Western South Dakota is home to some of the most rugged, beautiful Midwest landscapes, and this trip gives you a bite of all of them!
Back for another year, expanded and better than ever! Embark into the wildness of South Dakota with us as we visit TWO National Park sites in one week! On this trip, we’ll start in the Black Hills as we homebase in Custer State Park, where we’ll hike and explore South Dakota’s park system’s crowning jewel. With amazing topography and abundant wildlife, Custer is often hailed as a should-be national park, and fall is the perfect time to see it! While out west, we’ll also visit Hot Springs, SD, where we’ll step back in time to see a live mammoth excavation site and enjoy natural spa springs before traveling to Jewel Cave National Monument, home to a vast and fascinating cave system, and the fascinating Crazy Horse Memorial.
Then, we’ll pack up and head to Badlands National Park for two days of hiking and exploration as we witness the ever-changing badlands landscape. The park is quiet in the fall, but the colors and vistas remain just as bright and breathtaking! The Badlands are a landscape that benefits from stillness and study, so we’ll be taking intentional moments to appreciate the stark beauty of the spires and prairie.
Adventure Rating: Intermediate
This trip is rated at Intermediate because of elevation at Custer State Park, which can make hiking more difficult. There are many stories worth of stairs to climb at Jewel Cave National Monument, and solid footing is required.
Photos by Lauren Matysik
ACTIVITIES
Hike and explore Custer State Park, the crown jewel of the South Dakota park system. We’ll choose from a few trail options depending on group vibes to explore the mountains and prairie landscapes of the park. We’ll also take a driving tour of the wildlife loop to see many of the wild animals that call the park home, (including bison, pronghorns and prairie dogs) and visit the Bison Center to learn about the importance of bison to the park’s landscape.
We’ll take a self-guided tour at the Mammoth Site, a live scientific excavation site where they’ve discovered the remains of over 60 mammoths.
Relax with a 2-hour hot springs soak session at a local spa in Hot Springs, SD before enjoying lunch at the in-house restaurant
Head underground with a national park ranger as we tour Jewel Cave National Monument, one of the coolest cave tours in the country. Learn about the cave’s history and unique structures on an in-depth, 1.5 hour tour. No spelunking required, but many stairs are involved.
Tour Crazy Horse Memorial to learn about the indigenous history of the area. The Memorial features three different museums that honor the cultures, traditions and living heritage of North American Indians
Hike the trails of Badlands National Park, where we’ll head deep into the spires and canyon landscape to learn about the prairie and the fragile ecosystem the park supports.
Enjoy the amazing dark skies at the Badlands to take in some of the nation’s best stargazing. In 2024, we saw the Northern Lights while on the trip! (We can’t promise Northern Lights, but we CAN promise an amazing view of the stars and constellations!)
Enjoy a self-guided art session at the Badlands, where participants will get the chance to spread out and explore the park through a new lens. Bring along a camera, a paint set, a drawing pad or a journal and have time to yourself to reflect on your trip and the amazing landscape around you.
ACCOMMODATIONS & LOCATION
We’ll be camping at two beautiful campgrounds on this trip. At Custer State Park, we’ll be tent camping at a secluded campground right on the wildlife loop (don’t worry, no bison are trudging through the campsite, but you might catch a glimpse of a big horn sheep if you’re lucky!) The campsites are just a short walk away from a heated showerhouse with free showers and flush toilets.
At the Badlands, we’ll be at a group site at Cedar Pass Lodge campground, with access to flush toilets.
About Jewel Cave National Monument
Immerse yourself in one of the longest caves in the world. With over 220 miles of mapped and surveyed passages, this underground wilderness appeals to human curiosity. Its splendor is revealed through fragile formations and glimpses of brilliant color. Its maze of passages lures explorers, and its scientific wealth remains a mystery. This resource is truly a jewel in the National Park Service. Source: National Park Service
About Badlands National Park
The Badlands provide some of the most mysterious sights to see in the national park system, from fossil beds to spired rocks formations. Located on the edge of our country’s Great Plains in southwestern South Dakota, Badlands National Park consists of 244,000 acres of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles and spires blended with the largest, protected mixed-grass prairie in the United States.
Badlands National Park contains one of the world’s richest fossil beds, permitting scientists to study the evolution of mammal species such as the horse, rhino and saber-toothed cat. From tiny shrews to 2,000-pound bison, the Badlands is home to many species of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds and butterflies. Source: National Park Foundation
GETTING THERE
If you are flying in from outside of South Dakota, the closest airport is the Rapid City Regional Airport (about a 1 hour drive away from both campgrounds). You’ll need to rent a car to get to the campgrounds, or arrange carpool with a local Wanderer. There is also a private shuttle service through the airport transfer shuttle website. Carpooling details are sent pre-trip in the private trip Discord channel. Carpooling arrangements can’t be guaranteed, especially for out-of-Iowa trips, but we try our best to connect Wanderers for coordination!
“My first Wander Women trip to the Badlands was incredible! Kerri was a phenomenal leader, everything was clearly planned and executed. They made it so easy to fly in and camp and just enjoy. Absolutely worth every penny. Book it, you won’t regret it!”
WHAT’S INCLUDED
Your registration provides you:
Expert planning and two Wander Women guides to help make the weekend as seamless and fun as possible!
Six nights of camping accommodation and parking
Most food for the weekend, (minus one dinner and two lunches) prepared by your guides, including breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks and beverages
Guided interpretive hikes through Custer State Park and Badlands National Park
Cave tour admission at Jewel Cave National Monument
Mammoth Site admission
Hot springs spa soaking session
Crazy Horse Memorial admission
Camping accessories: Camp kitchen, camping chairs, fire kits, first aid kits, dining ware, fire wood, games, coolers
Wanderer swag bag full of goodies
A private trip Discord channel to connect with guides and fellow participants before & after the trip
Comprehensive pre-trip online guide with detailed logistics, packing recommendations, and trip tips
WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED
Participants will be responsible for providing/paying for:
Transportation to/from the trip (we always encourage carpooling and can connect you with other participants to ride with!) and to trip activity locations
Gear: Participants are able to rent camping gear from Wander Women
National park and state park entrance fees
One dinner (in Custer) and two lunches (in Hot Springs and on travel day)
INVESTMENT
$925
PAYMENT PLAN
We offer payment plans for all our trips, so you can pay a deposit now and the rest over time! WeTravel (our booking platform) easily lets you make a downpayment (this is also your non-refundable trip deposit!) and set up automatic payments for the remainder. For the payment plan schedule, just check the WeTravel page for details. There is NO fee for choosing the payment plan option!
Deposit for this trip: $465