America’s Great Frontier: South Dakota & Wyoming Road Trip

Some parts of America just seem made for a road trip. South Dakota and Wyoming are two of them. This is a journey of wide-open landscapes, mountain roads, wildlife, cowboy towns and some of America’s greatest national parks. The Badlands. Mount Rushmore. Yellowstone. Grand Teton.

But those famous names are only part of the story. Between them are Crazy Horse Memorial, Custer State Park, historic Deadwood, Spearfish Canyon, Devils Tower, the Bighorn Mountains, Cody and some truly spectacular stretches of road.

That’s the thinking behind our 16-day America’s Great Frontier self-drive itinerary. We haven’t designed it around racing from one famous attraction to the next. We’ve given Yellowstone four nights, Jackson Hole three and Rapid City three. We’ve included an overnight inside Custer State Park, two nights in Cody and stops in Deadwood and Sheridan. Because out here, getting there is often half the fun.

RAPID CITY – START WITH THREE NIGHTS

Flying into Rapid City puts you in exactly the right place to begin. Rather than collecting the car and immediately disappearing down the highway, we give you three nights in the city. That means you can recover from the journey from New Zealand and then explore two very different sides of western South Dakota.

First up is Badlands National Park. The Badlands are difficult to describe until you see them. Jagged pinnacles, deeply eroded canyons and layers of coloured rock suddenly rise from the surrounding prairie. Follow the Badlands Loop Road, stop whenever the landscape catches your eye and keep watch for bison, bighorn sheep and prairie dogs. And yes, we send you to Wall Drug. What started as a small-town pharmacy in 1931 has become one of America’s great roadside institutions. Is it quirky? Absolutely. But that’s precisely why it belongs on a proper South Dakota road trip.

THEN THERE’S THAT MOUNTAIN …

Your second day from Rapid City takes you into the Black Hills. Explore downtown Rapid City and its City of Presidents before heading south through Keystone towards one of those American landmarks almost everyone recognises.

Mount Rushmore

You’ve seen it countless times in photographs and on television, but standing below the enormous granite faces of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln is something else entirely. Take time to walk the Presidential Trail and explore the memorial properly rather than simply taking the obligatory photograph and leaving. And if the timing works, stay for the Evening Lighting Program. But Mount Rushmore isn’t the only enormous mountain carving in the Black Hills. Far from it …

CRAZY HORSE, NEEDLES & A NIGHT IN CUSTER STATE PARK

The following morning takes you to Crazy Horse Memorial, the enormous mountain carving honouring the Lakota leader Crazy Horse and the culture, traditions and heritage of North American Indigenous peoples. Work on the memorial began in 1948 and continues today, making this very much a story still being created. You can view the carving from the main visitor area or, depending on availability, get closer with the Bus to Base or remarkable Face-to-Face experience. Whatever you choose, this is worth allowing time for rather than treating it simply as another Black Hills photo stop. From there, continue to beautiful Sylvan Lake before entering Custer State Park and one of our favourite drives on the entire journey.

Needles Highway

The road twists through forests and granite spires, squeezing through remarkably narrow rock tunnels including the famous Needle’s Eye Tunnel. There’s no prize for getting through quickly so take your time. Tonight, instead of leaving the park, we keep you right inside it at historic State Game Lodge. And the following morning, someone else does the driving. Join a Buffalo Safari Jeep Tour and head off-road with a guide in search of the park’s famous bison herds, pronghorn and other wildlife. It’s a completely different perspective on the Black Hills.

DEADWOOD – STAY AFTER EVERYONE ELSE GOES HOME

From Custer, head north through the Black Hills to Deadwood. Wild Bill Hickok. Calamity Jane. Gold. Gambling. Saloons. Deadwood doesn’t exactly hide its Wild West past.

Visit Mount Moriah Cemetery, wander historic Main Street and perhaps call into the Adams Museum before settling in for the evening. And that’s why we’ve included an overnight here. You could visit Deadwood for a couple of hours and continue driving. But staying overnight means you can enjoy dinner, wander the town after many day visitors have left and perhaps finish with a drink at historic Saloon No. 10. Some places deserve more than a quick stop.

WELCOME TO WYOMING

Now for the longest driving day of the journey. But don’t worry – we’ve given you plenty to look at. Start by following Spearfish Canyon, stopping at Bridal Veil Falls before crossing into Wyoming and heading towards one of the West’s most distinctive landmarks.

