South Dakota: Landscape treasure

It all started one day when I was doing some research about what to do during my visit to my brother's house in Minnesota, we always talk about going on a road trip because we wanted to visit to new places, to get in touch with nature and different landscapes. At first I thought about Yellowstone because that’s one of the places I dream to visit, but it takes between 18 to 20 hours to get there (from my brother’s house), kind of difficult for my first road trip in United States. Navigating through the National Park Service web page in the Nearby Attraction section I found that in South Dakota (half way to Yellowstone from Minnesota) were a few nice places to visit, and of course my brother advise me the same, so my family and I decided to visit the south region of South Dakota instead of driving to Yellowstone. 


We took the I-90 to Rapid City, a journey of almost 12 hours from Minnesota, including resting stops. We arrive before sunrise to Custer State Park where we had reservation for staying in a cabin, in the middle of the forest. For me that was thumbs up, and kind of new, living in Puerto Rico the experiences in the forests are different, this time I would have the chance to see big mammals ( that in Puerto Rican forest don't exist). My first sight entering the Custer State Park were the tall pine trees and encounter with the wildlife. Deers in one side of the road and a cute rabbit as soon as we arrived to the cabin. 


My expectations for that trip were high because of things I saw on the internet, the photos and the videos of what to do during your stay in South Dakota, the Plan your visit section  and more. But because this is a photography blog, I prefer transporting you to the journey my family and I did through South Dakota, with my photos.

Scenic Overlook I-90, near Kadoka

Road I-90, South Dakota

Custer State Park

Custer State Park

C.C. Gideon Tunnel, Iron Mountain Road, Black Hills

Iron Mountain, Black Hills

Mount Rushmore, Black Hills

Needles Eye, Black Hills

Needles Eye Tunnel, Black Hills

Needles Highway, Black Hills

Needles Highway, Black Hills

Lichen in rocks

Black Hills

Custer, South Dakota

Wildlife Loop, Custer State Park

Red Winged Black Bird, Custer State Park

Buffalo, Wildlife Loop, Custer State Park

Barn Swallow

Wildlife Loop, Custer State Park

Badlands National Park

Big Badlands Overlook, Northern Entrance

Badlands National Park

Black-billed Magpie, Badlands National Park

Door Trail, Badlands National Park

Panorama Point, Badlands National Park

Bigfoot Pass Overlook, Badlands National Park

Big Horn Sheep, Badlands National Park

Panorama Point, Badlands National Park

Willow Flycatcher, Custer State Park

Lichen

Stokcade Lake, Custer Sate Park

Falls Park, Sioux Falls

These picture are the essence of what I witnessed. We stayed for three nights at Custer State Park and one night in Sioux Falls (this one for rest), and there was not enough time to see everything South Dakota has to offer. It is a beautiful place, breathtaking landscapes, it exceeded my expectations. One day I hope to go back.

If you are interested in South Dakota visit this pages: 
​https://www.travelsouthdakota.com, ​https://www.nps.gov/state/sd/index.htm