Few destinations match the Black Hills for the variety of things to do. With 6 national parks and monuments, the incredible Custer State Park, the old West Town of Deadwood, and the quirky town of Wall Drug, plus dozens of tourist activities, there is something for everyone. But when is the best time of year to go?
The best time of year to visit the Black Hills is the first two weeks of June or the last few weeks in September. Both of these times offer comfortable temperatures (highs in the 70s), cheaper prices on lodging, and minimal crowds. The worst times of year to visit include the first two weeks of August, when the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is happening (rowdy with lots of crowds), and winter/early spring, when the ground is covered in snow. However, there are a few other factors to consider when determining which time is best FOR YOU to visit the Black Hills, including 1) which areas of the Black Hills you are visiting, 2) other places you are traveling to, and 3) which activities you want to do.
I’m Cheryl and the Black Hills is one of my favorite vacations. My husband and I write travel guides to help people have amazing trips to the West. We have visited the Black Hills at various times of the year, including spring, summer, and fall and I can’t wait to tell you all the pros and cons of visiting each season. Keep reading for some insider tips on when (and when not to) visit the Black Hills.
VISITING THE BLACK HILLS AND NEED A GAME PLAN? CHECK OUT OUR ITINERARY.
The Black Hills area is huge and covers about 5,000 square miles, roughly the size of Los Angeles. When I talk to most travelers about the Black Hills, it’s common that all they know is that it’s where you can see Mount Rushmore. You’ve got the forested areas of Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore, and the Wind and Jewel Caves, but also the flat and sometimes desolate plains of the Badlands.
Here are the top things to do in the area. For a more complete list of things to do, check out our blog post, 40 Things To Do in the Black Hills
Mount Rushmore National Monument Learn about the 4 incredible presidents memorialized here, the monument’s carving, and the complex history with the Native Americans.
Custer State Park Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park is peaceful and beautiful. Enjoy swimming, paddling, or strolling around the lakeshore. For more adventure, hike Black Elk Peak or Sunday Gulch. Iron Mountain Road, Needles Highway, and Custer Wildlife Loop are all worth your time. Enjoy driving through narrow tunnels and viewing granite spires.
Wind Cave National Park and Jewel Cave National Monument. Wind Cave contains boxwork, a unique honeycomb-shaped geological structure. Jewel Cave is the 3rd largest cave in the world, and you’ll feel like you are under the ocean as you explore the caverns. Both tours are equally amazing.
Badlands National Park. Beautiful in a desolate sort of way, this place is cool because of the open hiking policy where you can forge your own trail across the sandstone. It is also famous for fossils and the quirky Wall Drug nearby.
Deadwood. An old west town filled with history and fun including shootouts, mining, ghost tours, museums (tour a brothel!), and gambling.
Devils Tower National Monument. You’ve never seen anything like this 900 ft natural rock tower, jutting out of the ground! You’ll love the easy stroll around it, looking for prayer flags and lightning strike marks.
GOOD TO KNOW: All the national park sites stay open year-round, but your experience will be different based on when you visit.
As mentioned before, I believe that the first two weeks in June and the last few weeks in September are best, but we all value different things. Here are some important things to consider when making your choice on when to travel.
Most travelers worry about rain and snow when picking their travel dates, which is valid, but the Black Hills can get quite hot in July and August. The Badlands can be especially brutal during these months because there is very little shade. On the other hand, if you are visiting Wind Cave or Jewel Cave, the temperature in the caves remains the same year-round.
My favorite times of year to visit are in the shoulder seasons when the temperatures can be a little cooler, requiring a jacket. In fact, we were rained on a bit when we visited late May on our recent trip, but I preferred it to the time we visited in July a few years ago, when the temperatures reached 100 degrees! In the shoulder seasons, you can always use an umbrella and put on an extra layer of clothes. When it’s hot, there isn’t much you can do besides sweat it out.
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One of the best things about the Black Hills area is that it handles the crowds very well because it is so big and there are so many things to do. For the most part, I wouldn’t worry about crowds too much unless Deadwood is a place you are really excited to visit. The first two times we visited, it was so crowded we couldn’t find a spot to park and it was really hard to even drive through the city. We visited early June last year and it was a terrific experience.
