For a small Midwestern state, South Dakota has big things to offer Park Chasers. Home to 6 National Park Service Sites (including 2 National Parks), South Dakota has more than 3.8 million visitors each year.
Badlands National Park
A great American road trip to the west would not be complete without a trip to Badlands National Park. Whether it is the scenery, the hiking or the wildlife, the Badlands have something to offer every member of your family. Check out ParkChaser’s “Badlands National Park in Pictures” for more info.
Passport Cancellation Information
Passport stamps can be found at the Ben Reifel Visitor’s Center
25216 Ben Reifel Road
Interior, SD 57750
Jewel Cave National Monument
Jewel Cave is the third longest cave in the world and offers one of the best cave tours in the National Park Service. With several tours to chose from, visitors can spend an hour or two on the Scenic Tour, or get up close with the cave on a Wild Caving Tour. In the summer, historic lantern tours allow visitors to travel through the cave by candlelight, seeing the underground formations the same way early cave explorers did.
Passport Cancellation Information
Passport stamps can be found at the Jewel Cave Visitor’s Center
13 miles west of Custer, SD 57730 on US Highway 16
Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail
NPS Website
The Lewis & Clark Trail stretches across a vast portion of the United States from the Mississippi River in Saint Louis up the Missouri River and all the way to the Pacific Ocean, including a portion of the trail in South Dakota.
Passport Cancellation information
At 3700+ miles long, stamps for the Lewis & Clark Trail can be found in 11 different States and multiple Visitor Centers in South Dakota. Sites can be found on this map:
Minuteman Missile National Historic Site
Very few sites in the National Park Service commemorate the dark and challenging political times of the Cold War. Minuteman Missile NHS preserves a once operational Minuteman II ballistic missile system. Visitors can look down into the Delta-09 missile silo, one of 150 spread across western South Dakota or can purchase tickets to tour the Delta-01 Launch Control Facility and go 30 feet underground into the world of a Minuteman Missileer.
Passport Cancellation Information
Stamps for the Delta-09 missile silo and Delta-01 Launch Control Facility can be found at the Minuteman Missile NHS Visitor’s Center:
Exit 131 – off Interstate 90 (near Interior, SD and Badlands National Park).
Mount Rushmore National Memorial
More than 3 million people visit Mount Rushmore National Memorial each year. Visitors come from all over the world to learn about how each of the four presidents carved into the granite memorial shaped our nation’s history. Park Chasers recommends that all visitors attend the Night Program at Mount Rushmore for an unforgettable National Park ranger-led experience.
Passport Cancellation Information
Two stamps are available at Mount Rushmore National Memorial. The first is available in the bookstore nearest the front entrance (not the concessionaire) or available in the Museum Visitor Center desk below the amphitheater. A second stamp is also available at the Sculptor’s Studio bookstore, a short paved hike from the main entrance.
Wind Cave National Park
Wind Cave National Park was one of the earlier parks established in our National Park Service. It was set aside as a wildlife preserve for the hundreds of bison that roam the nearby prairies, but is also home to one of the longest and most complex caves in the world. Tours of Wind Cave are offered 362 days per year allowing visitors to see the rare and intricate ‘boxwork’ formations, found in few other places in the world.
Passport Cancellation Information
The Wind Cave National Park passport stamp can be found in the bookstore at the Visitor’s Center. The Visitor Center is located 11 miles north of Hot Springs off U.S. Hwy 385, about 1/2 mile west from the highway. Do not use your GPS to find the visitor center — you will get lost. Many GPS units locate the park visitor center north on State Road 87. The coordinates for the Visitor Center are N43 33′ 22″ W103 28′ 38″.
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