There is a three-state stretch in the north-midwest part of the United States, Idaho, Wyoming and South Dakota, where some of the most remarkable sights in the country can be found. The best way to experience it is by car but you need to map out your journey before taking off as so much of the beauty can be hidden from plain sight though a few surprises still remain.
We had a chance to take a road trip that took us from Idaho to North Carolina but, as we were on a time schedule, the bulk of our sightseeing trip ended in South Dakota. As always, this log only touches the tip of the iceberg of possibilities to see in this part of the country but they were our favorites. Let’s start at the westernmost point . . .
Like so many places to visit in the middle part of the country, Balanced Rock is “out of the way” but well worth the journey. There is a small parking area at the base of the rock formation and a somewhat healthy climb up the relatively steep wall face. Not dangerous but definitely not exactly casual. Near the top, you can decide how far up you want to proceed (it does involve some rock climbing) but you can get great pictures from almost anywhere.
- The best way to get there is through Buhl on US Hwy 30 (Thousand Springs Scenic Byway) and follow the signs to Balanced Rock.
- Balanced Rock was slowly carved by wind and weather over time. Created 15 million years ago by multiple volcanic eruptions, the area is part of a rhyolite lava formation.
- In 1929 a local who was “tired of waiting for the blamed thing to fall” tried to bring the rock down with a pickaxe. This incident, along with other acts of vandalism, caused local caretakers to add cement to the narrow neck for increased support sometime in the mid-1970s.
- Some interesting numbers . . . the rock is 48 feet wide, weighs 40 tons . . . the pedestal is only 3 feet 17 inches.
- There is a park just down the street that stays pretty cool in the summer. It is below the highway in a box canyon and is a great spot for a picnic or some fishing in Salmon Falls Creek.
Unless you’re a waterfalls buff there’s a good chance you’ve never even heard of Shoshone Falls in southern Idaho. Would it surprise you to learn that Shoshone is 45 feet higher than Niagara Falls? That’s how it got the moniker “Niagara of the West”. Learn more about Shoshone Falls (including video and more pictures).
- The only cost to get into the viewing area is for parking ($5 per car). A short walk gets you to several overlook spots perfect for pictures and video.
- The falls were created around 14,500 years ago in the Pleistocene ice age during a massive flood.
- The Shoshone Falls are named for the Lemhi Shoshone or Agaidika (“Salmon eaters”) people.
- The first written recording of the falls existence didn’t happen until 1847 when a migrant group numbering 4,000 strong found the site. A Roman Catholic Bishop Augustin-Magloire Blanchet made note in his journal calling them the Canadian Falls.
- Some interesting numbers . . . the falls are 212′ (65 m) high, 925 feet (282 m) wide. The water flow can range from 300 cubic feet per second ((8.5 m3/s) during dry seasons all the way up to 20,000 cubic feet per second (570 m3/s) in spring/early summer.
SHOSHONE FALLS FAQ's
LOCATION: Twin Falls, Idaho, USA
HOURS: Dawn to Dusk daily
COST: $5 per car
TIME TO COMPLETE: 30 minutes to an hour
ACCOMODATIONS: Large parking lot, public restrooms and multiple viewing platforms
If you enjoy outdoor living, Jackson Hole might just be paradise. The area has incredible hiking, biking, skiing, rafting and hunting in its 1.7 million acres, the largest National Forest in the continental United States. Ironic given that Wyoming has the smallest population of any state in the country, a measly five citizens per square mile. Don’t be surprised if you see an occasional elk casually strolling across any street in town.
- In the town square, every Monday through Saturday at 6 pm, you can see the world’s longest running shootout . . . old west-style.
- Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, considered one of the best ski resorts in the world, is home to the longest continuous vertical rise of any ski resort in the United States. It gains 4,139 feet of elevation from the valley floor to the very top of the tram.
- Jackson Hole Airport (JAC) is the only airport in the United States that is located completely inside a national park.
- More than 60 types of mammals, 100 types of birds and six different game fish call the Jackson Hole/Yellowstone area their home.
- “The Big Trail”, John Wayne’s breakout role, was filmed in Jackson Hole in 1932.
On the Reel
Shane (1953)
Starring Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur and Van Heflin. Directed by George Stevens.
Based on the classic Jack Schaefer novel, Shane is one of the most iconic westerns ever made. It tells the story of a gunfighter who wants to stop killing and settle down but struggles to change leading to an inevitable showdown with another gunfighter played to perfection by Jack Palance.
The magnificent Grand Tetons mountain range is indeed a sight to behold yet it is only a small part of what the park itself has to offer. The park also offers many beautiful lakes, fed by numerous mountain streams, groves of aspen trees, forested buttes and over 1,000 species of vascular plants.
