Four days at Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and Wind Cave National Park were never going to be enough. Challenge accepted anyway.

July 27 - August 1

Custer State Park, Wind Cave National Park, and Hot Springs, South Dakota

“The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” Proverbs 18:10

If you asked me before we left Virginia which stop I was most excited about, I would have told you the Black Hills of South Dakota. This is a place I have only heard about but never been to before (aside from one fuzzy trip to Mount Rushmore when I was four).

Researching parks and activities in the area, I began to catch on to just how much there is to do in this area, all within a couple hours’ drive. Seemed every campground review said to plan as many days here as possible.

Adding to my excitement, I was able to book a campsite in iconic Custer State Park—the heart of it all. Our site at a coveted campground was walking distance to the visitor center, with a fishing pond a short walk away.

Sometimes big expectations can hamper a first visit. In this case, the area absolutely lived up to the hype.

The visitor center is incredible—beautifully made, interactive exhibits. (The park film is narrated by Kevin Costner… lol). The ranger-led programming is outstanding (and free). Nate and I attended an hourlong talk by a geologist explaining the formations of mountains in the Black Hills. The kids climbed on the rock wall.

*Custer classic: Bighorn sheep in front of the visitor center*

Like in Itasca State Park, paved bike trails lined the park roads. One paved trail turned into a dirt trail that ran up the mountainside to multiple fishing ponds. So on our first fully day, we didn’t hesitate to take the bike-to-fish path. The kids caught a bunch of small stuff, and Nick caught one keeper.

The rest of the keeper trout were easily caught in the pond right in our campground.

*Fun fact about Custer: You can fish anywhere in the park!*

The next day was a huge touring day. We drove through the Black hills to get to Mount Rushmore, a drive which included some iconic narrow tunnels.

At Mount Rushmore the kids earned their Junior Ranger badges. We watched the park film to learn about the construction of the sculpture into the side of the mountain. One of the things we learned is how Mount Rushmore got its name.

*Side note for Hampton Roads friends: I’m having a hard time not referring to this as Mount Trashmore. LOL!*

Back in the late 1800s a lawyer from New York with the last name Rushmore visited the area to scope out investment opportunities. He asked locals what the name of the mountain was. The response was, “It doesn’t have a name. Maybe we should name it Rushmore.” And weirdly, it stuck. I found the whole story incredibly disappointing—this beautiful mountain named after a lawyer from New York.

Then I remembered the pastor of our church (Nick’s Bible study leader) is a lawyer from New York, and my opinion of the story softened :)

Joining the Climbing Party

Next we had one of those moments where we felt like we were exactly in the right place at the right time.

We’d spent some time researching where to take the kids rock climbing. They’ve grown up climbing in indoor climbing gyms, but had never climbed outside on actual rocks. We learned that just behind Mount Rushmore were some great beginner climbing walls that were easy to get to and setup a top rope.

We made our way down to the trail and were momentarily disappointed. A small group of people were already there and had set up four ropes on the beginner wall. We had read this was a popular area with climbing groups and lessons. It looked like we’d have to find somewhere else to climb.

But then the group’s leader came over and introduced himself. He was the pastor of a church nearby. Their youth group was coming here to climb this afternoon. We were welcome, he said, to use their ropes, helmets, and even choose from their bin of kids climbing shoes. (Which was extra amazing since Nate didn’t have climbing shoes yet).

The kids started climbing and (aside from one emotional breakdown about the fear of dying) did really well their first times up the rock. Then a whole church youth group of elementary, middle, and high school kids showed up, along with a few parents. Their group welcomed our family to keep climbing with them. We belayed their kids. They belayed ours. It was really amazing!

After a few hours and countless climbs for our now climbing-obsessed kids, we pulled our rope off the wall and said goodbye to our new rock-climbing church friends from Hill City, South Dakota.

