Chicago to Mt Rushmore, what is in between?

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BikerFlex&HappyJen

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Along this route, what are some amazing things to stop and see/visit? We have already been to Lincolns tomb in Illinois, as well as Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa.

Is there any other stops along this path that anyone can recommend to experience? We love beauty of our country so any parks or lovely scenery is welcome.

We are willing to stray somewhat from the direct path to/from Mt Rushmore, as long as we are at least headed in that direction.
 
I'm contemplating the same route next summer so will be interested in what others suggest.  Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD is on my list to see.
 
We made that drive several years ago.  The roads were in good shape.  The Corn Palace is interesting.  The Mitchell KOA is nice, but there were a lot of mosquitoes when we were there.  You will see billboards for Walls Drugs for miles.  We did not stop, but perhaps someone else on the forum can comment on the place.  We stayed in Rapid City and drove a car to Mt. Rushmore.  After Mt. Rushmore consider going to Cody to the Black Hills Burger & Bun for a hamburger.  Great burgers.  Enjoy the trip and please let us know how it went.
 
Firstly, near Custer, SD, there is the Crazy Horse Monument. A work in progress.
Go to see it after Rushmore.
And of course, Devil's Tower in not far west of Mt Rushmore. Also a must see, in my book.



 
Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium in Omaha, NE is on the way and is a fascinating place to visit.  Very well done.  Allow some time.  It's a huge place spread over many acres.  http://www.omahazoo.com/
 
Wall Drug, is absolutely the CHEESIEST place I have ever been!  That being said, don't miss it!  It is filled with kitsch, and well worth the hour or two you could spend there.  Don't spend the night!  Campgrounds haven't seen maintenance in years, food is expensive.

Near Wall is the Badlands NP.  Beautiful place.  Cody State Park is also well worth it.  Lots of wildlife, and a huge buffalo herd.
 
The I90 rest area at Chamberlain, SD is on a bluff, overlooking the Missouri River. Inside the rest area, is an excellent Lewis & Clark museum. We stop there every year. If I remember correctly, the museum is closed on Mondays.
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The Badlands National Park, just east of the Black Hills is amazing, and is absolutely worth at least two days. Surprisingly, Wall Drug is worth a few hours.

Just south of Mt. Rushmore, you will want to drive the Needles Highway, the Wildlife Loop, and Iron Mountain Road. If you do them in that order, you will be going east on Iron Mountain Road, and will get views of Mt. Rushmore through two of the tunnels. The whole reason for building the road was to put tunnels in those two spots. The Wildlife loop is am easy drive, but the other two are not possible in a large RV, or with anything in tow.

North of Rushmore, hwy. 14A through Spearfish Canyon is spectacular. Just west of the town of Savoy, on forest road 222 Roughlock Falls is beautiful, as is Spearfish Falls, on a short trail behind the Latchstring Restaurant at the intersection of 14A and 222. BTW the Latchstring has very good food, and is reasonably priced. Bridal Veil Falls, a little farther north on !4A is pretty, but not as big as either of the other two.

Joel
 
Interstate 90, South Dakota Exit 131 East of Wall, SD.  Minuteman Missile National Historic Site run by National Park Service.  Visitors center and then a tour of the launch control facility including the underground launch control center.  A few miles further down the road to the west is an actual missile site with a dummy missile installed.  These two sites are the last sites left of what were originally 150 missile sites and 15 launch control centers under the control of Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City.  My disclaimer is that I was on the first missile launch crew to accept the launch control center (Delta One) from Boeing in July 1963.  I hope to make it back this summer to see how NPS has made it a nice place to get an inside view on one part of the Cold War.
Link:  https://www.nps.gov/mimi/index.htm
Bill
 
Badlands,
Crazy Horse,
Wall Drug,
Custer State Park,
Spearfish Canyon,
no particular order... Badlands looked like alien mining spoils... cannot imagine what the first settlers headed west thought when they got to them.
 
Wow, nobody mentioned Jewel Cave National Monument or Wind Cave National Park, near Custer.  You guys all claustrophobic? 
 
