Hiking at Custer State Park: Cathedral Spires, Needles Highway, Sunday Gulch, & Black Elk Peak!
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- Опубликовано: 9 сен 2020
- Our third day in South Dakota was spent exploring Custer State Park, one of the places we were most excited about during this trip and it did NOT disappoint! We went on three hikes, including to the highest point not only in South Dakota, but also East of the Rockies, and made some fun campfire meals. We hope you enjoy this adventure!
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See the rest of our South Dakota trip: • South Dakota
WHERE WE VISITED
Cathedral Spires: www.alltrails.com/trail/us/so...
Sunday Gulch: www.alltrails.com/trail/us/so...
Black Elk Peak: www.alltrails.com/trail/us/so...
CAMPGROUND: Bismarck Lake Campground www.recreation.gov/camping/ca...
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ABOUT US
Hi y’all! We’re Adam, Kathryn, and Kona, an adventurous married couple (+ pup!) living on the road in our self-converted sprinter van! You can often find us driving all around the US and Canada, scoping out the best coffee shops, eating tacos and ice cream (we're a 5+ taco and 2+ scoop household), and enjoying nature.
We created Adventures of A+K to help busy, budget conscious, and adventurous travelers maximize their vacation time and money wherever they go through detailed travel guides, vlogs, and resources. Our goal: to help you spend less time (and stress!) planning your trip and more time enjoying it!
We will be sharing 1-2 travel vlogs a week, so please SUBSCRIBE to follow along on our adventures! :)
Note: We’ve linked a handful of items so you can see exactly which products we take with us. Full disclosure--if you click on these links and make a purchase, we get a small commission at no extra cost to you. We will only ever recommend products we truly love, actually use during our adventures, and think you can benefit from too!
Read our South Dakota guides: adventuresofaplusk.com/blog/category/south-dakota
Check out South Dakota Tourism’s website to plan your own trip: bit.ly/southdakota-aplusk
See the rest of our South Dakota trip: ruclips.net/p/PLZKRTK1yCEM6Wn30wCYRfOJbPtjOh5p_v
Safety is our #1 priority and we want to stress that this adventure, and all future adventures, will be done responsibly and with the health of others in mind. Here are the steps we are taking everyday, including in these videos:
😷Masks and face coverings. We wear these anytime we are near others outside and especially indoors. If we don’t have a mask on in a video, it’s 99% because there was no one around.
⏰ Exploring early. We normally start at sunrise anyway because of less crowds, but especially so with COVID. We have been starting our days before sunlight so we can limit our interactions.
🧼 Washing and sanitizing our hands, especially after touching anything outside of the van.
🚐 Being in the van 95% of the time when we’re not filming. The adventures we share are a small sliver of our lives. We are staying in the van all day everyday when working and the only time we leave is to do laundry, get gas, or go to the store.
6️⃣ Keeping our distance. We are trying to stay at least 6 ft from others, which truthfully isn’t always possible (and then we make sure we cover our face).
Such a beautiful place and beautiful footage!!! How did you get permission to fly for drone footage since it’s a national park? It is like a permit you apply for? Thanks for any info☺️
Hi! Custer State Park is a state park, not a national park, and drones were allowed there at the time of our visit, as long as you do not fly in the wilderness area (which can be seen on flying maps). There is more info about the rules on the South Dakota state park website: gfp.sd.gov/camping-regulations/
Just got back from this area and had to thank you for your recommendation of Custer Burger and Bun. Fantastic meal!
Custer is such a secret nationally. I just tell people it's 'National Park' worthy to help them understand the level of beauty and adventure.
We totally agree! It is probably the best state park we have ever been to!
I remember crossing border into the USA from Canada. Border Patrol asked me where I was heading. Said South Dakota, he said with the most perplexed look "What for?"
Turns out Custer and South Dakota was one of my favourite spots I have ever visited.
Thanks for the video.
That makes us so happy to hear! It’s one of those places that not everyone knows how gorgeous it is. So glad you enjoyed it too!
@@AdventuresofAplusK ps. I had a black lab who was an absolute gem named Kona. You get a subscribe just for that !
