South Dakota might not top many travelers’ bucket lists, but this northern plains state hides remarkable diversity across its vast landscape. From otherworldly badlands to pristine lakes, underground wonders to quirky roadside attractions, the state rewards curious travelers willing to venture beyond the obvious landmarks.
Here is a list of 13 South Dakota stops worth building into your next cross-country road trip itinerary.
Badlands National Park
The dramatically eroded buttes, spires, and pinnacles create a lunar-like landscape that shifts in color throughout the day. The Loop Road provides access to numerous overlooks where the striped formations—layers of sediment representing millions of years of geological history—stretch to the horizon.
Wildlife watchers often spot bighorn sheep navigating impossible-looking cliff faces while bison herds roam the mixed-grass prairie sections of the park. Dawn photographers capture the first light illuminating the formations with an ethereal glow that transforms the terrain into a scene reminiscent of another planet.
Wall Drug
What began in 1931 as a small-town pharmacy offering free ice water to dusty travelers has evolved into a sprawling 76,000-square-foot attraction, drawing two million visitors annually. The complex includes themed shopping areas, multiple restaurants, an animated T-Rex that roars every 12 minutes, and the famous backyard area featuring photo opportunities ranging from a six-foot jackalope to a 20-foot dinosaur.
Despite its touristy nature, Wall Drug represents classic Americana—a place where marketing genius meets genuine hospitality in the middle of nowhere. The homemade donuts and 5-cent coffee remain unchanged despite decades of expansion.
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Custer State Park
This 71,000-acre park harbors one of America’s largest publicly-owned bison herds, currently numbering around 1,300 animals. The Wildlife Loop Road provides near-guaranteed sightings, along with abundant pronghorn, elk, and the infamous “begging burros”—descendants of pack animals once used for summit treks that now approach cars seeking handouts.
Sylvan Lake, with its distinctive rock formations emerging directly from the water, offers swimming and paddling opportunities against an extraordinary backdrop. The park’s network of scenic byways includes the Needles Highway, where granite spires frame narrow tunnels carved through solid rock.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial
The iconic presidential faces carved into the Black Hills granite remain South Dakota’s most recognized landmark. The Avenue of Flags representing all U.S. states creates a dramatic approach to the mountain, while the evening lighting ceremony adds emotional resonance to the experience.
The Presidential Trail offers changing perspectives on the 60-foot faces as it loops along the mountain base. The sculptor’s studio preserves Gutzon Borglum’s original models and tools, providing insight into the monumental 14-year project that turned a mountain into a national symbol.
Wind Cave National Park
Beneath the rolling prairie landscape lies one of the world’s longest and most complex cave systems, featuring rare boxwork formations—delicate honeycomb-patterned calcite structures that protrude from the walls and ceilings. The cave breathes through a small natural entrance, with air pressure differences creating audible winds that gave the cave its name.
Above ground, the park protects one of the few remaining mixed-grass prairie ecosystems in the country, home to bison, elk, and prairie dogs. The dramatic contrast between the subterranean maze and the sunlit grasslands above creates a compelling dual experience for visitors.
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The Mammoth Site
This active paleontological dig site preserves the remains of at least 61 mammoths that became trapped in a basin approximately 26,000 years ago. Unlike most fossil sites, these bones remain exactly where they were discovered, creating an in-situ exhibit where visitors observe actual excavation work during summer months.
The assemblage includes both Columbian and woolly mammoths—the only site in the world where these two species are found together. Indoor walkways allow visitors to stand directly above bones protruding from the earth, creating an intimate connection with these Ice Age giants.
Jewel Cave National Monument
The third-longest known cave system in the world features over 208 miles of mapped passages, with new discoveries continuing each year. The Scenic Tour route showcases the cave’s namesake calcite crystals that sparkle in the electric lighting—particularly dramatic in the “Big Drapery” room, where flowstone formations cascade from ceiling to floor.
Unlike many commercial caves, Jewel Cave maintains significant sections in their natural state without development, preserving delicate features and the sense of exploration. The cave consistently maintains a temperature of 49 degrees regardless of surface conditions, providing welcome relief during the summer heat.
