South Dakota

Introduction

Day 10 - Badlands NP, Bison

© jl98584

South Dakota is a state in the midwest of the USA and has about 815,000 inhabitants, ranking it number 46 of the US states. Although much of the state is regarded as the midwest and Great Plaines, but the west of the country much more resembles the west of the country with mountains, rocky areas and the famous Badlands as one of its highlights.

Geography

South Dakota is situated in the north-central United States, and is considered a part of the Midwest by the U.S. Census Bureau; it is also part of the Great Plains region. The culture, economy, and geography of western South Dakota have more in common with the West than the Midwest. South Dakota has a total land area of 199,740 km2, making the state the 17th largest in the Union. It borders Minnesota and Iowa to the east, North Dakota to the north, Nebraska to the south, and Wyoming and Montana to the west.

Harney Peak, with an elevation of 2,207 metres, is the state's highest point, while the shoreline of Big Stone Lake is the lowest, with an elevation of 294 metres. The geographical center of the U.S. is 27 kilometres west of Castle Rock in Butte County. The North American continental pole of inaccessibility is located between Allen and Kyle, 1,648 kilometres from the nearest coastline.

The Missouri River is the largest and longest river in the state. Other major South Dakota rivers include the Cheyenne, James, Big Sioux, and White Rivers. Eastern South Dakota has many natural lakes, mostly created by periods of glaciation. Additionally, dams on the Missouri River create four large reservoirs: Lake Oahe, Lake Sharpe, Lake Francis Case, and Lewis and Clark Lake.

Regions

• Southeast South Dakota - Most populous, includes South Dakota's largest city (Sioux Falls) and the junction of Interstate Highways 90 and 29
• Glacial Lakes - Northeast corner, largely agricultural landscape, home to numerous lakes and the Coteau des Prairies
• Great Lakes - Central area bordering the Missouri river
• Badlands and Black Hills - Western quarter of the state, home to the big rugged national parks, forests, grasslands, frontier towns, Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse, and the state's largest Indian Reservations

Cities

• Aberdeen - Third largest city, located in the northeast corner of the state. Home to Northern State University
• Brookings - Home to South Dakota State University
• Custer - Oldest City in the Black Hills
• Deadwood - A national historic landmark located in the Black Hills
• Huron
• Mitchell - Home of the World's Only Corn Palace, with new murals covering the outside every year since 1892. Home of the Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village.
• Pierre - the state's capital, located on the Missouri River.
• Rapid City - Second largest city in the state, located at the base of the Black Hills along Interstate 90. Home to Dinosaur Park, among other attractions.
• Sioux Falls - the state's largest city, named after the falls of the Big Sioux River.
• Vermillion
• Wall - Gateway to the Badlands and home of Wall Drug.
• Watertown
• Yankton

Sights and Activities

Badlands National Park

Badlands National Park is a national park in southwestern South Dakota. This park is marked by rugged terrain and formations that resemble a science fiction landscape of another world. These rock formations take on the shapes of domes, twisted canyons and slanted walls, often striped in different colors. The formations contrast sharply with the rolling hills and prairies in which they stand. In addition to the rock formations, the park contains the largest, protected mixed grass prairie in the United States. The most endangered land mammal in North America, the black footed ferret, was re-introduced to the 64,000-acres Badlands Wilderness Area. The park also contains the world's richest fossil beds from the Oligocene epoch, dating back around 20-35 million years. While the badlands terrain may appear to be barren, there is a great variety of wildlife and plant life here. The wildlife includes nearly two hundred species of birds, (mule and white tail) deer, prairie dogs, pronghorn, big horn sheep, and bison.

Black Hills

The Black Hills are a small, isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, United States. Harney Peak, which rises to 2,208 metres, is the range's highest summit. The Black Hills encompass the Black Hills National Forest. The name "Black Hills" is a translation of the Lakota Pahá Sápa. The hills were so-called because of their dark appearance from a distance, as they were covered in trees.

Crazy Horse Memorial

Crazy Horse Memorial

© John Paul

The Crazy Horse Memorial depicts Crazy Horse, a Native American warrior of the Oglala Lakota tribe. It shows him riding a horse with left arm extended and index finger pointing into the distance towards "his lands". It is carved on Thunderhead Mountain on land sacred to some Native Americans. The statue was started in 1948 and has yet to be completed. SO far the most notable part of the statue is the face which was completed in 1998. The most emphasis since the completion of the face lie on the carving of the horse's head. The most rudementary removal of rocks is done by placing explosive in the mountain. The entire project is privately funded from donations. The builders refused funding from the US government. A glimpse of how the project might end can be seen here.