- In 1929, the year the Park was first opened, 51,500 people visited the park. By 2017 that number had increased 64 times to well over 3 million.
- The Teton range is the youngest mountain range in the Rocky Mountains with its origins dating back 6-9 million years.
- The park is home to a tremendous variety of wildlife including 300 species of birds, bison, mountain lions, coyotes, bobcats, Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, moose, elk, river otter, marten and badger.
- Some interesting numbers . . . 309,994 total acreage, 13,770 feet is the highest elevation point, 6,310 feet is the lowest elevation point, $35 per car is the entrance fee.
- The park was greatly expanded in 1950 primarily through the efforts of billionaire John D. Rockefeller, who purchased and then donated a tremendous amount of the land that is today under federal protection.
GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK FAQ's
LOCATION: Moose, Wyoming
HOURS: All day everyday
COST: 7-day pass – $35 per car, $30 per motorcycle, $20 per hiker/biker
TIME TO COMPLETE: 1 full day
ACCOMODATIONS: Large parking lot, public restrooms and Visitor Center
On the Reel
Centennial (1978)
Starring Raymond Burr, Barbara Carrera and Richard Chamberlain. Directed by John Wilder.
This epic mini-series tells the story of the great state of Colorado spanning events from the mid-18th-century thru the early 20th-century. Though the story takes place in Colorado yet much of the footage was filmed at the Grand Tetons.
Just a few miles north you will find the world-famous Yellowstone National Park, home of the most famous geyser of them all, Old Faithful. This massive park was not only the very first national park ever, established in 1872, it also contains 92 trailheads that incorporate around 1,000 miles of trails. There is an impressive number of animals in the park including a few threatened species, the Canada lynx and Grizzly bears as well as the largest free-roaming herd of bison in the world.
- Old Faithful lives up to its name, erupting on cue around every 92 minutes. It is also just one of the over 300 active geysers in the park. There are more than 290 waterfalls as well.
- Some interesting numbers . . . 3,472 square miles, 11,358 feet is the highest elevation point, 5,282 feet is the lowest elevation point, 1,800 unique archaeological sites, 1,000-3,000 earthquakes annually, 466 miles of roads and 15 miles of boardwalks.
- The park has 5 separate entrances allowing access from all four points but, be aware, as the park is so huge maintenance of the roads is near impossible. This means the park is shut down throughout much of the snow season. Call ahead to check the status if traveling in the winter months.
- Yellowstone National Park is larger than Delaware and Rhode Island combined!
- If traveling east on Hwy 26 from Yellowstone be sure to catch a glimpse of the North Breccia Cliffs, a unique and beautiful mountain range.
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK FAQ's
LOCATION: Wyoming and a little bit of Montana and Idaho
HOURS: 9am-5pm daily (Park will close during heavy snowfall season)
COST: 7-day pass – $35 per car, $30 per motorcycle, $20 per hiker/biker
TIME TO COMPLETE: 3-4 days
ACCOMODATIONS: Large parking lot, public restrooms, (5) Visitor Centers and (4) Museums
This sacred place among many Northern Plains Indian tribes is home to a plethora of legends and constant amazement at its uniqueness. The area was once a haven for bears and today continues to be a site of ceremonial rituals, including sun dances, sweat lodges and prayer services.
- Notice the “correct” spelling of Devils Tower does not include the grammatically correct apostrophe. We can thank President Theodore Roosevelt for this. In 1906, when preparing the documents declaring this pillar the first National Monument ever, he simply forgot to make the word “Devil” possessive. It has stuck ever since.
- A Lakota legend explains the ridges along the sides of the tower as follows: Two young girls were being chased by bears when they were miraculously saved by the Great Spirit lifted the ground underneath their feet up to safety. The bears attempted to scale the new mountain in pursuit but only succeeded in leaving their claw prints all along the edges.
- The tower was first scaled in 1893 with the fastest ascent on record being 18 minutes. In 2018, Bill Weber became the oldest person, at age 91, to successfully reach the tower’s summit. It took him 16 hours.
- The tower has had many names over the centuries including “Bear’s Tipi” (Arapahoe), “Bear Lodge” (Lakota), “Mao Tepee” or “Bear Lodge” (Sioux).
- The tower stands at 12,650 feet in the air, more than 4 football fields!
On the Reel
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Starring Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut and Teri Garr. Directed by Steven Spielberg.
The movie that made special effects history and also introduced many to Devils Tower. The tower is the symbol of obsession for intersecting storylines in this Steven Spielberg classic sci-fi drama. Watch for a mashed potato replica of the tower in a truly memorable dinner scene.
While Deadwood is best known as the final resting places of western legends Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane the town deserves a far richer place in the annals of infamous western lore. Nestled in a valley surrounded by the Black Hills, Deadwood was in many ways a microcosm of the wild west. It was violent, lawless and fraught with tales of unimaginable cruelty yet also filled with men and women displaying remarkable courage and resolve.