Crazy Horse Memorial
This mountain carving-in-progress dwarfs nearby Mount Rushmore in scale and ambition. When completed, the sculpture will depict the Oglala Lakota warrior pointing toward his tribal lands with his horse’s head beside him.
Work has continued since 1948, funded entirely through private donations rather than government support. The on-site Indian Museum of North America houses substantial collections of Native American art and artifacts, emphasizing cultural preservation alongside the monumental sculpture. Evening laser light shows project a full-color rendering of the completed design onto the mountain face, giving visitors a glimpse of the artist’s ultimate vision.
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Spearfish Canyon
This 19-mile limestone gorge cuts through the northern Black Hills, creating a lush woodland environment distinct from the surrounding terrain. Bridal Veil Falls cascades 60 feet down a moss-covered cliff face accessible via a short path from the highway.
Roughlock Falls tumbles through multiple tiers before joining Spearfish Creek, creating one of the state’s most photographed water features. The canyon walls rise 1,000 feet from the creek in some sections, creating dramatic vertical relief rarely associated with South Dakota’s geography. Fall foliage transforms the canyon into a riot of color, typically peaking in late September.
Minuteman Missile National Historic Site
This preserved Cold War relic offers a sobering look into America’s nuclear deterrence strategy. The Delta-01 Launch Control Facility appears ordinary above ground—a single-story building surrounded by a chain-link fence—while 31 feet below, the Launch Control Center, where missileers worked 24-hour shifts, remains exactly as it was during active service.
Nearby, the Delta-09 missile silo contains a deactivated Minuteman missile visible through a glass viewing port. The site provides context for the 1,000 missiles once deployed across the Great Plains, most now decommissioned following disarmament agreements.
Mitchell Corn Palace
The world’s only corn palace showcases South Dakota’s agricultural heritage through elaborate murals made from natural-colored corn, grains, and grasses. The Moorish-inspired building features onion domes and minarets covered in crop-based decoration that changes annually around different themes.
Inside, the 3,000-seat auditorium hosts concerts, sporting events, and exhibits celebrating the region’s agricultural traditions. The current building, constructed in 1921, represents the third iteration of the corn palace concept, which began in 1892 as a way to prove the fertility of promise of South Dakota’s soil to potential settlers.
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Missouri River Reservoirs
The four massive reservoirs created by damming the Missouri River provide recreational opportunities across central South Dakota. Lake Oahe stretches 231 miles from Pierre to Bismarck, North Dakota, with shoreline exceeding that of California’s entire Pacific coast.
The lakes offer world-class fishing for walleye, northern pike, and smallmouth bass, drawing anglers from across the country. The reservoirs’ construction in the mid-20th century dramatically altered both the landscape and the lives of indigenous communities, whose history is preserved at the Akta Lakota Museum in Chamberlain, where a 50-foot sculpture called “Dignity” overlooks the river.
Dignity Statue
Overlooking the Missouri River near Chamberlain stands a striking 50-foot stainless steel sculpture of a Native American woman receiving a star quilt. Installed in 2016, this relatively new landmark has quickly become one of the state’s most photographed sites.
The figure’s face—neither young nor old—represents the timeless strength of indigenous cultures, while the quilt’s 128 diamond pieces catch the wind and light, creating a shimmering effect visible from Interstate 90. At night, LED lights illuminate the quilt diamonds, transforming the sculpture into a beacon above the river. The installation acknowledges South Dakota’s nine tribal nations and their enduring cultural contributions.
Unexpected Discoveries
South Dakota’s greatest appeal lies in its diversity of experiences—from prehistoric fossils to Cold War relics and engineering marvels to natural wonders. The vast distances between attractions create a genuine road trip rhythm where the journey becomes as meaningful as the destinations.
Even the seemingly endless prairie sections reveal subtle beauty to attentive travelers who notice the shifting light across grasslands or the wildlife activity along roadside habitats. This often-overlooked state rewards those willing to venture beyond conventional tourism corridors with authentic experiences that connect American history, geology, and culture in surprising ways.
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