Awww yay for Kona’s! ❤️
This video has me reconsidering my itinerary to add another day in Custer State Park. Beautiful and detailed. Thanks for sharing.
Dooo it! It was our favorite place in SD!
Mom and I went through the needles in my first car, 1976 Chevy Nova, the summer of 1976. Thanks for the memories. Love Love Love your videos❤
Oh that sounds fun! Thanks and thanks for watching!
Last comment...I promise! I just want to give you some well-deserved kudos on the gorgeous video of the sunset views from the tower, footage of the tower, and the music! Breathtaking!🏆
Between you and me...did I see a shadow of a cameraman? 😉
Also I can't find the Mt. Rushmore video I watched yesterday, so I'll make my comment here. I watched another vlog first, and all they had to say about it was that people said that they were underwhelmed, and thought it was small. What?!?!? I kind of scolded them, and shared how it made me proud, and patriotic, and brought me to tears. So sad they didn't understand the monument. And then I watched your response... and you guys nailed it!! You took the words right out of my mouth. But I believe most Amer6would agree.
Lastly, thank you for your videos, especially Custer State Park. We're not as adventurous as you, but again am inspired to spend more time there (despite the high entrance fee). I hope to see the burros and get caught in a bison rush-hour. Lol! Keep up the great work! 🥰
Thank you so much! And no camera man besides the two of us lol (we wish)! We do use a tripod sometimes 😉 We're really glad to hear you enjoyed our SD videos! We had the best time there and really loved getting to share it!
This video came up as a suggestion. Really happy it did as we enjoyed it very much. The view throughout the hike was beautiful. Sunset was breathtaking.
We’re so glad, thank you so much! ❤️
62 years of living in South Dakota myself, yet it took this wonderful, adventurous couple to really show me the Wonder and beauty of the Southern Black hills. Great job guys!
I was just there a few days ago and uploaded my video of Cathedral Spires Trail. Something cool they are doing after memorial day is you go on certain hikes and collect the "check points" and then turn them in for a limited edition park pin.
My wife and i were there just 2 weeks ago! We drove 6 hrs from denver for a quick weekend getaway! I would do it again in a heartbeat. Custer State Park his a hidden treasure and for those who find it will not be disappointed. Excited ti see where you guys go next!
We 1000% agree, such a treasure! We often hear about National Parks, not state parks, but it was just as awesome as a national park!
All I can say is BEAUTIFUL! Stay safe and healthy.
Thank you so much! And we will! So far so good 🤗
Y'all, we are SLEEPING on South Dakota! I am loving these videos and I can not wait to plan a trip!
We were sleeping on it too! But dang, it’s so incredible! 😍
You guys are just adorable! Found y’all when my husband of 25yrs and I started planning a trip to SD, WY, CO in Sept. We’ve added so much to our itinerary because of y’all - except maybe not the longer more strenuous hikes. Can’t wait to go back thru and watch all of your videos. We will definitely be trying out the Black Hills Burger & Bun Co from your other SD video.
We are so glad we have been able to give you some ideas! That burger spot is AMAZING! Just chatted with another van couple yesterday who went as well and loved it!
America never ceases to amaze and you are lucky to have such fantastic natural beauties on your doorstep.Nice video.All the best
Thank you Stephen! We agree, the US is full of beauty!
I moved to Rapid City 2.5 years ago and your videos gave me some great ideas for exploration. The needles tunnel is still spooky to drive through, even after several visits. I much prefer to take my small car through the tunnels vs. my pickup truck.
I still have to do cathedral spires hike, so came back to this video for a refresher.
I'm loving SD!
I've camped at both grizzly and Bismarck as well. Bismarck is in top 3 for campgrounds in the black hills.
I’ve been to many national and state parks across the US. In my opinion, Custer State Park is the best state park in the country. Custer is a state park that is on par with, or ever better, than a number of our national parks.
We totally agree! It was our favorite stop in SD and one of the coolest places we have been!
Loved the Needles Hwy! Saw a bunch of mountain goats in that tunnel!
That is so cool! I wish we had seen some!
