We are planning a trip for early next summer to Mount Rushmore area of South Dakota. Spearfish looks to be our base area, but not a done deal yet. I want to be near the mountains, lakes, and streams for some fly fishing. Most of the attractions we'll go see, seem to be about 1 hour away. Never been up in this area before, am I on the right track?

I was up there in March 2018. Stayed in Deadwood. Gorgeous area. Easy drive to Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse Monument, Sturgis and Pactola Reservoir. I highly recommend you book accommodation early. Looks like the place could easily get booked out during the high season. You might also check out Rapid City. There appeared to be an Air Force Base there so Spearfish might have less competition from USAF looking for rooms.

Spearfish is on the freeway but the canyon is fantastic. You can hike out to Deadwood which is great. We stayed at a Airbnb on the road between Hill City and Keystone with a view of the backside of Mt Rushmore. Eldridge B&B and staying in the Canyon were highlights.

Thank y'all both, sounds like we're in the ballpark. I'm new to fly fishing, but I've got the bug. I've had decent luck in northern New Mexico the couple of years and can't get enough. The sites you listed were the same ones we hope to see, the fly fishing will be downtime activity. We'll be there approx 8 days. Thanks again.

Check out the town of Custer on the southern side of the Black Hills. We stayed there this summer and loved it. Very clean, inexpensive and lacks some of the kitsch that other towns in the hills tend to have.

Hot Springs SD looked like a nice place when I passed through this summer. It's at the south end of the Black Hills.

We stayed there, it is a good jumping off point. Not a lot to the town though. Rapid City is closer to everything, but the motel rates are really high there. We stayed one night in Hot Springs. There are no chain hotels there (besides a pretty rough looking super 8), we stayed in a bed and breakfast downtown that was nice. The Mammoth site is really cool.

We stayed in Deadwood too, I liked it, my wife wasn't a fan. We stayed at the celebrity casino. They have a roof deck that overlooks the street shootout, which was neat.

The speed limit on I90 is 85, which makes the trip out to the Badlands pretty quick.