Embarking on an RV Roadtrip in the USA with Kids
There we go again on our amazing RV roadtrip in the USA with kids. Today we drive from Lingle, after a terrible night due to the honking train (see last blog), to Custer State Park, home of the buffalo! I am really excited and wondering if we will actually see any.
Father’s Day Celebration
But first… it’s Father’s Day. Of course this deserves some celebration. Father Kev stays in bed this morning, while the kids decorate the table and get the presents. Floris starts to sing “Happy Birthday” (no one knows why 😉) while Kevin is unpacking his gifts in the sun. Beautiful start of the day.
Exploring Custer State Park
We start driving to Custer State Park after breakfast. It takes us approximately 3 hours to reach the gates and only a couple of miles to see the first buffalo! These animals are huge! We get out of the car to watch these beautiful animals from a safe distance, it’s amazing. The kids are totally excited and so are we. We decide to drive the wildlifeloop, a route in the park that takes us to the campground as well. Along the way we see more herds of buffalo.
Arriving at the Campground
We arrive at the campground in the afternoon, having a cool spot under the pine trees. The kids love to run around, collecting pinecones. We are happy to stretch our legs as well.
Visiting Mount Rushmore
After this nice break, we decide to pay Mount Rushmore a visit, the mountain with the presidents heads. On our way over there we ran into a ranger. When we tell him where we are going, he warns us to take a detour as the road we had planned to travel isn’t suitable for a 30ft RV, due to the tunnels. That’s some good advice!
Mount Rushmore is a beautiful, tourist, patriotic monument. Upon arrival we have to pay 111USD parking fee, giving us the right to park at Mount Rushmore all year round for free; yes! ;). We find the quarried heads of president Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln quite impressive. In front of the mountain there is a “parade” of all the States’ flags. There are little notes telling you when which state joined the United States, nice to know this historic information. I was surprised to see some states waited several years to join the “union”.
Encountering a Buffalo on the Road
After visiting the presidents we drive back to the campground. Suddenly we have to hit the brakes… there is a huge buffalo standing in the middle of the road. Wow!! This is a really cool experience to end this wonderful day of our RV roadtrip in the USA with kids.
Our Adventure Vlogs
We make little movies of our adventures with the TomTom Bandit as well, here you can have a look.
Tips & Tricks for USA Roadtrip with Kids
- The kids will love watching buffalo in Custer State Park
- Blue Bell campground in Custer State Park has a stable. Kids can join rides starting at 9 years of age
- Always check if there are any narrow tunnels before you start driving
Playing at Blue Bell campground
Making vlogs at Mount Rushmore with the TomTom Bandit
Family picture Mount Rushmore
Glasses make the (wo)man
Floris on his way to Mount Rushmore in his Deuter Kids Comfort kids carrier
Buffalo at Custer State Park
Father’s Day in Lingle
