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Devils Tower, Wyoming

6/29/2020

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We stayed at the Devils Tower/Black Hills KOA right at the base of Devils Tower. Absolutely perfect location! Each night the campground plays the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind which was filmed on site. It was such a fun experience to be able to hike around during the day and then watch an outdoor movie with the tower in the background! We hiked the Red Beds Trail which was about 3 miles, nicely paved path that takes you around the base of the tower. If you are passing through, I would highly recommend this campground for a night or two stay.

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Hill City, South Dakota

6/28/2020

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We visited South Dakota in 2017 and loved it! Our plans for our 2020 family vacation were busted with the closure of the US-Canada boarder due to Covid. We made reservations in January for Banff National Park in Canada, but with all the closures starting in March we started making a plan B. This was definitely the year of uncertainty, our plan A, B, and C didn't work...but plan D turned out to be pretty spectacular!! The last time we were in Hill City, we thought that there was plenty more to see and do and we could definitely come back. I'm so glad we did, and I think a third time will be in our future!

Camping
We love Rafter J Bar Ranch! The campground is settled in the middle of the Black Hills. It is a beautiful campground with a nice pool, playground, and spacious campsites. The central location allows you to visit many different attractions so you can get the most out of your trip.

Fishing
There is a very quiet little fishing hole across the street from Rafter J Bar Ranch. It's called Sunday Gulch. It's a beautiful spot that was not crowded. The boys had a blast catching trout!

Scenic Drives

The Needles Highway is a really fun drive. There is a $20 fee, but definitely worth the drive. The first time we were in the area, we were turned away because their was a "plug" in one of the tunnels. Apparently this happens quite often. Vehicles are too big or people try to get a camper through a tunnel and they get "plugged!" So don't make that mistake!!! The drive has many lookouts where you can get great views of the "needle-like" granite rock formations. There are a couple tunnels that are fun to drive though as well. There are many twists and turns on this scenic drive.

Custer State Park wildlife loop is definitely a must. You will definitely see buffalo! We also came across deer, prairie dogs, and even wild donkeys called the begging burros!

Hiking

Custer State Park-There are many trails here to explore. We only hiked the Sunday Gulch trail. Since this was close to the visitors center, it was a little crowded near the parking lot. It got better as we continued on. We didn't do the entire hike, we only walked around Sylvan Lake. The app, All Trails, states that this is a "difficult" hike, but if you wanted an easier stroll, just stick to walking around the lake because that didn't seem difficult. There were some neat tunnels and cracks in the rocks to explore and some really pretty overlooks of the lake.

Hippie Hole-This is a hike I found while doing research of the area. Luckily, my husband goes along with all my crazy ideas and he was up for checking this out. The blog I found this place on had pretty shady directions, but I now understand why...I couldn't explain it either! I suggest you just put it in your navigation app on your phone! We had to take a sketchy dirt road with lots of ruts which seemed like for miles. We finally came up to the top of the hill where a lot of cars were parked. We asked someone if we could continue on the dirt road to get closer to the trailhead and he said with your truck yes you can, but I wouldn't recommend cars continuing. So we continued and found a small parking lot near the trailhead. He was correct, you definitely want 4 wheel drive on that road! So if you can find this place, I highly recommend it! The hike itself was about 1.5 miles and pretty steep. Definitely bring water with you, there were a couple downed trees we had to balance across and some boulders to climb over. The app, All Trails, considers this hike to be "moderate," and I would agree. When you finally get to Hippie Hole, there is a swimming hole you can jump into if you are brave enough. There is a rope ladder to get back up or you can hike around the other side. Its a pretty neat spot to hang out at for an afternoon!

Pactola Reservoir-Jenney Gulch

This was probably our favorite spot on our trip! Pactola Lake is the largest reservoir in the Black Hills. The water is bluish-green and clear and it was pretty cold. We parked at Jenney Gulch and walked a short hike where cliff jumping was very popular. There were cliffs of all different heights. We brought a lunch and spent the afternoon jumping and swimming. Boats from the lake also stopped at this spot so their party could jump too. It was definitely a popular spot. We would love to bring kayaks next time to explore more of the lake!

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About The Author
My name is Angie. I am a wife, mother, and physical education teacher. I enjoy spending time and traveling with my family. We love the outdoors! Our biggest interests include camping, hiking, exploring our State and National Parks, and gardening. We raise chickens and tend to a few honey bee hives! Although we don't live on a farm, we try to embrace the idea of growing and raising our own food sources as much as we can. We are instilling in our children a love and respect for nature and adventure! I hope you enjoy reading about some of our adventures and I hope you get a chance to explore with your families as well!

Raising adventurers

Devils Tower, Wyoming

Hill City, South Dakota

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