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Learn about the Black Hills of
South Dakota by reading Black
Hills, South Dakota - Badlands and Good Touring by
Charlie Spence, IFA Member and Aviation Writer. It features a
mini, but thorough tour of the destination, plus all you'll need
to know to plan your trip including getting there, objective
information on places to stay and eat, and things to do. At the
end of the article, we've provided a summary of the contact
information for your easy reference. Enjoy!
Black Hills, South Dakota - Badlands and
Good Touring
by
Charlie Spence, Aviation
Writer and IFA Member
A visit to the South Dakota
Black Hills provides awesome vistas and downright Badlands livin',
partner! Start your visit at the Rapid City airport, or better yet,
leave the airline airport to regular tourists and fly into Sturgis or
Spearfish, both are nearer your destination. Either way, Sturgis and
Spearfish airports have rental cars available (use your IFA auto
rental discounts - https://ifly.enjoymydeals.com/travel), and from either one take route 14A back to the wild and wooly west.
About 13 miles from
Sturgis'through forests that you saw on approach but couldn't
appreciate until you drive through them'you arrive at the only place
in the world where the entire town is a National Historic District.
Deadwood began as a lawless camp of get-rich-quick prospectors. At the
time, it featured saloons, dance halls, card parlors and bodacious
bawdy houses.
Today the town is almost the
same. Although Deadwood might sound like an adults-only community,
children enjoy being a part of this living Old West. Historic Main
Street itself is a main attraction. Structures of the 1880s along
about five blocks of Main Street were rescued from the verge of
extinction to become Deadwood's principle gambling district. Choose
from about 80 gambling halls'most retaining the Old West ambiance'for
blackjack, slots, and poker. Even if gambling is not your thing, take
the whole family into Old Style Saloon #10. Step inside and you are a
part of that memorable day when Jack McCall gunned down Wild Bill
Hickok as that dastardly deed is reenacted. This is the only museum in
the world that has a bar. Outside on Main Street, witness the
shoot-out and vigilantes hauling Wild Bill's killer off to the most
rollicking trial you've ever witnessed.
You can slowly climb to 'Boot
Hill''another national landmark'while imagining you are part of
Hickok's funeral procession, and see where he and Calamity Jane are
buried. These tombstones and others like local legends Preacher Smith,
prospector Potato Creek Johnny, and Madam Dora DuFran bring to mind
the dangers and tragedies of those early Dakota days.
Take a free walking tour of
Deadwood or get aboard one of the mini-buses and let a rambunctious
driver-guide recall the days of the Badlands, Deadwood's Chinatown,
Railroad, and mining. Try your hand at mining at the Broken Boot Gold
Mine. Follow the ore car rails into the tunnels blasted more than 100
years ago. The mine was reopened in 1954 after being dormant for more
than a half a century. Like most prospectors, you might find the
pickin's slim for gold but you can receive a souvenir stock
certificate in the mine.
After soaking up the rough and
tumble life of historic Deadwood, drive about four miles west to Lead
(folks around there pronounce it 'Leed.') This gold rush town, founded
in 1876, boasted one of the richest gold veins ever unearthed. The
elegant Victorian mansions testify to the opulence that this town knew
in the booming mine days. If you failed to strike it rich at the
Broken Boot mine, try panning for gold at Lead's Black Hills Mining
Museum.
Following highway 14A around
through Sugar Mountain, Cheyenne Crossing, and Savoy to Spearfish. It
takes you through some of the most beautiful forested mountains that
you could ever visit. Limestone cliffs tower over Spearfish canyon. A
forest of spruce, pine, aspen, birch, and oak covers the hillside.
This unique area is in the
west-central part of South Dakota, north of Rapid City. (On your way
in or out, fly past Mount Rushmore.) Summer months are more favorable
for sightseeing. If you are a winter sports buff, this area offers two
ski areas and hundreds of miles of snowmobile trails with rentals
available.
Details
How to
get there
As you fly in and out of
the area, keep in mind that this is a mountainous area. The
Spearfish Airport (SPF) is at 3, 931 feet. Sturgis' elevation is
3,239 feet. Spearfish has a 5,498-foot runway (12-30) and three
turf strips. Sturgis has a single 4,600-foot asphalt runway
(11-29). Both have lights, and are pilot controlled. Spearfish
provides a NDB or GPS-A approach that requires a circling
approach. A GPS approach leads you to runway 29 at Sturgis.
Neither airport charges landing or tie-down fees'but do
appreciate fuel purchases from visitors.
Where
to stay
You have a wide choice of
accommodations ranging from luxury Bed and Breakfasts through
modest-priced motels to Victorian hotels and kitchen suites.
Take your pick from more than five dozen facilities in the towns
or in the surrounding canyon. In Deadwood, the All Seasons
Motel, on the trolley route has rooms from $25 to $70. At the
Hickok House rates range from $50 to $100. If you want a more
secluded area, travel about seven miles south toward Spearfish
for the Black Hills Hideaway Bed and Breakfast where most rooms
have fireplaces and private hot tubs for $89 to $169. You may also book your accommodations and rental car at IFA's Online Travel Booking Service. Deep discounts may be available.
Where
to eat
In Deadwood, the Horseshoe
restaurant serves a 19-oz T-bone for about eight bucks. The
Franklin Hotel on Main street sports South Dakota's oldest
restaurant where steaks and a full menu are served in a 1903
setting. Big Al's Buffalo Steak House is right on Main Street.
In Spearfish you'll find Appleby's, KFC, Perkins, and B&Bs.
Where ever you stop, take along a big appetite.
Notice: This information is current as of April 2002. It is
recommended that you contact the numbers, and/or visit the websites
above to determine any changes to the information.
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