Devils Tower

Rising dramatically from the surrounding prairie, Devils Tower became America’s first national monument in 1906 and later gained another kind of fame through Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Walk part of the trail around its base before continuing west across northern Wyoming to Sheridan.Sheridan may not have the name recognition of Yellowstone or Jackson Hole. And that’s partly why we like it. Historic Main Street, King’s Saddlery & Museum and the legendary Mint Bar give you a taste of Wyoming’s living cowboy culture without trying too hard.

THIS IS WHERE THE ROAD REALLY EARNS ITS PLACE IN THE ITINERARY

From Sheridan, you head towards Cody. But don’t think of today simply as getting from A to B. You’re crossing the Bighorn Mountains. Follow the Bighorn Scenic Byway through forests, alpine meadows and mountain scenery, then descend through dramatic Shell Canyon with a stop at Shell Falls. Eventually the mountains give way to the wide-open Bighorn Basin, and you arrive in Cody. This is exactly what we mean when we say the road itself is part of the holiday. If you simply flew between the headline destinations, you’d miss days like this completely.

CODY – BUFFALO BILL & A PROPER NIGHT AT THE RODEO

We’ve given Cody two nights for a reason. The town was founded by William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody, and its Western heritage isn’t something you need to search particularly hard to find. Start with the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. Calling it a museum doesn’t really do it justice. It’s actually five museums covering Buffalo Bill, Plains Indian culture, Western art, natural history and the wider Yellowstone region. Then visit Old Trail Town, where historic frontier buildings have been relocated and preserved. And if you’re travelling between June and August, finish the day at the Cody Nite Rodeo. Bronc riding. Barrel racing. Bull riding. Roping. After several days travelling through the American West, it feels exactly where you should be.

THEN THE ROAD TO YELLOWSTONE

Leaving Cody is another day when you really don’t want to rush. The Chief Joseph Scenic Byway climbs through the Absaroka Mountains and Shoshone National Forest towards Cooke City and Yellowstone’s quieter Northeast Entrance. Then suddenly you’re in Yellowstone. And your first introduction isn’t Old Faithful. It’s Lamar Valley. This broad, beautiful valley is one of Yellowstone’s great wildlife landscapes. Bison are the most obvious residents, but elk, pronghorn, bears, wolves and other wildlife can all inhabit the wider northern range. Our advice? Slow down. Use the pullouts. Keep looking. Wildlife doesn’t operate to an itinerary.

FOUR NIGHTS IN YELLOWSTONE – BECAUSE TWO JUST ISN’T ENOUGH

Yellowstone is enormous – almost 9,000 square kilometres of mountains, forests, lakes, rivers, geothermal landscapes and wildlife-filled valleys. Trying to “do Yellowstone” in a day or two is exactly the kind of itinerary planning we try to avoid. So that’s why we suggest four nights.

We recommend you spend the first two based in Gardiner, immediately outside Yellowstone’s North Entrance. That gives you time to properly explore Lamar Valley, Tower-Roosevelt and the extraordinary terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs. Then travel south through the heart of the park. Stand at Artist Point overlooking the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and Lower Falls. Watch for bison through Hayden Valley. Pass Yellowstone Lake. And eventually arrive somewhere rather special.

Old Faithful. For the next two nights, we’ve deliberately chosen something simpler. A Frontier Cabin at Old Faithful Lodge. It’s rustic rather than luxurious but has private bathroom facilities and puts you right in the heart of Yellowstone’s famous geyser country. Sometimes location just wins.

OLD FAITHFUL IS ONLY THE BEGINNING

Everyone has heard of Old Faithful. And yes, you should absolutely watch it erupt. But give yourself a full day here and you’ll discover there is much more going on. Follow the boardwalks through the Upper Geyser Basin past hot springs, steaming vents and active geysers including Castle Geyser and Grand Geyser.

Then continue to Midway Geyser Basin and one of Yellowstone’s most extraordinary sights – Grand Prismatic Spring. Yellowstone’s largest hot spring looks almost unreal, with intense blue water surrounded by bands of yellow, orange and green. Walk to the overlook for the view from above.

Then return to Old Faithful later in the day. Perhaps you’ll catch another eruption. Perhaps you’ll simply have dinner at the historic Old Faithful Inn and enjoy being there after many day visitors have headed elsewhere. That’s exactly why we recommend you stay inside the park.

AND THEN THE TETONS APPEAR

Leaving Yellowstone doesn’t mean the scenery is finished. Quite the opposite. Drive south into Grand Teton National Park and suddenly the jagged Teton Range rises dramatically from the valley floor. This is another place we refuse to rush so rather than squeezing Grand Teton into the drive to Jackson, we’ve given you three nights in Jackson Hole and two full days to explore.

