Dog Friendly Black Hills, South Dakota
There are many dog friendly options available when visiting the Black Hills in South Dakota. We had a great time hiking, cruising scenic drives, and exploring!
Mount Rushmore Viewpoint
Mount Rushmore’s National Monument State Park is not dog friendly. Unfortunately in our research there are minimal locations near the State Park it to catch a glimpse of Mount Rushmore too.
So, if you want to see Mount Rushmore with your pup, an option is to drive Iron Mountain Road. We recommend driving this from South to North. Going this direction also give you a view of Mount Rushmore through a tunnel which it pretty neat.
Iron Mountain Road is a narrow winding 36 mile long road that gives you several peeks of Mount Rushmore. You will see it during the drive but there are minimal pullover options so we recommend a stop at Norbeck Overlook. This overlook requires a walk up a very short concrete path to see Mount Rushmore. Just be warned, the mountain is still pretty far away.
Custer State Park
If you are looking for a dog friendly park head to Custer State Park. This park costs $20 per vehicle.
You can drive the Wildlife Loop to get your fill of wild buffalo, burrows, prairie dogs and pronghorn deer.
We saw plenty of wildlife from just doing the drive so if you prefer to say in your car, it’s still a great drive. The corgis enjoyed viewing the buffalo from the comfort of their dog car seats.
If you want to get out and hike the trails ARE dog friendly! We didn’t take this opportunity as it was very cold with sleet and rain during our visit. We did however hop out at Heddy Draw Overlook which is a very short path to a nice lookout over the valley.
Overall, be aware that some of these roads get narrow and very windy and we would not recommend taking a RV through. Also, if you have motion sickness, make sure to take your Dramamine or wear your SeaBands especially on Iron Mountain Road.
Rapid City Brewery Scene
Any place that allows dogs INDOORS gets a gold star in our book. We stopped at Dakota Point Brewing and Lost Cabin both which allow dogs inside. It was cold and rainy during our visit so the patio wasn’t an option. Both locations brought the corgis water and were more than happy to let them lounge in their taprooms.
We would highly recommend visiting dog friendly Black Hills, South Dakota! For more dog friendly travel options, make sure to check out our posts here!