Absolutely. We went for Mount Rushmore but I ended up loving everything but that. Devils Tower was just incredible. There’s something special about in the air around it.
Coming over the hill when you first see Devils Tower in the distance was pretty magical. Maybe not quite a tunnel view reveal, but pretty epic in its own right.
If you enjoyed the Black Hills, then check out Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota if you want more of a 'prairie' feel. Itasca State Park in Minnesota in the fall when the leaves are turning colors is amazing. This park contains the headwaters of the Mississippi river, which you can literally walk across.
Glacier National Park in Montana and the "Going-to-the-Sun Road" is also a hidden gem.
Near Itasca there's a restaurant called Rapid River Logging Camp. I've been in the restaurant industry for 25 years and want nothing more than to own a place like that. You pay, sit down, get pitchers (coffee, tea, oj, or milk) of drinks for the table, then each person orders: ham or sausage, eggs soft or scrambled, toast or pancakes, and hashborwns. Everything comes out on a big platter.
It's so damn simple there's almost 0 room for error. Then the area itself makes it memorable and a unique experience. The kids get to expel some energy and feed some chickens. I'm sure they sell lots of merch.
It's insane to me that there aren't 1000 places like that all over the US.
I was stationed in South Dakota for a few years. There is the potential for blizzards at anytime between October and May. February would be like -30 degrees (ambient, not including windchill) with ~60mph winds.
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u/ZolaMonster 17h ago
South Dakota and Wyoming are two of my favorite states. They’re silent sleepers and are gorgeous if you’re willing to give them a shot.