National Park sites and memorials, like Mount Rushmore, are open the entire year. Custer State Park is too. However, some of the really fun touristy things like Rush Mountain or the 1880 Train close completely or operate on restricted hours after Labor Day (early September).
Before our children were school-aged, we always visited in September when the crowds were light. We didn’t mind that some touristy things were closed, probably because we were on a tight budget. Now I like to visit when I have a lot of options.
One other factor to consider is the daylight you’ll have when visiting. If you are on a mission to make the most of every minute, you’ll want to visit when you have plenty of sunshine to see it all.
At peak season, the sun rises at 5:10 am and sets around 8:45 pm with over 16 hours of daylight. As fall sets in, the sun rises at 6:45 am and sets at 6:45 pm.
The Black Hills pairs wonderfully with Yellowstone National Park. They are about 6 1/2 hours away from each other and you can see both of these fantastic parks in 7-10 days. Add Grand Teton National Park for a cherry on top!
If you do this, you will want to travel June-September because both Grand Teton and Yellowstone are colder climates, with shorter travel seasons. There can be snow in both of these parks, October-April, closing off roads and making parts of these parks not accessible by car.
The Black Hills are inexpensive to visit, compared to other national park sites. Because visitors have so many options of places to eat and stay, besides national park lodging and restaurants, you can count on everything costing less year-round.
For example, a typical meal at a national park grill usually costs $20, whereas you can get the same type of meal (and yummier) at a local restaurant for $15 in the Black Hills.
As far as lodging, we’ve been able to get hotel rooms for under $200 a night in most locations. What a breath of fresh air!
Of course, prices are at their lowest before Memorial Day and after Labor Day.
One thing we learned on our most recent trip is that the Badlands can look very different depending on the time of year you visit. If you go in the fall or summer, it is very desolate. However, when we visited in June, there were green prairies and it was so beautiful! I had no idea it could look like that.
Deadwood’s free (and awesome) entertainment and reenactments are nonexistent or limited from mid-September through mid-May. Also, no Shootin’ on Sunday.
| Mount Rushmore Area | Custer State Park | Badlands Area | Deadwood Area | |
| Open Year Round | *Windcaves National Park *Jewel Caves National Memorial *Mount Rushmore | * Scenic drives *Buffalo Safaris | *Minute Men Missile | *Deadwood Alive Shows *Museums are open year-round but operate on seasonal hours |
| Open Seasonally | *1880 Train *Bike Rentals *Rush Mountain | *Watercraft rentals *Horseback rides *Chuck wagon dinners *Needles HWY | *Delta 1 Tours | *Deadwood Alive Shows *Museums are open year round but operate on seasonal hours |
| Go in May or Sept if… | Go in June, July, or August if… | Go October-April if… |
| *You enjoy cooler temperatures and are ok with the risk of poor weather | *You want access to all hotels, restaurants, and stores | *You want to avoid crowds |
| *You want to do some hiking, these are the best months for it | *You are interested in biking and touristy activities | *Don’t mind dressing for cold weather |
| *You want access to all hotels, restaurants, and stores | *You want to camp | *Want to save some money on lodging |
| *Are visiting Yellowstone and/or Grand Teton | *Can handle high crowds | *Don’t mind limited hours of museums and activities |
| *You enjoy fewer crowds | *Can afford more expensive lodging | *Hiking and outdoor activities aren’t important to you |
| *You enjoy ranger-led programs, more of these operate in the summer | *Are also traveling to Yellowstone |
Late May/First Half of June. Wait until after Memorial Day to have all the services open, and very few crowds, even at the most popular sites! One morning we woke up early to see the sun rise on Mount Rushmore and we practically had it to ourselves! We also dined at the famous and amazing Alpine Inn and didn’t have to wait at all, there is usually a big line. Lastly, we did all the scenic drives with very little congestion.
We wore jackets and long-sleeved shirts but were very comfortable. We drove Spearfish Canyon and the waterfalls were beautiful due to the spring run-off. Our hikes were delightful and… we visited Yellowstone which was also perfect that time of year.
September after Labor Day. The Black Hills clear out and the weather is pleasantly brisk. We do miss being able to paddle around Sylvan Lake but you can still walk around it and enjoy the views. The shows in Deadwood are still going and it’s a great time to visit the national park sites.