The rock spires were inspiring. I cannot tell a lie.
One of the coolest things we have ever seen! 😱
Thanks for the info on different trails as we just hiked Black Elk Peak, your info & tips made our trip through Custer & SD better!
We are so happy to hear that!
The cinematography, the energy, but most of all the views... absolutely perfect! I especially loved how unique the hikes were :)
Thank you so much! We loved how every hike had something a little different. It made them all a blast!
Man, I'm glad these two got to enjoy the beautiful Black Hills...I live in a different state now, but I have literally been on every exact spot these two went, either running or hiking or just enjoying the view. I'm homesick!
What a beautiful place! Our favorite spot of our trip to SD!
Youll have a great itinerary...pumped!
I went to Custer state park a few years back . Didn't get to do any hiking because they didn't have the whole park because it was a year with more than normal snow.so they didn't have all levels of the park open yet...but it was worth going to again loved all the wildlife that we seen also💓
It’s such a special place! We hope you can go back and hike sometime!
It's so amazing watching you guys experience my state and all the beauty in it. So many people know of Mt Rushmore and the Black Hills, but it's rare to find people that know they are standing in the "flyover/farm" state. South Dakota has some very diverse land and ecosystems.
Also it shows huge respect to South Dakota when you guys pump out this many videos compared to some more populated states.
It’s sooo diverse and gorgeous! We had so much fun filming lots of videos in SD and can’t wait to come back!
@@AdventuresofAplusK Thanks for the response! You're welcome back anytime. 😁
Wow guys so cool! I thought the Sunday Gulch hike was the best, and then the sunset 🌇 one.... no words! With the view, the tower, the sunset, the music it moved me to tears, so incredible! You guy's vlogs make me want to come to the States and do the National Parks, thank you for you videos ❤❤❤
Thank you so much Cathy! It was such a magical day with endless views. It makes us so happy that we’re convincing you to visit ❤️
I can see why this was one of your favorite days! Such gorgeous views! The Needles Tunnel was so cool...although I can see why Adam was a bit worried about clearing it. Loved the foil wrap dinner and hobo pie...both looked so yummy...we can make those at the house too! 🤤😋
It was one of the best days of the summer! The scenery was unreal! And we highly recommend a hobo pie, we want to try them with all sorts of fillings!
Beautiful video of the Sylvan Lake area. I was there when I was twelve on a family vacation and got lost. Back then there were no trails so it was easy to get lost. Thanks for sharing !!
Oh wow, getting lost out there would be beautiful (and a bit scary haha)!
South Dakota looks absolutely gorgeous!!!
It is incredible! Custer State Park is especially magical! 😍
This is incredible! Definitely going!
I want to say that I was planing to go to the black hills at the end of September, and only spend two days, but you guys have convinced me that I can do 4 pretty easily and not feel that I ran out of things to see!! These videos came out at the perfect time for me!!!
We love when our videos have good timing! 🙌🏼 Have a great trip!
Love the videos , lovely scenery .
Great area. Beautiful state park and great wildlife. Not so crowded.
It's a gorgeous area! 😍And the lack of crowds on some hikes made it even better!
This is a great one ! We went here on our first family vacation in 2004. Got stuck in a bison jam in the evening, that was quite an experience! Your trip brought back so many memories! Thanks for a great one!
Bison jams are so much fun! Glad we can help you relive some memories 🤗
@@AdventuresofAplusK They are!!! Safe travels to you two! If you head to Missouri and need any tips, please feel free to reach out.
Thank you so much!
I just hiked there a few weeks ago and it was beautiful lived in South Dakota all my life and never have been there! I guess that’s perks of living on a small reservation! Thank you for making a series about good ol South Dakota ❤️
Oh wow! Better late than never! We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did 🤗
It’s an Awesome and Crazy day you both had! I can’t remember any other vlogs captured the Custer State park so nicely!!! I am on it and planning already! BIG THANKS!!! ☺️
Stay safe and keep traveling!!!
Thank you so much! 🥰
One of my favorite videos of yours. So surprisingly beautiful. The needles are so beautiful.
Thank you! We were pleasantly surprised with South Dakota!
