Badlands National Park Area- Food/Drink Options

[GoldenEagles1990]

Road-tripping to the Badlands, Mount Rushmore, Wind Cave, and Devil's Tower at the end of June. I think I pretty much have the itinerary picked, but I haven't done much looking in to food options. Are there any can't miss restaurants/breweries/etc. that I should be sure to hit?

[ATL MU Warrior]

Road-tripping to the Badlands, Mount Rushmore, Wind Cave, and Devil's Tower at the end of June. I think I pretty much have the itinerary picked, but I haven't done much looking in to food options. Are there any can't miss restaurants/breweries/etc. that I should be sure to hit?

Probably not

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Road-tripping to the Badlands, Mount Rushmore, Wind Cave, and Devil's Tower at the end of June. I think I pretty much have the itinerary picked, but I haven't done much looking in to food options. Are there any can't miss restaurants/breweries/etc. that I should be sure to hit?

I'd hit Deadwood for a meal.  Nothing special but a few places with decent bar food.

[JWags85]

I'd hit Deadwood for a meal.  Nothing special but a few places with decent bar food.

The Gem Saloon is a fun spot. Can get a bit rowdy and the owner is fond of some non-PC terms, but an entertaining establishment

[Jockey]

Deadwood - on the way to Devil's Tower- is an excellent suggestion. There are a few good spots on the main drag. Otherwise, it's mostly fast food and franchise restaurants out there.

Make sure you have reservations for Wind Cave. Most summer days they are necessary.

Also take the loop through Custer state Park. There is a spot with a distant view of Mt. Rushmore that gives a better perspective than you get when you are there.

Also, make sure you hike the outer loop at Devils Tower. Lots of better views (and a ton less people) than the inner loop. Bring binoculars as there are climbers on most days.

[naginiF]

Deadwood - on the way to Devil's Tower- is an excellent suggestion. There are a few good spots on the main drag. Otherwise, it's mostly fast food and franchise restaurants out there

We stayed in the town of Black Hills - great little strip but we were there off season and I imagine in-season is insanely crowded.

Make sure you have reservations for Wind Cave. Most summer days they are necessary.

100%

Also, make sure you hike the outer loop at Devils Tower. Lots of better views (and a ton less people) than the inner loop. Bring binoculars as there are climbers on most days.

Again - 100%, well worth it. But also we hiked/crawled/managed our way through the granite fall off to the actual base of the tower and it cool as well.

The other thing we did that was awesome (for me at least) was visiting the missile launch center just before the East entrance to Badlands a) make sure you get reservations because they only allow 6 people down there at a time and b) bone up on your cold war history before. I, always, recommend Hard Core History's podcast. I don't remember how long this topic is but I remember it being 7+ hours of anxiety while driving up there.

[Jockey]

We stayed in the town of Black Hills - great little strip but we were there off season and I imagine in-season is insanely crowded.100% Again - 100%, well worth it. But also we hiked/crawled/managed our way through the granite fall off to the actual base of the tower and it cool as well.

The other thing we did that was awesome (for me at least) was visiting the missile launch center just before the East entrance to Badlands a) make sure you get reservations because they only allow 6 people down there at a time and b) bone up on your cold war history before. I, always, recommend Hard Core History's podcast. I don't remember how long this topic is but I remember it being 7+ hours of anxiety while driving up there.

Spot on about the missile site. Stop at the museum first. Very doubtful you will get to the missile launch site as they were booked 6 months ahead last time I was out there. But there is also an old missile silo you can visit only a couple hundred yards from the interstate. You can get directions at the museum.

[GoldenEagles1990]

Make sure you have reservations for Wind Cave. Most summer days they are necessary.

Thanks for the info! Unfortunately they are not taking reservations this year for tour tickets. First come, first serve due to covid and limited tour sizes. Looks like we will be getting an early start to that day to try and get tickets!

[The Sultan]

Thanks for the info! Unfortunately they are not taking reservations this year for tour tickets. First come, first serve due to covid and limited tour sizes. Looks like we will be getting an early start to that day to try and get tickets!

???  It seems to me that reservations would be the best way to reduce crowds...

[jsglow]

Wind Cave is 'just okay'. So it's no great loss if you can't do it this time.  Fully agree on the missile site.  Been there several times.  Last Fall it was frigid cold so we didn't linger.

I've never done the longer loop at Devil's Tower.  I'll need to, especially if staying in Gillette that evening heading west.  Last year I had the long trek to West Yellowstone to complete.

[Jockey]

Wind Cave is 'just okay'. So it's no great loss if you can't do it this time.  Fully agree on the missile site.  Been there several times.  Last Fall it was frigid cold so we didn't linger.

I've never done the longer loop at Devil's Tower.  I'll need to, especially if staying in Gillette that evening heading west.  Last year I had the long trek to West Yellowstone to complete.

We did it different last time. After a long drive the 1st day, the next 4 days we only did 250 or so miles a day on the way to Glacier. We then did the same heading down to Yellowstone, Tetons and Jackson. That gave us plenty of time to make as many stops as possible - the missile museum and site, Little Big Horn, and many other places.

We also had plenty of time to stop for a good meal every day rather than doing a quick eat and run.