — only pull offs. May need to wait if bison are crossing the road. Bison traffic jams are common. Stop at Hayden Valley Overlook at Yellowstone River to the right. Pull out binoculars alongside Yellowstone River. Grizzly sightings are fairly common here.

Next up is, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone (4.9 mi. from Overlook). Starting with the Upper Falls of Yellowstone Falls, The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River runs northeast for over 20 miles, carving a 1,000-foot deep gash in the pine-covered landscape. The north and south rims are separated by a mere 3/4 of a mile, with treacherously steep canyon walls painted in oranges, yellows and reds.

Take the North Rim Drive, 1.2 miles (1.9 km) off of Grand Loop Rd. This one-way road has four accessible views of the canyon, each featuring a different aspect of the canyon’s power, color, and geology. At Brink of Lower Falls, glimpse Lower Falls and Upper Falls from paved accessible trails at the top or descend the steep Brink Trail to witness the Lower Falls’ power.

Stop at Upper Falls View on the way out of South Rim drive.

Stop at Lookout Point, a panoramic overlook on the north rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River. Lookout Point offers a stunning view of the 308-foot Lower Falls tier of Yellowstone Falls. Drive right up to Lookout Point or visit the overlook as a stop on North Rim Trail.

Stop at Inspiration Point to see a sliver of Yellowstone Falls. The point, which was originally named Promontory Point in 1878, juts out from the rest of the canyon wall to offer panoramic views up and down the canyon. Start from the parking area just behind the point and walk down a flight of stairs to inspiring views. It is less than a tenth of a mile round trip to Inspiration Point with fifty feet of elevation change.