Thank you for the info on the Sunday Gulch Trail in Custer State Park. We recently hiked this trail and were surprised with some snow which gave a completely different perspective. I gave your channel credit for the info and included a link. You all do a wonderful job filming and editing! I am new at this and film just using my cell phone, but I enjoy capturing our experience none the less. Thanks again for your amazing channel! God Bless!
Snow would’ve been SO cool to see!!! We are glad you were able to do the hike and thank you so much for the kind words and credit!
Awesome post as always. When I was there, mountain goats were licking minerals off the walls in the needles tunnel. Also Black Elk Peak hike is well worth the effort. Safe travels, Dave
Oh wow, that is cool! We didn’t see any mountain goats 😔 And we agree-Black Elk Peak was incredible!
There is so much more in South Dakota than I thought. So neat! Great video, y’all!
There sure is, it’s incredible! And thank you so much!
Our family loves watching your videos! We look so forward to seeing where you go next and adding places to our list. My 8 year old wanted to make sure we commented and say hello! Can't wait for the next one!
Hi Liz (and family)! Thank you all so much for watching! ❤️ And tell your 8 year old we say hello! 👋🏼
I just found your guys’ channel a week or so ago (I planned a hiking trip to South Dakota and wanted to check out the trails I planned) and I’ve been obsessed ever since. Have been binging all of your videos! Love them!
Hi Julie! Thank you SO much for watching! South Dakota is incredible, especially Custer State Park 😍
Oh man this was awesome!!!! The views were awe inspiring...so beautiful!!! Also the food you made looked so good!!! Can’t wait for the next one! Love you guys!
So happy you enjoyed this one Brad! This was such an incredible day. Much love back atcha! ❤️
That sunset view was so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes. I'm subscribing! Loving your videos.
Thank you so much Shannon! That sunset hike was absolutely magical!
Great video! Thank you!
Thanks Larry!
The Black Hills are majestic yet accessible... Extremely beautiful, but inviting to mere mortals.
We loved it so much!
South Dakota is shooting up my list of states to visit
Oh no, we are so sorry to hear that the fires are impacting you! We hope y’all continue to stay safe. So scary and sad what is happening on the West Coast right now 😭💔 We are glad you give you a little bit of an escape. Kona appreciates the scratches 🥰
Great video. I was here in 1967 when I was 12 years old and got lost while walking the area around Sylvan Lake and ended up near Harney Peak. No cell phones back then and no marked trails. I got lucky and was found around 6 pm after being lost for 8 hours. Please stay on the trails !
Oh gosh that's scary! So glad you were found and are okay!
Your videos bring back the time we spent in South Dakota. Every place you went, we saw also. We did the hike counter cock wise and it was fun. Nice video, well done. 👍👍🇺🇸
Thank you John! Happy to bring back some memories of this beautiful place! 🤗
Glad we found you guys. We are at Custer right now.
We hope you’re enjoying it as much as we did!
Planning on visiting south dakota in 2021 and this video really helps where we should visit. Thanks for sharing!
We are so happy to hear that! 😄🙌🏼
Wow, exceptionally well done cinematography. I've never been over to SD, so these places are definitely on my bucket list now
Thank you so much! And it’s a must-visit state for sure! 😍
The tunnel section of the video had my palms sweating. Great job with the videos!
The tunnel was crazy! 😱 Thank you so much!
I always ride iron mountain and needles hwy on my motorcycle once a year,such a blast.
That would be sooo fun on a motorcycle!
beautiful vlog! thank you
Thank you so much Kerry! 😀
This place looks so cool!
Those spires are wild! 😱
Just stumbled upon this channel, I am hooked! Incredible photography, scenery and narration! Looking forward to the next adventure!
Thank you so much Ronald, we really appreciate you watching! 🥰
Taking the direction that you took for Sunday Gultch is the best way to experience it in my opinion. When you are behind the dam if you would have head left it would have taken you around the rest of the way around the lake trail. Coming up the trail to Black Elk Peak there are a few areas on the way up that you can spot the lookout tower. If you aren’t familiar with the area it will be easy to miss. Nice to see it wasn’t windy up there. It can be quite windy. There are some more hidden areas like the reservoir that was used when the lookout was active. But either way the videos you look were fantastic! Glad you are enjoying our state!