*All smiles after our first outdoor family climbing sesh!*

The rest of the jam-packed day, we went to Crazy Horse, a massive sculpture honoring the Native American warrior that’s being carved into a granite mountaintop. The sculpture is still being built, but when it’s finished, it’s going to be much bigger than Mount Rushmore. Apparently all of the Mount Rushmore statue can fit inside the hole beneath Crazy Horse’s arm (!).

We made our way back to Custer via Needles Highway. We stopped at for a few casts and sunset at Sylvan Lake.

*One of us went swimming in Sylvan Lake*

Then we continued on through even narrower mountain tunnels to the stunning Cathedral Spires.

*Our now climbing obsessed kids: “Can we climb those?”*

Touring the Wind Cave

The next day we woke up to a very special day—Nate’s 9th birthday! This lucky kid got to spend it in the Black Hills.

We drove the hour south to neighboring Wind Cave National Park. The kids got their junior ranger badges.

Then we took an hour-long tour of the Wind Cave, which winds its way some 95+ miles underground!

*Turns out it’s hard to photograph a cave*

We didn’t go quite that far. During the tour, the park ranger shared information about the cave’s formation by a receding ocean long ago as well as stories of the cave’s discovery by settlers in the late 1800s.

For most of the tour, our group wandered through a maze of tunnels, going down down down into the cave, taking in various rock formations. As we were winding our way through the cave, out of nowhere Sadie said to me, “Mom, this is what you worked for!”

I paused, considering what she was saying. I assumed she was talking about all the work to plan this trip, the fact that I booked this cave tour months in advance. I asked if that is what she meant.

“This is why you got your job. At the City. So we could do things like this!”

She was spot on. My primary motivation for getting a full-time job three years before we left for the trip was to save up for this trip. I don’t know what it was about being 150 feet underground surrounded by cave walls that made this come together for her, but suddenly it all clicked. All the afternoons I couldn’t take the kids to friends’ houses. All the mornings I couldn’t drive her to school and she was relegated to the loud bus. All of it had a purpose.

And since some of my former co-workers are here, let me just say that once I started, my job in the City’s Communications department was about so much more than the paycheck. It was very much about the people—the people I worked with and the people I worked for. I loved my time there and am so grateful that opportunity is now intricately linked with each incredible moment of this trip—including the mighty Wind Cave in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

The Birthday Plunge

After Nate’s birthday lunch—a bison hot dog from a parking lot food stand—we drove south 15 minutes, presumably to “get diesel fuel” before driving to Colorado the next day. In Hot Springs, South Dakota, we pulled in next to a giant blue building called Evan’s Plunge Mineral Springs.

Seeing the building, Nate immediately asked, “Can we go there?!”

“No, we don’t have time for that, Buddy,” we said.

“Can we please go there?!” he asked again, not begging but genuinely curious.

“Okay, surprise! We’re going to the hot springs water park. Happy birthday!”

He was one happy kid!

The giant indoor spring-fed mineral pool stays 87 degrees year round. The spring releases 5,000 gallons per minute, completely refreshing the pool with new water every hour and a half. We all had a blast going down slides, playing water volleyball with complete strangers, and showing off on the rings (Nick. Only Nick could do this).

After Nate’s birthday swim, we took the Wildlife Loop home through Custer National Park. (Did you catch that I said home instead of campsite? Not gonna edit that one).

We sat around our campfire eating our dinner, a little worn out from packing so much in, but greatly in awe of yet another amazing place.

Exactly a month later, I’m thawing the rest of the trout Nick and the kids caught from Custer to grill up tomorrow night in celebration of Nick’s first day of Navy retirement!

Thanks for all the memories, Custer State Park. We will absolutely be back.

Roberts on the Road

For those just finding us, hello! Inspired by the Year of Jubilee in Leviticus 25, our family is on a yearlong RV road trip in 2025-2026 to celebrate my husband’s retirement after 20 years in Naval Special Warfare, as well as our 24 years together during the ups and downs of it all.

With our 12-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son in tow, this trip to explore America’s national parks and beautiful places is intended to help our family reflect and reset as civilian life begins.

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