The drive from Custer to the Badlands is beautiful until you get on the Interstate 90, then it is less so.  The nice thing we noticed from our last trip is that it seems easier to get around Rapid City and onto the highway.  Previous trips had us route through some city streets, but now it was a much more direct route and you could see there had been quite a bit of new road construction.

Through the badlands on the way to camp.

We entered the Badlands National Park and got the opportunity to drive through most of it before we entered the Badlands/White River KOA.  The pass cost is $20.00 but it is good for 7 days.  There are plenty of spots where you can pull over, even with a rig that’s 35 feet long, and take some pictures.  The drive is nice with decent roads, and this is scenery you will never see anywhere else. About five miles from the main road through the badlands is the KOA.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we would not recommend many of the KOA’s that we have stayed at but this one is really great.  We used to stay at this KOA when it was just a flat open field, has it ever changed!  The wonderful thing is that even though it has changed, it has changed for the better.  The sites are nicely spaced, the grounds are maintained beautifully, the staff goes out of their way to make you happy, it’s quiet, and you can buy food there (breakfast and dinner).  If there were full timers there you wouldn’t know it because everything is neat and clean.  This is what all KOA’s should strive to be.  For more information on the Badlands KOA click here.

Our spot at the Badlands/White River KOA

Now for something amazing…On a walk through the campground with Tammy we stumbled onto a Jayco JayWren, the same year and model we had back in 1990.  I was hoping that the owners would be outside so we could talk but I never ran into them while we were there.   I just had to take a picture of this “survivor”, how many of these could even still be around? Amazing!

The Jayco Jaywren – What a pleasant surprise to see this!

Now if you camp here, don’t expect to see the badlands from your travel trailer.  You are far enough down the road that you will only see some rock out cropping’s.  Don’t think of this as a negative since you are only five minutes away from seeing the badlands up close and personal.  You should plan on spending at least a half day in the park taking in all the amazing views and hiking some trails.  This is an amazing place.

The Vast Badlands Scenery

The Badlands

This is where I had made my fatal flaw, I should have booked at least one more day here; that way Tammy and I could have taken more time to go through the Badlands and stop at Wall Drug.  Wall Drug is a real touristy sort of town, but still worth seeing.  This time, however, it was just an overnight stop on our way to the wedding.  There is no doubt in my mind that we will be back sometime in the future and extend our stay.

We took advantage of the KOAs dinner service which consists of ordering and paying at the office.  Then  you walk around the corner to their “cook shack”.  You give them the ticket,  and wait for it to be cooked.  We each had a pulled pork BBQ sandwich and they were great.  The next morning we had their breakfast as well and it was just as good as their dinner had been.   After breakfast it was time to pack up and hit the road.

The next stop would be Jackson Minnesota, another one night stop along the way; but not before I got one final picture leaving the Badlands.

Leaving the Badlands

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Tammy and I had been tent camping for years before we had children.  Our favorite place to tent camp was Devils Lake State Park in Wisconsin.  The sites were all wooded and private with a supply of water which allowed me to brew coffee and wash dishes.  We loved camping and when Jennifer was born it wasn’t long before she was camping with us.  Jeff followed four years later and then the whole family was camping in a big cabin tent with a tent heater (when necessary).  Although there was a lot of work involved in setting up camp, we all enjoyed it.

Then came June of 1989.  We headed north to do some camping at St Ignace State Park in Michigan.  Tammy and I had camped here a couple of times before we had the kids,  and really enjoyed it.  When I packed the gear for the trip I left the tent heater at home.  I was thinking it was too warm to drag it along, and that ended up being a huge mistake.

The first night in the tent, the kids slept like rocks while the temps dipped into the low forties.  Tammy and I slept very little primarily out of concern for the kids; but in their sleeping bags they seemed to be warm enough.  The next morning as we sat by the fire, the radio announced a freeze warning in effect for that evening.  That was all I needed to hear; we packed up the gear and checked into a hotel.  It was the last time we camped in a tent;  and the first time we talked about getting a travel trailer.

1971 Jayco JayWren and Jennifer and Jeff

As soon as we got home, we started our search for a used travel trailer.   Tammy had been camping in travel trailers with her folks since she was quite young.   This gave us a good starting point since she had an idea of what we should look for.  She thought that we should shop for a somewhat basic trailer at first to make sure everyone liked it.  That way we wouldn’t spent too much money on something we might not use.