Thank you for the insight! Do you go by the rock climbing wall (we saw people rock climbing) to get back around the lake the other side?
Great video guys. Loved the photography, music and commentary. It really helped me plan out my two days at Custer.
We are so happy to hear that!!!
This was so helpful. Amazing video !
We are so happy to hear that! Thank you!
i recommend you read Black Elk Speaks, if you want to learn more about him. Loved your video. I would of been crying, walking in the dark. LOL
Ooo thank you, we will check it out! Adam especially loves reading about Native American history. And we were pretty terrified in the dark haha, not going to lie 😬
I just found your channel!! Ran across it today. You guys are wonderful! I started with South Dakota. I haven't been there in many years but because of your video I want to go this summer . The hikes look amazing !! You make everything so fun . I plan on watching all your videos. 🤩🤩
Hi Pamela! Thank you so much for watching! South Dakota was such an incredible trip and we hope you can make it back there! We also hope you enjoy the other videos! 🥰
You did the same thing I did on the Sunday Gulch trail and go backwards. Somehow I misread the sign and thought it wasn't a strenuous trail until I started crossing back and forth over the little stream. Black Elk Peak is a great climb and the mountain itself is a sight to behold. It's visible from a lot of places in the central and southern Black Hills. Kudos on your bravery for doing the Peak hike in the dark. I don't think I would be brave enough to do a wilderness hike in the dark.
It was definitely a bit scary coming back in the dark, but we have experience doing it before and we just make a lot of noise in case there are any furry friends out there 😅
I was nervous driving my little car on Needles Hwy! I did see tour busses and RVs on that Hwy. This area is beautiful. I'm glad I found your channel.
I would’ve been nervous driving a car too! Thankfully Adam drove for us lol!
Amazing! Gosh, who knew SD was so diverse and interesting? I will add it to my list. Thanks for sharing.
We've been so excited to share how diverse and beautiful it is and get others excited about it!
@@AdventuresofAplusK You have done a stellar job. Way to go!
Thank you so much, we appreciate it! 🥰
Very detailed video and gives good info on the places and hikes!
We’re so glad you found it helpful! That’s our goal!
I loved Cathedral Spires hike...and my kids did too. Still have an amazing photo from there framed in my office. Another great vid I somehow missed. We are headed back to the Black Hills in June and this is getting me excited again. I also did that Black Elk hike years ago when it was still Mt. Harney...just incredible views.
We really want to go back to the Black Hills. Custer State Park could be a National Park. It's really amazing there! That's awesome you have a great photo with family from there!
Good golly, what a great video! I wish I had seen this before I took my family there last summer. Not sure we would have had time for all those trails, but probably would have tried to work parts of them. Custer was a complete surprise blessing adventure for us, which made it extra special. We dedicated a day to the Badlands. The 2nd day, we had a morning cave tour at Wind Cave, and planned on then going to Rushmore, but I decided with very little research that we should just pay a little money to take a scenic trip to Rushmore through Custer...best decision ever! We had a picnic at Lake Sylvan, climbed around and checked out the dam area, but didn't know about the cool Gully trail! We then drove the Needles hwy through 5 or 6 tunnels, including the Eye, connecting to the Iron Mt Rd, got surrounded by a huge herd of Buffalo, and then explored Rushmore. What an epic day, and everything was a surpise! Definitely wouldn't mind returning to do those hikes in this video though!
That's an epic trip! We're glad y'all had a good time and we're glad we could give you some ideas for the next visit! Thanks for watching!
We really wanna visit again south dakota after watching all 3 episodes, we didn’t know there’s so much to see in south dakota, we only went to crazy horse, mt. Rushmore and badlands. Anyways you guys are awesome, love watching your videos.
Those are all great spots! I think Custer State Park may have been our favorite. We highly recommend it if you go back!
Adventures of A plus K thank you😊 we will watch your video again when we go back so we can also visit all or if not most of the places you went to. Thank you.