Custer State Park

Custer State Park is a state park and wildlife reserve in the Black Hills of southwestern South Dakota, USA. The park is South Dakota's largest and first state park, named after Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer. The area originally started out as sixteen sections, but was later changed into one block of land because of the challenges of the terrain. The park began to grow rapidly in the 1920s and gained new land. During the 1930s the Civilian Conservation Corps built miles of roads, laid out parks and campgrounds, and built three dams that set up a future of water recreation at the park. In 1964 an additional 93 km2 were added to the park. The park covers an area of over 287 km2 of hilly terrain and is home to many wild animals. The park is home to a famous herd of 1,500 free roaming bison. Elk, coyotes, mule deer, white tailed deer, mountain goats, prairie dogs, bighorn sheep, river otters, pronghorn, cougars, and feral burros also inhabit the park. The park is famous for its scenery, its scenic drives (Needles Highway and the wildlife loop), with views of the bison herd and prairie dog towns. This park is easily accessible by road from Rapid City. Other nearby attractions are Wind Cave National Park, Mount Rushmore, Jewel Cave National Monument, Crazy Horse Memorial, and Badlands National Park.

Mount Rushmore

Mt. Rushmore, S.D.

© vegasmike6

Mount Rushmore is the iconic monument to US political history that is carved into the side of a solid granite mountain. It consists of the faces of four famous US presidents. They are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. In fact the statue is a compromise as the original design also included the upper bodies of the presidents. The design is by Gutzon Borglum, who also was the supervisor on the project, but it was his son Lincoln Borglum, who finished the project in 1941, which is also the year in which his father died. There is a visitor center, named after Lincoln Borglum near the mountain, where more information about the construction of the monument can be found. In the evening Mount Rushmore is illuminated for two hours after sunset.

Wind Cave National Park

Wind Cave National Park is a United States national park 16 kilometres north of the town of Hot Springs in western South Dakota. Established in 1903 by President Theodore Roosevelt, it was the seventh U.S. National Park and the first cave to be designated a national park anywhere in the world. The cave is notable for its displays of the calcite formation known as boxwork. Approximately 95% of the world's discovered boxwork formations are found in Wind Cave. Wind Cave is also known for its frostwork. The cave is also considered a three-dimensional maze cave, recognized as the densest cave system in the world. The cave is currently the sixth-longest in the world with 226 kilometres of explored cave passageways, with an average of four new miles of cave being discovered each year.[citation needed] Above ground, the park includes the largest remaining natural mixed-grass prairie in the United States.

Other Sights and Activities

• The Corn Palace is located in Mitchell and is the one and only!

Events and Festivals

Holidays

• New Year’s Eve - The US celebrates the outgoing of the old year and incoming of the New Year quite dramatically. Every state boasts its own parties to ring in the New Year, but none is more extravagant than New York’s Time Square, which sees people overflowing into the neighboring restaurants, bars, parks, beaches, and neighborhoods.
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day (officially Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. and sometimes referred to as MLK Day) is an American federal holiday marking the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. It is observed on the third Monday of January each year, which is around King's birthday, January 15. The holiday is similar to holidays set under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. The earliest Monday for this holiday is January 15 and the latest is January 21. King was the chief spokesperson for nonviolent activism in the Civil Rights Movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law.
• St Patrick’s Day - March 17 celebrates the US’s large Irish population. Many cities around the country boast boisterous parades and Irish-themed parties, especially New York and Chicago, where the river is dyed green. Be wary of the drunkenness that dominates as this is definitely a party-day.
• Memorial Day - Memorial Day is an important holiday throughout the United States, but not for crazy festivities. Parades commemorating wartime heroes are often held and the day is also the ‘unofficial’ start of summer. Most visitors follow the crowds to parks and beaches, which are capped off with informal BBQs.
• Independence Day - Also known as the Fourth of July, Independence Day celebrates the US’s break from the British during the 18th century. Barbecues, street parties, beach trips, and weekend getaways are commonplace to appreciate freedom.
• Labor Day is a public holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September. It honors the American labor movement and the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, laws, and well-being of the country. It is the Monday of the long weekend known as Labor Day Weekend. It is recognized as a federal holiday. Beginning in the late 19th century, as the trade union and labor movements grew, trade unionists proposed that a day be set aside to celebrate labor.
• Halloween - Halloween is a fun holiday on October 31 for all generations to dress up in costumes and relive their youth. Children walk around the neighborhood trick-or-treating for candy, while adults attend parties. Other seasonal events include haunted houses, pumpkin farms and carving, and corn mazes.
• Thanksgiving - On the fourth Thursday in November, Thanksgiving is held in almost every home in the US. Tourists will have a hard time finding anything to do as the country essentially shuts down in observation. A typical Thanksgiving meal consists of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie commemorating the original Pilgrim’s feast at Plymouth Rock.
• Christmas - On December 25, Christians celebrate Christmas as the pinnacle of their calendar by attending church and opening gifts from Santa Claus. Almost everything shuts down to promote family togetherness. The northern regions hope to experience a “white Christmas,” with trees and festive lights blanketed by snow.