One day can be devoted to the classic scenic loop: Oxbow Bend, Snake River Overlook, Mormon Row and the much-photographed T.A. Moulton Barn. The second is deliberately slower. Head for Jenny Lake. Walk part of the lakeshore, take the seasonal shuttle boat across the water and perhaps continue to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point. Or go horse riding, kayaking or rafting on the Snake River. You’ve been travelling for two weeks – you don’t want or need to be rushing around today!

JACKSON HOLE – A PRETTY COOL PLACE TO FINISH

Jackson gives you something different again. Town Square and its famous antler arches. Galleries and shops. Restaurants, bars and plenty of Western character. Our suggested itinerary gives you time to enjoy it rather than simply sleeping there between national park excursions. And on your final evening? Have dinner downtown and perhaps find yourself a saddle bar stool at the Million-Dollar Cowboy Bar. After the Badlands, Black Hills, Deadwood, Cody, Yellowstone and Grand Teton, it seems an appropriately Western way to finish.

Although you don’t necessarily have to finish quite yet. If you’d like to slow things down for a few more days, ask us about adding a stay at Spring Creek Ranch, spectacularly positioned above Jackson with views towards the Tetons.

HOW LONG DO YOU NEED?

Our suggested America’s Great Frontier itinerary is 16 days / 15 nights. We’ve allowed:

• Rapid City – 3 nights
• Custer State Park – 1 night
• Deadwood – 1 night
• Sheridan – 1 night
• Cody – 2 nights
• Gardiner / Northern Yellowstone – 2 nights
• Old Faithful / Yellowstone – 2 nights
• Jackson Hole – 3 nights

For us, that gets the balance right. There are some one-night stops, but they’re there for a reason. Deadwood and Sheridan break the journey naturally while adding something worthwhile themselves. More importantly, we haven’t compromised the places that really need time.

Three nights in the Black Hills. Four nights for Yellowstone. Three nights for Jackson Hole.

A QUICK WORD ABOUT DRIVING

This is a road trip. And there is some driving. But we’ve designed the route, so the driving is part of the experience rather than dead time between attractions. Needles Highway. Spearfish Canyon. The Bighorn Scenic Byway. Chief Joseph Scenic Byway. Yellowstone’s Northern Range. Teton Park Road. Teton Pass. These aren’t roads you endure to reach the next destination – they’re a big part of why you’re here.

The longest day is Deadwood to Sheridan at around 410 kilometres, but even that incorporates Spearfish Canyon and Devils Tower along the way. Most days are considerably shorter, leaving plenty of time to stop when something catches your eye. And trust us – something usually does!

WHEN SHOULD YOU GO?

We’ve specifically designed America’s Great Frontier for travel from June through September. June brings longer days and greener landscapes. July and August offer warmer summer weather and Cody’s nightly rodeo season. September brings cooler temperatures, fewer visitors and the beginnings of autumn colour. Outside those months, weather and seasonal road access can change how the journey works, particularly around Yellowstone and the mountain passes. That doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t go. It just means we should talk first!

BUT IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE OUR FRONTIER

This is the most important part. America’s Great Frontier is a suggested itinerary.

Perhaps you want longer in Yellowstone. Maybe wildlife is your priority, and you’d like a specialist guided Lamar Valley experience. You might want another night in Cody, upgraded accommodation at Old Faithful or a few relaxing nights at Spring Creek Ranch after Jackson Hole. We can change the hotels, change the vehicle, add experiences, remove experiences or extend the journey elsewhere in America. That’s where Travel USA comes in.

A good self-drive isn’t simply drawing a line between famous places. It’s knowing which roads are worth driving, where an overnight genuinely adds something and when a national park needs four nights rather than two. Most importantly, it’s leaving enough time to enjoy the journey.

READY FOR AMERICA’S GREAT FRONTIER?

You probably already know Mount Rushmore … you’ve almost certainly heard of Yellowstone. And those Teton photographs may already have you reaching for your passport. We’ll give you all of them ….. We’ll just add the Badlands, Crazy Horse Memorial, Custer State Park, bison, Deadwood, Spearfish Canyon, Devils Tower, Sheridan, the Bighorn Mountains, Cody, Lamar Valley, Grand Prismatic Spring, Jenny Lake and some unforgettable roads in between.

South Dakota. Wyoming. 16 days. And one great American road trip. Explore our 16-day America’s Great Frontier itinerary or contact Travel USA to talk to our USA travel experts about creating your own journey through South Dakota and Wyoming.