I really love the quality of y'all's content. Linner, LOL, I like it. I hiked up Harney peak when is was 9 years old, and I will never forget it. Y'all are brave coming down in the dark. I think they let people in that tower, because of the difficulty to get there, it doesn't see as many tourists as you might think. I think the people willing to hike to great heights also have a greater respect for "other people's property," LOL.
Not going to lie, hiking down was a bit scary haha. We had hoped others would be too (safety in numbers!) and any noise freaked us out lol. I’m so glad they let people in the tower! Made the hike even more incredible than it already was 😍
Can't wait! We are headed there in two weeks from Louisiana.
Have a great time! It’s so beautiful and so much fun!
Such a great video! I would love to visit South Dakota someday!!!
Thank you so much Dani! And it’s such a gorgeous and diverse state, we couldn’t recommend it more!
Born and raised in South Dakota! Love to see you guys seeing the most beautiful spots in South Dakota! Before leaving should see if some of the westerners could show you some secret hiking! There’s a place on the way to spearfish canyon that is a old abandoned gold mine. Have to hike up to it but your able to go in it and explore it. Such a beautiful site to see! Plus fun fact about South Dakota. We have a rivalry saying West South Dakota is/or better East South Dakota. We split the line at the giant river that flows through our state (Missouri River)
Thank you so much Benjamin! That spot sound awesome! Unfortunately we left the state a couple weeks ago (our videos are usually a bit behind), but we will definitely be back and will have to check that out! And we were curious if there was a rivalry! We visited both sides and they are definitely different, but we had a great time in both 😃
West is the best. ;)
It's "Lupper" = Lunch + Supper! Also, "Pudgie Pie"... LOL! Love your channel!
Hahaha we haven’t heard it called that before! Fun to say though! And I knew there was another name for hobo pies lol! But we didn’t have a chance to google it, I can’t decide if I like hobo or pudgie better. Both are fun lol!
Great video. I was there first week of September for my birthday and did almost everything you did including the trail with the rails.
Such a gorgeous park! Probably our favorite spot in SD!
Love your channel. very good content. Just back from Custer park. What a beautiful park!!
Isn’t it crazy beautiful?! We loved it!
Awesome video, I watch a lot of you tube videos and y’all kept my attention for the entire video! Thumbs up and will continue watching! BTW, we are headed to SD next week!
Thank you so much Pamela! We hope you have a great trip!
I will be doing a NW U.S. trip this summer. This is on my list for sure! Thanks for the information and the excellent footage.
Woo! You won't be disappointed! It's gorgeous there!
As always beautiful photography, you captured the best views!!
I remember camping with my aunt and uncle and they used to wrap potatoes in foil with S&P and butter put them into the hot coals, we split them open and added leftover chili and shredded cheese, pretty tasty!!😋
Heading to Muskoka in Ontario this week, hoping for sunny weather , get in some great hiking and a few good meals 😊🍁
Oooo that sounds SO good with chili! And of course the cheese 😜 Have a great getaway! Hoping you get great weather and awesome views!
Such an awesome video! More people should visit and appreciate my home state of South Dakota! I will say though, I died laughing when I saw he had bear spray on their hike to Cathedral Spires (for those of you that don't know, there are no bears within a few hundred miles of the Black Hills, lol)
Thanks Max! Haha we keep it on us pretty much at all times for safety against any animal or even humans 😉
There have been a few black bear sightings in the last three years or so. They’re starting to come back.
@@joyfulinhope1210 true...I was laughing more because the chances of running into one there are insanely small, especially compared to Glacier or Yellowstone. But who knows...the Hills may have a thriving population again someday!
Max, my man. I'm sorry to tell you this, but the bears dont know or care where you think they are suppose to be. I have seen a bear in Sacramento, Ca....very far from their natural habitat in that area.
Fires, urban growth, weather, and many other forces play on the reactions of wild animals!
Plus, the worst creature in the woods is other people. And bear spray is legal to carry, thereby making it an excellent self defense weapon.