Sport

• Super Bowl Sunday - the world’s most watched sporting event and one of the highest grossing TV days of the year, Superbowl Sunday is a spectacular extravaganza. Held the first Sunday in February, the Superbowl is the final playoff game between the NFL’s top two teams. The venue rotates every year around America, yet the local parties seem to remain. Pubs, bars and restaurants are great places to enjoy the Superbowl or locals throw their own parties with different variations of betting.
• The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in North America, contested since 1903 between the American League (AL) champion team and the National League (NL) champion team. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff, and the winning team is awarded the Commissioner's Trophy. As the series is played during the fall season in North America, it is sometimes referred to as the Fall Classic.

Weather

South Dakota has a continental climate with four distinct seasons, ranging from cold, dry winters to hot and semi-humid summers. During the summers, the average high temperature throughout the state is often close to 32 °C, although it cools to near 15 °C at night. It is not unusual for South Dakota to have severe hot, dry spells in the summer with the temperature climbing above 38 °C several times every year. Winters are cold with January high temperatures averaging below freezing and low temperatures averaging below - 12 °C in most of the state. The highest recorded temperature is 49 °C at Usta on July 15, 2006 and the lowest recorded temperature is -50 °C at McIntosh on February 17, 1936.
Average annual precipitation in South Dakota ranges from semi-arid conditions in the northwestern part of the state (381 mm) to semi-humid around the southeast portion of the state (around 635 mm), although a small area centered on Lead in the Black Hills has the highest precipitation at nearly 762 mm a year.
South Dakota summers bring frequent, sometimes severe, thunderstorms with high winds, thunder, and hail. The eastern part of the state is often considered part of Tornado Alley, and South Dakota experiences an average of 30 tornadoes each year. Severe weather in the form of blizzards and ice storms occur often during winter.

Getting There

By Plane

Sioux Falls Regional Airport (FSD) has flights to/from Las Vegas, Orlando, Phoenix, Chicago, Dallas, Minneapolis, Denver, Atlanta and Detroit.

Rapid City Regional Airport (RAP) offers flights to/from Las Vegas, Dallas, Phoenix, Chicago, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, Denver and Houston.

By Train

South Dakota is not served by any intercity passenger rail. One in only three US states (the others being Hawaii and Wyoming).

By Car

Two major interstates cross the state. Interstate 90 run east-west from Seattle, Washington to Boston, Massachusetts. Interstate 29 runs north-south from Kansas City, Missouri north to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Additionally, federal highways running east-west include 12, 212, 14, and 18; north-south highways 85, 385, 83, 183, 281 and 81 also traverse the state.

By Bus

Check Greyhound buses for options. http://www.jeffersonlines.com|Jefferson Lines]] has frequent affordable connections along the state's two interstates, most frequent to Minneapolis, but also daily through the West River part of the state to Wyoming.

Getting Around

By Car

Many international rental companies have a wide selection of rental cars and these include Hertz, Avis, Dollar, Thrifty, Enterprise, Budget and Alamo/National. Most companies will require you are at least 25 years of age, although younger people might be able to rent cars at slightly higher rates and with some insurance differences as well. A national driver's license is usually enough, but an additional international one is recommended. Also note that it usually costs more to include lots of other extra things. For example extra drivers, GPS, the first full tank, SLI (Supplemental Liability Insurance), PAI (Personal Accident Insurance, usually covered already at home), road assistance/service plan, and drop-off costs for one-way rentals.
If you want to book a car, it is recommended that you book your car before arriving in the USA. This is almost always (much) cheaper compared to just showing up. Also, try and book with a so-called 'broker', which usually works together with a few or many car rental companies and can offer the best deal. Some examples include Holidayautos, Holidaycars and Sunny Cars. Some of the cheapest deals to book from Europe, includes Drive-USA, which also has a German version.

For more information and tips about renting cars and campers, additional costs, insurance, traffic rules, scenic routes and getting maps and fuel it is advised to check the USA Getting Around section.

South Dakota has a number of National Scenic Byways which offer a great way to explore the state crossing beautiful landscapes. Mostly, there are lots of national parks, state parks or monuments along the way and it's generally a better alternative than the faster but boring Interstate Highways.

Sleep

Hotel and Motel Chains

There are dozens of hotel and motel chains, ranging from budget to top end. Allthough they are not the most charming accommodations, they usually have a very decent midrange service with good rooms and are generally good value. At least you know what to expect and in some cases they are either the only or the best option in the area. Some of them include:

• Motel 6
• Super 8
• Days Inn
• Quality Inn
• Red Roof Inn
• Howard Johnson
• Best Western
• La Quinta Inns and Suites
• Holiday Inn
• Econo Lodge
• Travelodge
• Hilton
• Choice Hotels
• Ramada
• Radisson
• Starwood Hotels
• Marriott Hotels

External Links

• Official Governmental Website
• Official Tourism Website