The last week of September is special because Custer State Park does their Buffalo Round-Up. It is part of the yearly routine to keep the buffalo count aligned with the available rangeland forage so everything stays within a healthy balance. Visitors can watch the cowboys round up the bison and then watch the bison run into the check-up area. You can read all about it at Custer’s Buffalo Round-Up: An Honest Review.
This same weekend, the Volksmarch is held at Crazy Horse Monument, where visitors can make the 6-mile trek to the top of Crazy Horse. Read all about it at Walking to the Top of Crazy Horse.
June, July, and the second half of August.
Pretty much anytime in the summer is great because it’s such a big area. If you are visiting Sylvan Lake at Custer State Park or Deadwood in the middle of the day, there’s a good chance that parking will be challenging. Besides that, though, the crowds are very manageable, even at popular places like Mount Rushmore.
As far as temperatures go, on average, the high gets into the 80s in these months, but I have personally seen it reach the 100s when I was visiting one July. I think that is a rare occurrence, but it did happen and it was incredibly hot.
Tourist activities are firing on all cylinders and it’s nice to have a good variety to choose from.
Even though this is peak travel season, and lodging costs are at a premium, the Black Hills, in general, is still less than any other national park area I have visited.
Sturgis (first 2 weeks of August). Over 500,000 people visit the tiny town of Sturgis and the Black Hills these 2 weeks. The awesome roads winding through Custer State Park are a real draw to motorcyclists. This is a great time to go if you are into motorcycles and Sturgis… and a terrible time if you are not.
Crazy crowds, increased lodging prices, and some crazy stuff happening that will make you want to cover your kids’ eyes! Seriously. Don’t go the first 2 weeks of August.
Winter in General. Things are pretty quiet from November through April. The Black Hills get snow and most of the fun touristy things to do are either only open a few hours a week or closed altogether. If you are only into the national park sites and don’t mind the snow and cold, this may be a good time for you.
One of my favorite things to do in the Black Hills is bike the George Mickelson Bike Trail, and I wouldn’t want to attempt it in the winter. Because I think the Black Hills handles crowds well, it’s not worth it to me to visit when things aren’t open and it’s cold. Plus some roads close in Custer and Wind Cave National Park.
–Switch locations or stay in Rapid City. Since the Black Hills are so big, it makes sense to switch lodging locations to avoid over-driving. We like to stay in Custer and then near Deadwood. If you like having a home base the whole trip, Rapid City works well.
-Arrive at Sylvan Lake and Deadwood before 9 am to be able to park during the busy season.
–Stick around for the evening program at Mount Rushmore. It’s super patriotic and is one of our favorite things to do there. Read all about it Mount Rushmore Evening Lighting Ceremony: My Experience.
–Visit a cave. Both Jewel Cave and Wind Cave are really cool. Visit at least one of them.
–Check RV Restrictions. The Needles Highway and Iron Mountain Road have some pretty tight tunnels. Make sure your RV will fit before attempting to drive these.
I would go back at the beginning of June. While dining at the Alpine Inn on our last trip, the owner told us that the Black Hills gets a good crowd Memorial Day weekend, and then they have a real quiet time until the third week of June when the real tourism season kicks off.
We felt that to be true. It was easy to find parking, it wasn’t crowded, and we didn’t mind it being jacket-weather. The Badlands were gorgeous with the green prairies, and the waterfalls were great in Spearfish Canyon. Plus, we were able to visit Yellowstone on the same trip. It was perfect.
Being a person who usually stays in hotels, enjoys wildlife and national parks, and loves to hike, bike, paddle, and do all the touristy things… that is the best time for me.
But of course, the best time of year to visit varies on your personal travel style. Always consider:
The Black Hills are incredible! Need a game plan so you don’t miss out on the best things to do? Check out our Black Hills Itinerary. Got bigger plans and want to visit Yellowstone too? We have a plan for that also.
Most travelers want to visit the most popular sites and still avoid the crowds. We have a detailed itinerary that gives you a step-by-step game plan so you can get to the best places at the right times!
Not only that, but we’ll tell you about the parks while you drive with our audio guide! Make trip planning easy and download our itinerary today!
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