Old_Crow said:
Wow, nobody mentioned Jewel Cave National Monument or Wind Cave National Park, near Custer.  You guys all claustrophobic?

Yep, ever since I underwent my first MRI at age 77.  And like I posted earlier, I spent four years doing missile launch crew duty inside a concrete and steel cocoon 40 feet underground.  Go figure.  But that MRI experience taught me a lesson - get drunk before the next ride through the tube........lol

Bill
 
Theodore Rosevelt National Park in North Dakota just west of Dickenson ND on I94.  There's a North and South side.  Not sure which but one has buffalo and wild horses.  If taking I90, Falls Park in Sioux Falls, SD is worth a visit.   
 
The Amana Colonies in Iowa might be a nice time to stop for your first night. It has lots of shops to look in and some nice restaurants to visit, a brewery that also makes root beer, several wine-tasting shops, and a "smokehouse" meat shop. It also has a FHU campground that is close to the main town of Amana.
Have fun,
Indiana Journey
 
If you have the interest, plan a stop at the historical Ft. Kearney NB.  In the gift shop you can purchase two of the most interesting pamphlets they are written by an author from Oregon,  he found the route of the Trail so it can be followed by car has all of the major turns and locations along the trail from Independence MO to N Platte and the second one carries on from there to Oregon.  They were $10 ea when I got mine.  I loaned them to a friend and now they are gone. 

Tom...
 
Also at Fort Kearney, a fascinating structure crosses over I-80.  We watched it being built for a couple of years and wondered what on earth it would be.  It turned out to be a very interesting little museum about the westward movement and the Platte River area.  It's well worth a visit and caters to children with interactive exhibits.  About ten miles south of Fort Kearney is the Pioneer Museum which is an amazing collection of items relating to pioneers who settled the west.  You can see everything from quill pens to homemade toys to items kids used in schools.  You can easily spend a day there!  If you have children it's a wonderful way to teach them how pioneer children lived in the 19th Century.

Remember that this is Lewis and Clark country so the expedition and the places they stopped are features.  Great Falls MT has a wonderful museum that includes showing how the expedition traversed the falls (hint: it wasn't easy!).  When we were there one exhibit had some exquisite beadwork on Indian attire.  There also are some forts where you can see how the Cavalry lived during the westward movement.  There are so many places of historical interest that you could spend months exploring along the route!

ArdraF
 
If you're taking I-80, North Platte, NE has the Union Pacific Railroad's Bailey Yard, the world's largest railroad classification yard.  Over 3000 rail cars a day pass over the Hump, where trains are pushed up an incline and then their cars coast one by one into the rail yard below as they're sorted into new trains.  While this is going on, 8000 locomotives a month are refueled and serviced.

The Golden Spike Tower has a viewing platform 8 stories up with docents who explain what's going on in the yard below.
 
Bill N said:
Interstate 90, South Dakota Exit 131 East of Wall, SD.  Minuteman Missile National Historic Site run by National Park Service.  Visitors center and then a tour of the launch control facility including the underground launch control center.  A few miles further down the road to the west is an actual missile site with a dummy missile installed.  These two sites are the last sites left of what were originally 150 missile sites and 15 launch control centers under the control of Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City.  My disclaimer is that I was on the first missile launch crew to accept the launch control center (Delta One) from Boeing in July 1963.  I hope to make it back this summer to see how NPS has made it a nice place to get an inside view on one part of the Cold War.
Link:  https://www.nps.gov/mimi/index.htm
Bill

X2. You have to see this-the museum is new, very well done and interesting. Take your time in there. Be sure to then take the guided tour of the launch facility and see the Missle site (self guided with cell phone). My bucket list item for our trek was Mt. Rushmore. I talk as much about the Minuteman Missles as much if not more when talking about our trip. After you visit you will then start to notice the exits that seem lead to nothing but well built dirt roads and 3 phase power lines that branch off I-90 into "no where" and realize there is a lot more than we know and understand about our safety and the protection of our often taken for granted freedoms. Thank you to all our military members and their families - past and present.
 
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