SEA-Yellowstone-Deadwood-DN-SLC

[tony32408]

When are you going again? I think you said first week of August so you may be okay as the Sturgis Rally starts August 7 and the place will be booked and busy around Rapid City. First time I looked into visiting Mount Rushmore we wondered why the hotel prices were so high then discovered it was during the rally. No. Made different plans. We were there instead in June a couple of years ago and the locals were telling us how crazy busy it is during the rally.

Third through the 5th. I guess I got lucky lol. The prices are still pretty high. What I'm really wanting to find is something more rustic to match the setting.

[glc]

The lowest prices I can find in the area for those dates is the Whitetail Creek Resort in Lead. I'd contact them now before they book out, it will be starting to get busy then.

http://www.whitetailcreekresort.com/

Note that it's pronounced leed, not like the metal.

[AZBuck]

There are several sites that allow homeowners to rent out their homes (including secluded 2-3 bedroom cabins in the woods). I've done a cursory search in the Rapid City area for your stated dates and found several in the $200/night range. Remember that's for entire houses on acreage! If that seems like what you're looking for, do a search on the terms 'VRBO' (vacation rental by owner), 'vacation rental', 'homeaway', etc. - also including 'Rapid City SD' in the search.

AZBuck

[Midwest Michael]

Third through the 5th. I guess I got lucky lol. The prices are still pretty high. What I'm really wanting to find is something more rustic to match the setting.

To be brutally honest, Traveling to the Black Hills this August, even though you'll technically be there a few days before the starts, strikes me as a horrifically bad idea.

I hadn't even considered that they would be foolish enough to hold the rally this year. Traveling at that time is always a little extra challenging, and in a normal year, that would be something to keep in mind, but not necessarily keep you from doing the trip. However, anyone going to any event like the rally this year is someone I would assume is someone who isn't going to care one bit about your health or the health of anyone else around them. It's safe to assume that social distancing and masks will not be something you should expect to see.

I know it's not what you want to hear, but the Black Hills will still be there next year and the year after that. Traveling anywhere this year comes with challenges, but the Black Hills on the same week as the Sturgis Rally during the pandemic would be up there with flying to Florida to go bar hopping in terms of bad ideas. I really would recommend changing either your timeline or your destination.

[tony32408]

To be brutally honest, Traveling to the Black Hills this August, even though you'll technically be there a few days before the starts, strikes me as a horrifically bad idea.

I hadn't even considered that they would be foolish enough to hold the rally this year. Traveling at that time is always a little extra challenging, and in a normal year, that would be something to keep in mind, but not necessarily keep you from doing the trip. However, anyone going to any event like the rally this year is someone I would assume is someone who isn't going to care one bit about your health or the health of anyone else around them. It's safe to assume that social distancing and masks will not be something you should expect to see.

I know it's not what you want to hear, but the Black Hills will still be there next year and the year after that. Traveling anywhere this year comes with challenges, but the Black Hills on the same week as the Sturgis Rally during the pandemic would be up there with flying to Florida to go bar hopping in terms of bad ideas. I really would recommend changing either your timeline or your destination.

Yeah I'm not a huge fan of crowds anyways. I do have some flexibility. There seems to be a lot for kids to do in Cody. Do you think it would be a better option to cut the Black Hills trip shorter and spent an extra day in Cody instead? As it is now, we were only using Cody as a quick stop before going into Yellow Stone and would only have half a day there.

[glc]

Personally, I would cut out the Black Hills completely, considering what Michael said. You would be getting there too close to the opening of the rally, people will be getting there up to a week early and going exactly where you want to go. Last year, I traveled across SD on I-90 during the week before the rally, and there were a LOT of motorcycles and RV's out on the road all heading west.

The other option is to delay the trip till a week after the rally.

[Midwest Michael]

Do you think it would be a better option to cut the Black Hills trip shorter and spent an extra day in Cody instead?

As I stated, I would strongly advise not going anywhere near the black hills in the first 3 weeks of August 2020.

If that means spending more time in Cody, great. If that means doing as someone else suggested, looking at Glacier instead, great. If that means putting this whole trip on hold for a while, great.

[tony32408]

Thanks for the help all. Updates have been made and everything is good to go. Good point on booking Yellowstone reservations early. I was lucky and they had one opening at Grant Campground that fit our schedule.