What to See & Do

The Plains Indians - the proud first residents of the Rocky Mountain West - still make the region their home. In recent years, a new sense of vision and cultural awareness has grown between whites and Native Americans. The region is home to sixteen Indian nations.

To find more information on the American Indians in our region, please visit the official websites of Idaho, Montana, South Dakota and Wyoming. You can also view our American Indian sample itinerary or review annual festivals and events here.

This approximately 30-mile drive on SD 240 cuts through the middle of breathtaking formations of Badlands National Park.

As the byway follows the natural contours of the Badlands escarpment, it also weaves in and out of the native grasslands full of hundreds of species of plants and animals. Scenic overlooks, with names like Seabed Jungle, Pinnacles and Prairie Wind, offer outstanding photo opportunities.

Bear Country USA, located 8 miles from Rapid City, features the world's largest collection of privately owned black bears. Take a leisurely 3 mile drive through this spectacular wildlife park nestled on 200 acres of Black Hills beauty where you'll see black bears, grizzly bears and over 20 other species of North American animals like buffalo, wolves and elk all from the comfort of your vehicle. After your drive through tour, walk around Babyland where baby bears frolic in the outdoors. You'll need 1.5 hours for your visit to Bear Country USA.
Tour length: 1 1/2 hours

Big Hole National Battlefield is a memorial to the people who fought and died here on August 9 and 10, 1877. About 750 non-treaty Nez Perce were fleeing from US Army troops charged with enforcing the US government's demands that all Nez Perce move to a reservation a fraction the size of their traditional homeland. In doing so, the Army was enforcing a national policy of placing all American Indians on reservations to make way for States.