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Part 3 (Continued)
Great
American Dog-Friendly Road TripTM
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Upon
entering the town of Custer, South Dakota, we
came upon The Flintstones Bedrock
City. They have a
small amusement park with a Stone Age theme, a
playground, train ride and car ride. During the
summer season they have a Drive In with outdoor
seats that serves fast food. If you are looking
for a place to stay they also have a campground
and RV spots with hookups. Well-behaved dogs
that are good with kids are allowed in the
amusement park, on the train ride, on the car
ride, at the outdoor cafe seats and in the
campground. Pets must be leashed. |
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Here
is a photo of me and Toby getting ready for the
train ride that circles the amusement
park. |
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They
have a great large playground for kids. Dogs are
welcome here as well. |
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After
the Flintstones Park, we continued heading
towards Mount Rushmore on Highway 16/385. We came
across the brand new Crazy
Horse Memorial which honors the Lakota leader.
In fact it was so new that it was not finished
yet. Dogs are allowed but only at the
deck overview area shown in this picture. The
deck did have some fast food cafes and pets can
sit outside with you at the picnic tables. Pets
are not allowed on the bus to monument or
on any trails that lead to the monument.
Admission was about $20 per carload. As a
traveler with a pet, it was kind of a high price
for not being able to do too much. |
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Continuing
on Highway 16/385, we noticed a nice long path
along the highway. The Michelson Trail is
over 100 miles long and is mainly used as a
bicycle trail and for horseback riding, but is
also used for walking or running with a
dog as long as they are leashed. The trail is
not always next to the road. At some points it
looks like it goes a nice distance away from the
road. I believe there are a few parking lots
along the highway for those who want to use the
trail. There is a minimal fee for trail use. |
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From
Highway 16/385 we took Highway 244 which heads
to Mount Rushmore. Along the way we saw several
hiking trails that are park of the dog-friendly Black Hills
National Forest. We stopped at one of the trails
for some exercise. There is a minimal parking
fee that needs to be paid at the self-service pay
stations located in the parking lots.
Dogs can be off-leash on these trails but need
to be under direct voice control. |
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After
some a nice refreshing hike, we continued
towards Mount Rushmore. Along the way we spotted
a wild Rocky Mountain Goat. |
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We
finally made it to Mount
Rushmore. On the park's official web site they
state than there is a "pet ban" at
Mount Rushmore. They say that pets are no longer
allowed in the developed areas of the park. They
also state that pet walking areas are located at
each end of the upper parking ramp. However, you
can still have a nice view of Mount Rushmore
from the "pet area". In this photo a
Rocky Mountain Goat is shown leaving the pet
area. You will not be able to get really close
to the memorial with your pet, but as shown in
this picture you can still see it easily and can
get a nice photo with a zoom lens. The downside
is that you have to pay about $20 to park which
includes the admission fee. If you do not want
to pay the $20 you can drive by and see the
memorial but there is not really a good spot to
pull over and stop. |
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Here
is a photo
of Mount Rushmore from the pet area using a
basic zoom lens. |
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In
this photo we show where the pet area is in
reference to the monument and the parking structure. There are actually two pet
areas. The other pet area is on the other side
of the parking lot. Both pet areas are not
maintained and can have some tall weeds, but it
was manageable. |
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After
leaving Mount Rushmore on Alternate Route 16
heading towards Rapid City, we came upon the
small town of Keystone. |
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We
stopped
for dinner at the Executive
Order Grill located at 609 Highway 16 in Keystone.
They serve hamburgers, hot dogs,
fries, salads and more. Well-behaved dogs
are allowed at the outdoor
tables. |
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Just
before nightfall, we made it into Rapid City,
South Dakota. We stopped for the night at the Holiday
Inn. It was a nice eight story hotel with an
open atrium. Our plan was to stop for one night
in Rapid City but we found so many dog-friendly
things to do that we stayed for two nights.
Next Newsletter coming in March 2005:
Great dog-friendly places in Rapid City, South
Dakota and on the road to Chicago, Illinois.
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