BLACK HILLS
Ever go on a trip so perfect that you just are in denial for months and months that it’s over? That’s me, right now, jumping on into this Black Hills guide in the grips of my post-vacation depression.
The lesson here: there is so much more to see here that isn’t Mt. Rushmore. Trust.
One of the icons of the Black Hills is the Needles Highway. This is a legendary stretch of road along South Dakota Route 87 that will nearly make your head explode at every turn and rock tunnel. It should not be missed.
The hike we chose to do along the Needles Highway was the loop around Sylvan Lake which now ranks among my favorite hikes. In my brain, I assumed a loop around the lake would quite literally be a loop around the lake. While yes, it does follow that path, the trail takes a climbing over rocks turn which is one of my favorite things to do. Crab walking over a rocky surface? Hell yeah, more of that please.
Another quick detour on the Wildlife Loop in Custer State Park. At first we knocked it for being boring, but later were almost charged by a mother buffalo for scaring her calf by rolling down our car window. In that moment, I was positive it was going to be my end as I was gored through the car door of a rental Hyundai. It’s not a dull drive, that’s for sure.
While I was on this trip I was a mission to check off my 46th state. Which of course meant I had to find a reason to get into Nebraska. That reason was none other than Toadstool Geographical State Park. An extension of the Badlands and Badlands-esque landscapes, this park pops right on up in the middle of the Oglala Grasslands like it’s totally nbd.
To say it feels like a different planet feels like an understatement. There’s so much on earth that feels extraterrestrial, but considering this place is usually pretty empty it actually feels like you got dropped off via a spaceship by your new alien overlords. That, or perhaps you’ve simply fallen into a portal and have gone back to a time when dinosaurs roamed free. Either way, ain’t no way this feels like Nebraska.
This park gets its weird little name from many of these rock formations resembling toadstools. Now, if you’re like me around the time of this trip and are like sorry what the fuck is a toadstool? It’s just another word for photogenic forest mushrooms. In short, the rocks look like the mushroom emoji.
The park is desolate beyond compare, so with the guidance of a vague sign that advertised the Drifter’s Cookshack we just journeyed on further into the plains. This total prize of the grasslands is the actual cutest place on the planet. It’s a hotel, restaurant, saloon, and fake town complete with an authentic school house and blacksmith shop all on one beautiful property. They hadn’t opened for the season yet when we stopped in, however the owner opened up the small general store for us so we could buy a sarsaparilla for the road and chat it up about how badly we don’t ever want to leave (not to freak him out or anything).
To me, part of the magic of this place aside from the friendly kitties running around was the sight of an incoming storm making its way across the plains. This seems odd, but if I reflect on moments in my life I felt peak serenity, it’s that moment. Black sky, sarsaparilla in hand, kittens at my feet, the scent that hits before the storm does… mentally, I’m still there??
