Safe to drive in winter from Minn to Mt. Rushmore (Minneapolis: hotels, home)

[Wild_Iris]

Hi, I'm new to this website, sorry if this has been asked before...
Also new to the Minneapolis, MN and wondering...
1) is a weekend trip to Mt. Rushmore reasonable? (In terms of driving time, and the amount out of the car versus in the car).
2) Is it safe to drive in winter snow (february) to Mt. Rushmore?
thanks!

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by Wild_Iris

Hi, I'm new to this website, sorry if this has been asked before...
Also new to the Minneapolis, MN and wondering...
1) is a weekend trip to Mt. Rushmore reasonable? (In terms of driving time, and the amount out of the car versus in the car).

Google Maps says it's roughly 635 miles from Minneapolis city center to Mount Rushmore. That's a bit of a drive ... maybe 10-11 hours in the summertime.

Would it be safe to drive it in winter? Probably, but that would depend on weather conditions, and I would also expect that it might take a little longer if there's been a recent snowfall.

[MnMomma]

The drive would be long but bearable as long as you have a reliable car that is good in the snow. There's a long stretch of driving where it would be really bad to get stranded.

You have to do the drive through the badlands at least one way just because it is so different. I'm sure it would be pretty but if the roads are slippery that could be problematic.

We did a trip to Mt. Rushmore last year and, it you're going for tourism, I'd wait until the weather is nicer. We spent most of our trip outdoors and I don't think as much would be accessible in cold weather, including the outdoor presentations at Rushmore. If you have kids or just like animals a lot, Reptile Gardens is really neat (although it appears like a cheesy roadside attraction)--but it's mainly outdoor as well and they may not have the animals out.

[Duk123]

Is it doable? Yes. Would I do it leaving on a Friday evening and coming back on a Sunday night? Not unless I had to. I-90 from Albert Lea and west is horrible as far as wind and blowing snow goes even if it hadn't snowed in 3 or 4 days it's still can be bad. If you could throw in a extra day or two it's very doable.

[Wild_Iris]

Very appreciative of the replies - thank you!
Originally from the Pacific Northwest, so I like to see sights in all different seasons - love the serenity of the off season especially. Still becoming accustomed to the winter driving limitations in the midwest, and also the distances to different climates. Beautiful here but am used to driving just an hour or even 5, to change elevations and ecosystems quite dramatically - thus, was able to do a fair amount of weekend trips.
Rushmore/Badlands trip sounds better with just a bit more time -
any ideas about weekend trips originating from Minn?
Thank you!

[mmhl]

I'd say not worth the drive for a weekend & to be careful & check interstate driving conditions before you go in the winter. You could try Duluth for the weekend.

[MplsTodd]

A few ideas for week-end trips:

1. Lake Superior: Duluth is only 2.5 hours from Minneapolis and the shoreline of Lake Superior is very scenic. My preference to visit the area is summer, but I've been up there in winter and its nice then too--plus hotels are cheaper! The Duluth Lake walk in Canal Park provides great views of the lake and the city. Up the shoreline, Split Rock Lighthouse is worth seeing, as is Gooseberry Falls, plus Tetigutch State park has excellent cross country skiing.

Bayfield, Wisconsin and the Apostle Islands are also worth checking out.

2. Madison: an awesome city thats kind of like a mini-Mpls without as much sprawl.

3. Highway 61 South: There are several interesting small cities and towns along Hwy 61--including Red Wing, Wabasha, Stockholm (on the WI side), Winona and LaCrosse. On the way back you could check out the Mayo Clinic in Rochester or make a stop in Northfield.

4. Resorts: There's lots of resorts up in the Brainerd/ Lakes area. Even in Winter, they're open with x-country skiing and snowshoing etc...

LONGER THAN A WEEKEND:

In addition to the Black Hills, I'd also recommend you check out Teddy Roosevelt National Park in western North Dakota. Its a long drive, but it seemed to go by quickly when we went up there. We spent a few days camping, horseback riding and hiking. Beautiful scenery--that reminded me of the Red Rocks area near Sedona Arizona, only the rocks are gray and white color, rather than red. There's lots of bison and wild horses roaming around the park. Medora is a nice little western themed town, with lots of Cowboy festivities.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

Originally Posted by MplsTodd

A few ideas for week-end trips:
3. Highway 61 South: There are several interesting small cities and towns along Hwy 61--including Red Wing, Wabasha, Stockholm (on the WI side), Winona and LaCrosse. On the way back you could check out the Mayo Clinic in Rochester or make a stop in Northfield.

I'll second this. We went to Wabasha two weekends ago to check out the Eagle Center. There are over 300 bald eagles hanging out in the area south of Lake Pepin where there is open water all winter long. They have several eagles they are caring for at the center and they feed them and stuff. It's a good winter day trip.

[Thegonagle]

I wouldn't, not for fun, anyway. The weather's too unpredictable for my blood. Wait for late spring/summer.

If a winter storm hits, it's too easy to go off the road and get stuck, because in some of the areas you'll be driving (esp. I-90), the road and ditch can be blown over with pure white snow. If you're not very familiar with the road, you might not even know you're an inch from falling into the ditch, until you've fallen into the ditch. And I always say there are two kinds of winter drivers: those who have slid off the road, and those who will.

In some areas, help can be a long way away; there's nowhere--no town, no farmhouse, nothing--to walk to, and cell phone service can be weak or absolutely non-existent. When a state patrol captain tells people on the news "do not travel unless absolutely necessary," he's speaking to people who might get stranded in remote areas.

Since you're new to this, here's a winter survival tip: if you do happen to get stranded off the road in a snowstorm, and you can't make a cell phone call STAY WITH YOUR VEHICLE. You can run the engine for heat (and to power your flashers to draw attention to yourself), and you will stay dry. Idling most engines uses from 1/5 to 1/3 gallon per hour, so you can stay warm for a quite awhile, even on just a 1/4 tank of gas. (Just make sure the exhaust pipe isn't buried in snow--carbon monoxide danger!) When the storm breaks, there will be plows, the state patrol/sheriff's dept., and other travelers.

Too many winter tragedies have occured when someone got their car/truck stuck on a rural road, then tried to walk somewhere to find help. Because everything looks the same in a blizzard, especially farm and prairie land, they become disoriented, then they get exhausted, then they collapse and die from exposure. Hang in there and wait for help to find you--if you were on one of the main roads for the area, someone will come along soon enough.

Seriously, I'd stay closer to home for those winter road trips. Maybe check out Afton State Park or something.

Another tip: notify friends and family of the route you plan to take (plan on the major highways where possible), and agree that you'll be checking in when you make it safely. If you're a lot later than they thought you'd be, and they can't contact you, they can call the state patrol and give them a heads up that you were traveling on such-and-such roads, and you might be stranded out there.

And a final tip about cell phones: If the phone "sees" just enough signal that it occasionally finds service, but still can't make or hold a call, try sending text messages. Text messages will often go through even when calls can't.

[DannyBanany]

I'm originally from Rapid City - I make that drive quite frequently in the winter.

You should put this on the South Dakota forum actually, because that is where most of the trip takes place and they can offer you good (and fun) places to check out.

The drive in winter takes about 10 hours. It can get very old too. There's nothing but nothing between Sioux Falls and Rapid City. It's such an overwhelming sense of relief when you finally see the peaks of the Black Hills on the horizon!!!