7-Day Trip: Bismarck, North Dakota to Rapid City, South Dakota

Seven days from Bismarck, North Dakota to Rapid City, South Dakota — five national parks and monuments, the Badlands that made Theodore Roosevelt, Yellowstone’s geyser basins, and the Black Hills. It is a big loop through the northern plains and the Rockies, with the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library early in the route.

Here is a day-by-day plan. Distances and drive times are approximate; check seasonal road and park closures before you go.

Days 1–2: driving directions in Google Maps
Days 3–4: driving directions in Google Maps
Days 5–7: driving directions in Google Maps
Cars parked along the main street of downtown Medora, North Dakota, with striped badlands bluffs rising behind the storefronts

Downtown Medora, with badlands bluffs rising behind the storefronts.

Front of the Von Hoffman House with flower boxes

The Von Hoffman House on Broadway, Medora.

Medora Musical cast performing in front of the MEDORA set

The Medora Musical cast.

Day 1: Bismarck → Medora

  • Drive from Bismarck to Medora, the gateway to Theodore Roosevelt National Park (~2 hours, 135 miles).
  • Explore downtown Medora and its historic sites, including the Joe Ferris Store and the Von Hoffman House.
  • Step inside the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame, where the stories of the American West come to life.
  • Enjoy the Pitchfork Steak Fondue, a Western dining experience served on the bluff.
  • End the evening with the Medora Musical at the Burning Hills Amphitheatre.

~2 hours, 135 miles · Overnight in Medora

The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library on the butte above Medora, with the badlands below and storm clouds overhead

The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library on the butte above Medora.

Wild horses grazing beneath colorful eroded badlands cliffs in Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Feral horses graze below the banded cliffs of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, a reminder of how fragile the West’s remaining wild places are. (Wikimedia Commons)

Front of the two-story Chateau de Mores with its lawn

The 26-room Chateau de Mores, summer home of the Marquis and Marquise de Morès.

Day 2: Theodore Roosevelt National Park & the Presidential Library

  • Morning: explore Theodore Roosevelt National Park (South Unit). Drive the 36-mile scenic loop (1.5–2 hours), and hike the Wind Canyon Trail and Buck Hill Overlook.
  • Afternoon: visit the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, with a curated lunch featuring the flavors of the Badlands.
  • Evening: relax in Medora and visit the Chateau de Mores State Historic Site. Dinner at the historic Little Missouri Dining Room.
  • An evening of Great American Songbook classics.

Overnight in Medora

Aerial view of Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park, its blue centre ringed with orange bacterial mats

Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone's Midway Geyser Basin, seen from the air.

Downtown Livingston, Montana, with mountains in the distance

Livingston, Montana, a railroad town on the Yellowstone River.

The stone Roosevelt Arch at the North Entrance of Yellowstone National Park

The Roosevelt Arch at Yellowstone's North Entrance. Theodore Roosevelt laid its cornerstone in 1903.

Day 3: Medora → Yellowstone National Park

  • A long travel day west across Montana to Yellowstone National Park, with scenic stops along the way.
  • Lunch in Miles City, MT.
  • Dinner in Livingston, MT.
  • Check in to lodging in North Yellowstone or Gardiner, MT.

~6.5–7 hours, 400 miles · Overnight in Yellowstone

The yellow rhyolite walls of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

The yellow rhyolite walls of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

Old Faithful erupting a tall column of steam and water

Old Faithful erupting in the Upper Geyser Basin.

The log and shingle front of the Old Faithful Inn

The Old Faithful Inn, built of local logs and stone in 1904.

Day 4: Explore Yellowstone National Park

  • The Roosevelt Arch at the park’s north entrance, dedicated by Theodore Roosevelt in 1903.
  • Old Faithful and the Upper Geyser Basin.
  • Lunch at the Old Faithful Lodge.
  • Grand Prismatic Spring and Midway Geyser Basin.
  • Dinner in Gardiner, MT.

Overnight in Yellowstone

Devils Tower rising above the pine forest of northeastern Wyoming, the first national monument in the United States

Devils Tower above the pine forest of northeastern Wyoming.

The entrance of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody

The Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming, five museums under one roof.

Brick storefronts and the hills above Main Street in Deadwood

Main Street in Deadwood, South Dakota.

Day 5: Yellowstone → Cody → Devils Tower → Deadwood, SD

  • Morning in Cody, WY: visit the Buffalo Bill Center of the West and explore Old Trail Town, an authentic Western village.
  • Drive to Devils Tower National Monument (~3 hours) and hike the 1.3-mile Tower Trail around the base.
  • Continue to Deadwood, SD (~2 hours). Walk historic Main Street and visit Saloon No. 10.
  • Optional: Mount Moriah Cemetery, where Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane are buried.

Overnight in Deadwood

Aerial view of the Mount Rushmore carving in the granite of the Black Hills, surrounded by ponderosa pine

Mount Rushmore National Memorial in the Black Hills.

Honeycomb-like boxwork formations on the ceiling of Wind Cave

Boxwork in Wind Cave. Most of the world's known boxwork is found here.

The unfinished Crazy Horse Memorial carving on a granite mountain in the Black Hills

The Crazy Horse Memorial, still being carved from Thunderhead Mountain.

Day 6: Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse & Wind Cave

  • Head to Wind Cave National Park: take a guided cave tour to see its rare boxwork formations, and drive through wildlife-rich prairies of bison, prairie dogs and elk.
  • Lunch at Custer State Park and its wildlife loop.
  • Stop at the Crazy Horse Memorial, the world’s largest mountain carving in progress.
  • Dinner in Keystone.
  • Visit Mount Rushmore National Memorial after dinner for the evening lighting ceremony.

Overnight in Rapid City, SD

A life-size bronze statue of a seated president on a downtown sidewalk, part of the City of Presidents series in Rapid City, South Dakota

One of Rapid City's life-size bronze presidents, part of the City of Presidents series.

A green concrete dinosaur sculpture on a hilltop at Dinosaur Park in Rapid City

Dinosaur Park in Rapid City, built in 1936 by the Works Progress Administration.

The Journey Museum and Learning Center in Rapid City

The Journey Museum & Learning Center in Rapid City.

Day 7: Fly home from Rapid City, SD

  • If time allows before your flight, walk downtown to see Rapid City’s Presidential Statues, or visit The Journey Museum or Dinosaur Park.
  • Depart from Rapid City Regional Airport (RAP).

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