Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #88199 in Books
• Published on: 2006-10-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 392 pages

From the Back Cover
For more than twenty years, the Insiders' Guide® series has remained the essential source for in-depth travel and relocation information. Each guide is written by locals and true insiders and offers a personal, practical perspective that readers everywhere have come to know and love.
From sweeping mixed-grass prairies, to thick evergreen forests on some of the oldest mountains in North America, to rock faces delicately carved by erosion and man, South Dakota's Black Hills and Badlands is a region distinctive for its breathtaking landscapes and its ties to western frontier history. This authoritative guide will show you how to navigate the state's Northern, Central, and Southern Hills, from the small prairie town of Belle Fourche to bustling Rapid City.
Inside you'll find:

• countless details on how to live and thrive in the area, from the best shopping to the lowdown on real estate and schools
• the inside scoop on popular attractions such as Deadwood, the Mammoth Site of Hot Springs, and Mount Rushmore
• comprehensive listings of restaurants, lodging, special events, and recreation opportunities
• sections dedicated to children, retirement, and much more

Whether you're planning a vacation, already living in the area, or looking to relocate, Insiders' Guide to South Dakota’s Black Hills and Badlands will show you everything you need to know.

About the Author
T. D. Griffith has traveled to 40 countries and has contributed to more than two dozen travel guides. He is the author of five books and has written articles for numerous newspapers and magazines. He and his wife live in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Dustin D. Floyd is a sixth-generation South Dakotan. He works as a copywriter in Deadwood, and has helped write and revise a number of articles and books on the Dakotas, Montana, and Wyoming.
Bert and Jane Gildart are hikers, writers, and photographers specializing in outdoor recreation, including the FalconGuide® Hiking South Dakota's Black Hills Country.

Customer Reviews

Lots of info but a pain to search through...
We just returned from over a week in the Badlands and Black Hills. Although this book had a lot of very useful information, I hated searching through it. Everything is divided into its own category: hotels, restaurants, activities, etc. So when we were in one place for a day or two, we had to search through different sections to find all of the info for that one place. Even worse, each section is divided out by Northern Hills, Central Hills, etc. or by the type of food you're looking for. There was no central location to find all of the restaurants in Deadwood, for example. Apart from that, I found most of the info to be correct and useful. A few of the entry fees were higher in reality, but my biggest problem was with the book's organization. It was a great vacation, and I had a hard time coming home...

Poorly arranged
We just got back from a week-long trip to the Black Hills using this guidebook, and while it was better than nothing, and the information was generally correct, it was very hard to use. Instead of being arranged by location, the attractions are arranged by category, with each category subdivided yet again. And the index is no use, since they're not indexed by location. This means that if you're sitting in your motel in (say) Deadwood, and wondering what to do in town, you literally have to thumb through the entire book to figure out! Very frustrating. And the book lacks detailed maps where they are needed (the Deadwood-Lead area, where the roads are rather confusing, or the area around Keystone, Mt. Rushmore, and Crazy Horse). The maps mention the Mickelson Trail, but it's not in the index, and we didn't find out what it was until we were actually there (hint: it's not a scenic highway). And the book needs to be more emphatic about the need to stay away from this whole region in early August because of the motorcycle madness.

Great Resource
We are planning a trip to the Badlands and Black Hills in September. Insider's Guide provides a wealth of information and I'm finding it a valuable asset. Combined with info from the internet, we will have a well organized trip with knowledge of this area's history.