CUSTER STATE PARK \ WILDLIFE LOOP
Custer State Park has become one of my favorite scenic drives. I know it isn't listed anywhere as a scenic drive which is just wrong. The scenery doesn't compare to the Badlands, the Rockies or many other parks but the variety of wildlife one encounters makes it a must go location. What's great is there are so many other things to do within a couple hours of Custer State Park that you can make a week of it easy.
The main thing everyone does here is the Wildlife Loop; an 18-mile loop around the park. Some of the critters you will encounter along the way are Bison, prairie dogs, 'begging burros', pronghorns and if you are lucky you may also run across mountain goats, bighorn sheep and elk. On our 'road trip' around the loop we saw more bison than we could count, in fact, we were stopped more than once by bison crossing the road. The pronghorns were one of my favorites and I would find them all throughout South Dakota and Montana. Actually we came across so many that I got in the habit of flashing my headlights to cars in the other lane so they had time to slow down....always trying to avoid 'road kill'
I actually decided not to camp here because I thought the number of animals might have been just too much for the Bean Dog to handle.

BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK
Well, I got side tracked. I didn't realize just how close to The Badlands, Deadwood, and the Black Hills I was. I turned off my route to Montana for a couple days in South Dakota and I am so happy I did. I have been in the region of SD before but years ago. This part of the country is probably my number one recommendation for those that want a cheap outdoorzie vacation. Insane landscapes, historic towns, camping and so much more.

Started my tour of South Dakota with a scenic drive through The Badlands National Park. I had been there years ago and had forgotten how amazing the Badlands are. This is also where Bella encountered her first buffalo. She thought it was about the coolest thing she had ever seen. For the rest of my Badlands journey I had to roll up the windows whenever we encountered a buffalo. What's funny is that in the coming days and weeks we crossed paths with so many buffalo that Bella could care less. I really think I could have let her out of the car and she would have ignored them.
The horizon where incredibly stormy that day and make for some fantastic photos. Click here to check it out! The Badlands are an incredible sight to see on a clear day but with a storm brewing above it give it a whole different feel and I was thrilled to be there that day.

Additional Information
Entrance Fee: $15 (seven day pass) \ Free with a National Parks Pass ($80 a year)
Pet: only on paved roads and developed areas (strictly enforced)