Our first stop was an large RV dealership very close to our house.  After looking at a number of older used units, we settled on a 1971 Jayco JayWren.  It was sixteen feet long with no bathroom.  Not having a bathroom would be fine,  because being tent campers we were already used to that.   After all this was an experiment to see if we would like it as much as tent camping. As long as it had the fundamentals like a furnace and refrigerator, I would be happy.

Since it was 18 years old it would need some work.   It needed new tires, curtains, and new dinette cushions.  Overall it was a nice solid trailer so we bought it.  It looked like the days of freezing in a tent were over.

The next few weeks I spent changing tires, wheel bearings, and painting the exterior of the trailer.  Meanwhile, Tammy worked on renovating the inside of the camper.   Then it was finally time to take the JayWren on a trip and see how we liked that type of travel.

So after a week-long journey in South Dakota’s Black Hills we knew that the experiment had been a success.  This was so much better than setting up a tent and screen room;  not to mention having a place to cook and eat (and a furnace).  I loved the fact that I was no longer packing wet tents.  We were  no longer waking up with damp clothing.   Although we loved the JayWren we quickly realized we needed a bathroom.  A year later we upgraded to a 1990 Sprinter Travel Trailer with bunks for the kids.   The RV Dealership gave us exactly what we paid for the JayWren when we trader her in.

View of the Campground

For that first trip we decided to stay at the Mount Rushmore KOA .  The Mount Rushmore KOA was a great campground in the early 1990’s.  Even then there was plenty do at camp like rent bikes, go horse back riding, and spend time at their large playground area.   We have stayed many times since and have seen it turn into a much larger campground.  It is so large that it no longer has decent sized camping sites.  It has become more like a parking lot than a campground.  Unfortunately,  it is not a KOA we could recommend and not one we will visit.  Some people may like that type of camping, but it is not for us.

On our most recent trip to the Black Hills in July of 2018  we stayed at the Fort Welikit Campground.  This is a campground located in Custer South Dakota, about 20 minutes from Mount Rushmore.  For more information on Fort Welikit campground  click here.

Mount Rushmore Monument

Nearby you’ll find the small towns of Hill City and Keystone, and a steam train (the Black Hills Central Railroad) that you can use to shuttle between the two.   Round trip tickets are about $28.00 per person but well worth it. Both Hill City and Keystone are very touristy but nice.  Don’t underestimate how much you and your family will enjoy the train ride.

Jennifer and Jeff at the Custer State Park Tunnel

Just to the south of the campground is Custer State Park.  Winding roads and beautiful views are common place at this park.  Over one thousand bison roam the park, along with elk, deer, goats, antelope and Turkeys.  Custer State Park also has campgrounds, but we haven’t stayed at any yet…next time!

Buffalo

More wildlife along the way to camp

Visitors to this area can also view the Crazy Horse Memorial, which has been a work in process since 1948.

Jennifer and Jeff in the Badlands

The Badlands – A must see!!!

The badlands are a couple of hours to the east and are a must see!  We always make sure that we drive through the badlands on the way to or the way back from camping in the black hills.  The Badlands National Park has roads that weave in and around the badlands.  There are many areas where you can pull over and take pictures. There is also a restaurant located in the park.

The Badlands/White River KOA in Interior, South Dakota (2006)

If you feel like camping in the badlands (and we did the last time we were there), there are a number of campgrounds either near or inside the park area.  We chose the Badlands/White River KOA.  We have been here a number of times and have seen it grow into a much larger campground then when we first had reservations there.  To learn more about this KOA click here.

Most of the folks that read my blog know that I voice my opinion when a KOA doesn’t meet my expectations.  This KOA has exceeded our expectations and I think it will exceed yours as well.  It’s very well maintained with room between sites, and very nice owners.  I highly recommend this KOA.  Keep in mind, you wont be able to see the badlands from the campground but they are only five minutes down the road.

There have been 7 more travel trailers since that first trip with the JayWren, all tailored a little differently to our changing life style.  Jennifer and Jeff have grown up and married so the part of traveling with the “kids” is for the most part over.  Now we travel with our floor children, Hannah a White Shepherd, and Kendra, a German Shepherd.  I’m convinced that there is no better way to see the country than with a travel trailer.  

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