🤙🤙🤙
@@GratefulOverlander @GRATEFUL OUTDOORS haha, I'm not saying you shouldn't have some protection against other people or hostile wildlife, but just saying that as a resident of the Black Hills who ran and hiked hundreds of miles throughout the Hills, I never saw any trace of bear :) I know there have been sightings, but my point is it's rare
I only pointed it out because it cracks us locals up because we only carry bear spray in Yellowstone or Glacier. In the Hills we fend off anything with our fists and walking sticks (totally kidding 😉)
Wow! So glad I found you two. You’ve been a lot of places that I have also seen parts of. In this case, we drove through the spires just after sunset on the way to Keystone. Great to finally see what we missed in the dark.
Custer State Park could be a national park. It’s so incredible!
26:00 WE SSSSURVIVED!!! 👋 HILARIOUS
Thank you so much for watching!
@@AdventuresofAplusK your welcome BEAUTIFULS
I love it! Hello from NC USA❤️
Hello! So glad you enjoyed it!
For foil dinners, one of my favorites is potatoes cut in cubes, ring sausage cut in pieces, half or thirds of corn on the cob, onions, salt, pepper and whatever seasonings you want and cook. Some add peas, green beans, etc. peas do turn mushy I think though.
Oooo this sounds really good with the sausage! We will have to try this next time! Thank you for sharing it with us 😄
This is the first video of your we found. Loved it!
Hi Dave and Kathy! Thank you so much for watching! We’re happy you stumbled upon our vlogs and enjoyed it!
17:42 I had to rewind this part cause I coulda swore Adam said "You put your feelings in there with it." 😂
It's been several years since our family was to Custer Nat'l Park. Your overhead shots of the area were spectacular!
It's one of our favorite parks! Thanks and thanks for watching!
Hi from hazy WA. Great drone shots! It is breathtaking. I think Kona was nervous when Adam was nervous driving through those tunnels. You guys' nice team work made this video super fun. Caster state park is amazingly beautiful!!
We hope you’re staying safe with all of the fires! Kona is a nervous little gal, always nervous about something haha 😅 Thank you so much for the kind words, we’re glad you enjoyed it! 🥰
I see tour buses go through the tunnel of the needles eye. It’s a great highway, I love the iron mountain road in Custer state park. I took that hike years ago with my dad harney peak, I remember it at the tower.
Those buses are brave! Haha
Thank you for this amazing video! We are planning to go to South Dakota for the second time this summer. We weren’t able to hike last time but this time it’s one of our main goals. You covered so much in this video and I hope we can do it all!
We hope y’all have a great trip! This was a busy day, but worth it if you have the ability and don’t mind being tired haha
@@AdventuresofAplusK We definitely won’t do it all in one day - that was really impressive!
Nice linner! If you guys like cherry or apple cobbler, try canned biscuits in the bottom of a pan then cover with topping. Don't forget to spray the bottom and sides of pan. Cook on low fire if using Dutch oven.
That sounds soooo good! 😋😋
Foil pack is a great way of cooking spuds! As we say in certain parts of the UK, Potatoes everywhere else. Wrap in foil, put in a fire, after an hour or so, you're laughing, cooked with lovely crispy dark skins you can eat too, though not everyone does. I say it's like a treat of having an outdoor BBQ.
Yes that is always a fun and yummy way to cook spuds out in the wild! Thanks for watching!
It’s amazing you did black elk peak in 3 hours. You two are in amazing condition!
Took me 4 hours to get to the top and 2 hours to come back down. Took plenty of tests along the way and I wasn’t in any sort of decent conditioning at the time but we made it! Did in 2018. I do want to go back.
Way to go on making it to the top! 🙌🏼
Awesome hiking and food. We hope to go to SD next year
It’s amazing out there!
Foil pack meals while camping is king
True dat
First time viewer, great content! My first night in Rapid City and this video pops up. Planning on some quality time in Custer State Park. Hiked Black Elk Peak from the longer, steeper less traveled north side 3 years ago, think I'll go the way you did this time.