- Gold was first discovered by cavalrymen under the command of Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer. Despite the fact it was land that had been granted to the Sioux in the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie, the area was quickly populated by prospectors looking for a quick strike.
- One of the more notorious “residents” in town, albeit in jail and then only for a few weeks, was Harry Alonzo Longabaugh, better known to all as the “Sundance Kid.”
- In the early days, when it was still just an outpost, the ratio of men to women reached 200:1. One of the women was Martha Jane Cannary Burke, aka “Calamity Jane.” Though the nature of the relationship is still unknown she certainly was, at the very least, an acquaintance of Hickok and his best friend Charlie Utter.
- The town name came from the plethora of dead trees still visible today on the surrounding Black Hills.
- The graves of Wild Bill and Jane are located along the main level of the Deadwood cemetery and clearly visible. The same can’t be said for the heroic Seth Bullock, the first real law in the town, whose resting place is a few miles further up the hill in a family plot.
On the Reel
Deadwood (2004)
Starring Timothy Olyphant, Ian McShane and Molly Parker. Created by David Milch.
Possibly the best western ever produced, Deadwood producers painstakingly researched their source material and created a remarkably realistic snapshot of the gold rush town deep in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Violent, gritty and sometimes perverse, this 3-season HBO production stands alone with Lonesome Dove in delivering small-screen excellence from the western genre.
Coming south on the 385, before diverting east to Mount Rushmore, consider continuing south for another 15 miles to visit the Crazy Horse Memorial. While the huge mountain carving is unique in itself the real treat is the Indian Museum of North America and the Native American Cultural Center. There is a treasure cove of Native American artifacts, mementos, artwork and relics that bring a new appreciation of the variety of cultures that once roamed the North American plains.
- It is likely the sculpture itself will never be completed. Construction began being carved out of Thunderhead Mountain in 1948 but has always struggled to get the necessary funding for such an ambitious project.
- If ever completed the Memorial is planned to stand 563 feet high and 641 feet long. The head of the sculpture alone is more than 87 feet high.
- Crazy Horse (Ta-Sunko-Witko), best known for defeating the troops of General George Armstrong Custer at the Battle of the Little Big Horn, was a well-respected military tactician and remarkably brave and fearless.
- The original sculptor, Korczak Ziolkowski, had previously been an understudy for Gutzon Borglum while working on the Mount Rushmore monument. Ziolkowski died in 1982 but his foundation carries on his vision.
CRAZY HORSE MEMORIAL FAQ's
LOCATION: Crazy Horse, South Dakota
HOURS: 8am-6pm daily
COST: $15 per person, $4 bus tour closer to the base of the memorial
TIME TO COMPLETE: 2 hours
ACCOMODATIONS: Large parking lot, public restrooms, Visitor Centers and (3) Museums
This iconic edifice epitomizes the sculptor Gutzon Borglum’s vision of wanting Mount Rushmore to become a “Shrine of Democracy.” While the choice of Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln were non-controversial the fourth face elicited much debate. Eventually, Teddy Roosevelt was chosen for his conservation efforts.
- When the project first started in 1927, the use of hand-held chisels and jackhammers was quickly abandoned in favor of strategically placed dynamite blasts.
- During the Depression, there was consideration of adding the face of women’s rights activist Susan B. Anthony to the monument but the funding could never be secured.
- The mountain is named after New York attorney Charles E. Rushmore, who had visited the area in 1885 and, upon hearing the rock face had no name, declared it should be called Rushmore. He later became the first private donator for the project.
- Eventually, over 450,000 tons of granite was removed, all of which accumulated in the basin below the rock face.
- While technically, and remarkably, not a single worker died during the construction of Rushmore many were reported to have eventually died of the lung disease silicosis, a direct result of inhaling the silica dust constantly in the air while working on the project.
MOUNT RUSHMORE FAQ's
LOCATION: Keystone, South Dakota
HOURS: 5am-11pm daily
COST: $10 parking fee only
TIME TO COMPLETE: 1 hour
ACCOMODATIONS: Large parking lot, public restrooms, Visitor Center and restaurant
On the Reel
North by Northwest (1959)
Starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
This classic Hitchcock film has a little bit of everything from mystery and intrigue to murder and romance. Many pivotal scenes were shot at the park but the climactic battle on the face of Mt. Rushmore itself was done entirely in the studio using set pieces, special effects, and clever camera work.
There is so much to see in the mid-Northwest that is unknown to many travelers. It is a great mix of stunning natural beauty, some American Midwest history and a sprinkle of manmade artistic achievement.
Have you ever been to this remarkable part of the United States? Can you suggest other places to visit? We’d love to hear all about them!
