WESTERN MIDWEST

Nature lover BIKE ON!

Adventure-seekers can mountain bike along the Maah Daah Hey Trail in North Dakota.

The western Midwest offers hundreds of ways to enjoy the great outdoors. Adrenaline-pumping views from soaring Black Hills peaks, serene hikes through the wind-swept Flint Hills prairie and a lazy-day float down the Niobrara River (plus fantastic spots to grab ice cream) are just the beginning. Get ready to play!

D A Y

1Custer State Park is a great place to meet the Black Hills. Entering the park from Keystone takes visitors on the Iron Mountain Road, full of switchbacks and breathtaking views. Once past the gatehouse (where

the 1- to 7-day pass is $15), visitors can choose their pleasure: Fishing for rainbow trout in Grace Coolidge Creek, hiking to Harney Peak (the trail starts in the park, but the peak itself is outside), horseback riding or driving along the Wildlife Loop to spot bison. The park’s historic State Game Lodge is where President Calvin Coolidge liked to

stay. For dinner, Firehouse Brewing Company in Rapid City (30 miles north of the park) serves crispy fish and chips and flavorful ales.

Once home to Lakota Sioux tribes, the Black Hills’ rugged granite formations, clear streams and labyrinthine caves possess a captivating beauty and an almost-spiritual power. Days quickly fill with hiking, fishing, exploring Native American history and tracking down bison for those one-of-a-kind summer vacation pics (605/355-3700; blackhillsbadlands.com).

D A Y

2Breakfast at the State Game Lodge includes a Belgian waffle bar, biscuits and gravy, and fresh fruit. Guests easily fill a day exploring the huge park’s trails and creeks. But Jewel Cave National Monument,

20 miles west of the park, is worth a visit: It’s one of the longest caves in the world (173 mapped miles!) and filled with calcite that glitters in lanterns’ light. Tours range from half-hour introductions to several-hour caving adventures. Nearby Custer (10 miles west of the park) houses Buglin’ Bull Restaurant and Sports Bar, known for South Dakota specialties

like a tender buffalo burger. The iconic Mount Rushmore National Monument stands 25 miles north of Custer. A flag-lowering ceremony in the evening tugs at patriotic heartstrings and honors vets in the audience.

WESTERN MIDWEST

DRIVE THIS WAY The narrow, twisting Needles Highway is named for the tall rock “needles” nearby. The road provides great sightseeing opportunities.

Black Hillsgetaway

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itineraryMount Rushmore

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Circle S Ranch and Country Inn Live the Kansas ranch life (or just take in the scenery) at this rustic retreat outside Lawrence (785/843-4124; circlesranch.com).

Lake McConaughy Miles and miles of white-sand beaches ring this popular lake near Ogallala, Nebraska (800/658-4390; ilovelakemac.com).

Tallgrass National Prairie Preserve Hiking trails cut through the Flint Hills, one of the last remaining swaths of tallgrass prairie, open year-round. In summer, hop on a bus tour (620/273-8494; www.nps.gov/tapr).

5 Places to play outside

LEE G. SIMMONS CONSERVATION PARK AND WILDLIFE SAFARI Animals (including bison, wolves and bears) are more active in the morning at thispreserve between Lincoln and Omaha in Nebraska (402/944-9453; wildlifesafaripark.com).

4MAAH DAAH HEY TRAIL A 100-plus-mile mountain bike trail connects Theodore Roosevelt National Park’s North and South units in North Dakota (mdhta.com).

Niobrara National Scenic River Cutting through the heart of a scenic Nebraska valley (near Valentine), this river is ideal for canoeing, kayaking or tubing. Several trails lead off the river for hiking breaks (402/376-1901; nps.gov/niob).

Places to learn about animals

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South Dakota Discovery Center Catfish and other Missouri River natives swim in huge tanks in Pierre. Kid-friendly activities include digging for bones (605/224-8295; sd-discovery.com).

The Mammoth Site This huge Hot Springs, South Dakota, sinkhole holds the skeletons of 61 mammoths. See the in-progress dig, take a tour and wander the cool museum (605/745-6017; mammothsite.com).

Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park Visitors to this remote site tour exhibits about the dig, see recovered fossils and sometimes even glimpse paleontologists at work. In Royal, Nebraska (402/893-2000; ashfall.unl.edu).

1Delicious dinner

2Sweet stopsBurchell’s White Hill

Farmhouse Inn A friendly dog, five cats and four ducks stroll the grounds of a charming Minden, Nebraska, bed-and-breakfast. We love having a private entrance and bathroom as well as a hearty, family-style farm breakfast to fuel up before heading out to see the early-spring Sandhill crane migration in Kearney, only 30 minutes north (308/832-1323; burchellfarmhouseinn.com).

3 Outdoorsy places to rest

MOORE RANCH Joe and Nancy Moore offer a glimpse into ranch life at their place in Bucklin, Kansas. Visitors can ride along on a three- day cattle drive in April, a two-day drive in July and six-day drives in the fall, or join the Moore family for branding, fence mending and daily ranch chores (620/826-3649; moorelong hornranch.com).

Volden FarmWake up to a rooster’s crowing and soak in a claw-foot tub at this rustic working-farm B&B outside Luverne, North Dakota, 80 miles northwest of Fargo. Owner JoAnne Wold is as welcoming as her antique-filled rooms, and we enjoy hanging out in the lodgelike converted barn (701/769-2275; voldenfarm.com).

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Pride Dairy Yes, it’s a working creamery, but folks passing through Bottineau, North Dakota, come for the rich ice cream (and butters and cheeses). Try a scoop of juneberry (701/228-2216; pridedairy.com)

Dakota Drug Company In tiny Stanley, North Dakota, this soda fountain has a 1960s Whirl-a-Whip machine, which turns hand-scooped ice cream into amazing soft-serve flavored with unbelievable powders. Trust us. Yum (701/628-2255).

Hungry for a rustic meal out on the range? In Velben, South Dakota, ranchers skewer sirloin steaks on large pitchforks and cook them fondue-style under a tent in a field. Guests of the Prairie Sky Guest and Game Ranch and diners tuck into the Pitchfork Steak Fry held twice a week. These summertime-only dinners come with fixin’s and homemade dessert, and when the weather cooperates, guests take free horse-drawn wagon rides (605/738-2411; prairieskyranch.com).

Discover the Midwest’s newest must-see events and attractions, best lodgings, most scenic parks and most enticing road trips in one information-packed publication. Best of the Midwest® offers state-by-state travel guides to the region’s top attractions,

eateries, hotels and inns. Whether you’re planning a romantic getaway, a family retreat, a week-long adventure or a quick day trip, you’ll find hundreds of great vacation ideas. Available on newsstands, or visit TheMeredithStore.com to order.

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