If MN trips are in your future, head up to the North Shore of lovely Lake Superior from Duluth up to Grand Marais and beyond, 7 state parks, the 300+ mile Superior Hiking Trail and the magnificent Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
Have an awesome trip! And we are hoping to visit MN next summer and will definitely check out those spots you mentioned. It looks gorgeous up there!
Loved, loved, loved this video ❤️❤️ So much variety and so much going on. The Needles highway was insane. I'm too scared to put my car in the tiny garage that came with our house, goodness knows how you plucked up the courage to drive through there!! 😖 Sylvan Lake was beautiful, I'm assuming that it was close to the parking lot too as you started the hike there? Amazing that as you say, on a Saturday, in peak summer, and at a time when lots of people are choosing to hike in the countryside who wouldn't have opted to do it prior to Covid, you guys still managed to have that peak to yourselves at sunset. You always manage to capture the most beautiful colours. I'm starting to feel like I did South Dakota all wrong and I need to go back and see it properly!
We have been SO pumped to share this one and are so glad you loved it! I (Kathryn) have horrible depth perception, but in the good way where I think I am always going to hit something, when in reality I am not close (much better than the alternative!). I would've thought I was scraping the sides of the van the whole time lol! We were mind blown that we had 2 out of the 3 hikes all to ourselves for the most part...absolutely crazy! 😱
I am glad you have enjoyed my home state...
Now you can see why I head to the Hills and CSP every year when I finish Classes. CSP and Black Elk Wilderness help me deal with my PTS(D) and re-energizes me... I know last time I commented that you said you'd be back to camp in Black Elk Wilderness, and Drive Iron Mountain Road... Just as a heads up... the best way to drive Iron Mountain Road is from CSP going north towards Keystone/Mt. Rushmore. This gives you the views through the tunnels towards Mt. Rushmore.
Thank you for those tips! Someone asked us today the best way to drive, so we will let them know so they can get the best experience! 😄And we can totally see why you love going there, it's so stunning!
That was an awesome video. Really great production all around and you captured some incredible scenery. The drone shots were stunning too. I was reminiscing about the Black Hills via RUclips and stumbled upon this video. I am very happy I did and now I am going to check out the rest of your channel.
We did a Dakotas vacation in 2017. It was our first true road trip with our boys and the first trip we planned ourselves. It was a great trip and now we try to do a big trip every year. As for the Black Hills, just a beautiful area and Custer is a gem of a park. We didn’t get a chance to do Black Elk Peak but did do Sunday Gulch and the Cathedral Spires. There is a great picture of me sleeping sitting up in the dirt in the gulch area with a child carrier on my back. We did this hike mid-afternoon in the 90 degree heat and I was carrying our youngest in a child carrier (~35 lbs). All of those factors combined and it just kicked my butt. Amazing trail though and a funny memory to look back on. If you get a chance to return Little Devil’s Tower is a great hike with 360 degree views. There is a fun rock scramble at the top as well. We also did a secret hike called Poet’s Table that is worth the effort to find. Really a fun and unique adventure. I would liken it to that desk on the hill down near Alpine, TX.
Again awesome video!
Thanks so much Michael! And 90 degrees + carrying a kiddo, way to go! That sounds brutal and that nap seems much deserved haha! We still need to make it to the desk in Alpine and Poet's Table. We love stuff like that!
@@AdventuresofAplusK us too! We love trying to find those unique and unusual features. Unfortunately, the original Poet’s Table was stolen and destroyed by two individuals a few years ago. I know they were caught and I believe they were prosecuted as well. A new Poet’s Tables was made and placed in the original location. So it is still there, just not the original.
Thanks for the video! We are planning a trip there in June. Hitting up Black Hills, Badlands, Custer State Park, etc.
Have a blast! It’s a gorgeous area!
Did you know that Sylvan Lake is where the filmed portions on National Treasure 2? Also, when we went in late June my brother and I swam out to the big rock and were jumping off of them into the ice cold water. We were traveling on this big trip during the summer of 2020 and my brother and mom did the Sunday Gulch trail, and my mom, being a nurse, told him not to touch the rails because he might get Covid, so like a couple steps in, he falls. No injuries, so a funny memory for us.
That's a fun fact!
Oh no! Glad he's okay!