gessman Loc: Colorado

Might want to drive up Pikes Peak if your wife hasn't been in high altitude before. Altitude sickness on the cog leaves no retreat. Google the symptoms. As was said already, might want to avoid Sturgis unless you relish mayhem, sleeping in your car, and sniffin' Harley exhaust. The Black Hills turn blue from the smoke not to mention the noise. 200 miles from Sturgis is about right.

Patriot66 Loc: Minnesota

Only an issue if you go during bike week - the first week in August.

Patriot66 Loc: Minnesota

Tony, try Needles Highway, really amazing half day trip is you stop to get out and shoot pic!

Patriot66 Loc: Minnesota

Custer State Park for wildlife - bison, prairie dogs, wild donkeys, etc

Oly Guy

Take out your biggest or most mm lens and do the wildlife loop in Custer State Park-Buffalo Bighorn sheep and many other animals will be found there-take your time and spend a day there-also many landscape shots. Not Colorado -there use the 300plus lens on the Elk usually found near Green lake on the west side of the National Park rd. which starts near Estes Co.

phkowalchuk Loc: Aurora, CO

I think a good day trip...a long day...is a drive down I-25S to the Walsenburg exit...exit 50, I think. There's a great smoked pork diner on the way...right at the Colorado City exit. At Walsenburg, you'll have two choices...it's tough. One is to take Rte 69 north. The other is to take Rte 160 west to 17.

Rte 69 will take you up along the Sangre De Cristo Range...the entire 70 or so miles is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful and photogenic drives in Colorado. The 160 route will take you to the south tip of the Sangre De Cristos. You'll be able to take Rte 150 off 160 up to the Great Sand Dunes National Park...absolutely beautiful! Then you can head over to Rte 17 and head up the west side of the Sangre De Cristos. Beautiful! You're a bit farther away from the mountain range on Rte 17, but there are still amazing photos to be made on that route as well. Colorado has 54 14-ers...mountains with peaks at 14,000 ft in elevation or higher. On Rte 160, just before the turn to the Dunes, you'll be right next to Little Bear Peak and Mount Blanca...both 14-ers. If you head up to the Dunes, you'll see another, Ellingwood Peak (it's sort of clumped in with Blanca and Little Bear. Driving on either 69 or 17, you'll pass a section of the mountain range that is "home" to Crestone Peak, Crestone Needle, Humboldt Peak and Kit Carson Peak. These four 14-ers are all in the same area and are easier to distinguish from the east side (Rte 69). I do these drives often every year. They're fabulous in late winter and early spring, when the peaks are snow covered. But just as impressive in the warmer months. Just to see it is a wonder! But to photograph it is a dream. I'm sure you know this, but you'll need to plan your travel to get the best from your drive. East side is good until early afternoon, when the sun gets to the west. West side is nice until the sun goes down. And as the sun is setting, sometimes the light is like a miracle!

I've been photographing mountain ranges in Colorado with 14-ers...not just the 14-er, the entire range in which it makes its "home." They're panoramic images...up to 16 stitched images as wide as 13 feet. You can see a couple of the Sangre De Cristo range and one of Blanca on the following page, where I've posted some of my 14-er pans...https://peterkowalchuk.smugmug.com/Landscapes/Colorado-14-ers/. Small screen doesn't do them justice, but at least you can get a sense of what you might be able to experience up close and personal.

I really think you should put this on your vacation bucket list. If you go, you must let me know if it was as good for you as it always is for me.

Enjoy!

Bill Munny Loc: Aurora, Colorado

I haven't been to SD in 40 years so no help for you there. But, I am a 70 year native of Colo. so this may be of some help to you.

Garden of the Gods: no longer than a few hours in early morning or late evening. Then you can go to 7-Falls, the Manitou Incline, Cave of the Winds.

Pikes Peak: If you drive, long day. If you take the train, all day (need reservations).

Estes Park/RMNP: Do the entire east side loop, all day. Stay in Estes Park area. Then go up Fall River Road and come back via Trail Ridge Road (special photo op time), go slow, use the pull-outs and snap away, all day. Take warm clothes since you will be above 11,000 ft. Mountain goats & sheep, elk, deer. Walk around Bear Lake and then walk up to Nymph Lake. Make sure you have good hiking boots. Walk around Sprague Lake. Many trails to many lakes and falls, check map you get from the Entrance Port.

If you have time, go up Mount Evans Road (close to Denver) and see the Bristle Cone forest, go to top (above 14,000 ft). Lots of Mountain sheep & goats. Special photo ops here also.

TonyF Loc: Bradenton, FL

These all such great suggestions!! Quick question, I want to send the link to this discussion to my wife. I thought I did that in the past, but I don't see how to do that now. Is that still possible?

bleirer

One thing to consider is that it is a good time of year weather wise for the southwest as things have cooled down and not as much weather wise further north. You could save SD for a summer trip to Yellowstone/Grand Teton and for similar miles explore more of Colorado of which there is plenty to look at or go west into Utah, arches, canyonlands, etc and even stretch down into northern Arizona, monument valley, antelope canyon, even North rim Grand Canyon which is amazing.

hcmcdole

Why not just copy the URL in your address bar and paste it in email/social media site/text messaging and hit the send/post button? I see there is a FB and Twitter button on the first page for sharing.

Here is the URL:

http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-446722-1.html

gessman Loc: Colorado

Yes, as was clearly stated in the previous post to which I referred.

TonyF Loc: Bradenton, FL

Thanks, will do, but I thought there was a button to click on. Thanks, again.

MtnMan Loc: ID

There are two great caves near the Black Hills, both National Parks (Wind is one but I don't recall the other for sure: maybe Crystal). Bring a flash.

Badlands National Park is also worth a one-day visit. Crazy Horse seems to me to be a rip off.

Rocky Mountain National Park is beautiful but relatively small (compared to Yellowstone or Death Valley). Unless backpacking a couple days there might be enough.

IMHO the four corners area is more interesting.

DougS Loc: Central Arkansas

Hill City, SD, a must see is Black Hills Institute, google it, it is a business/museum extraordinaire! When we visited, they had 8 REAL (not replicas!) T-rex skulls/skeletons, and so much more! Also Custer State Park in that area, scenic with lots of bison! The drive between Custer State Park and Mount Rushmore, has some single lane tunnels that 'frame' Mount Rushmore. When you are at Spearfish, it is a 1 hour drive to Devils Tower, in Wyoming.
Upon your return to Colorado, you may wish to go thru RMNP exiting the west side, with a slight detour to Mount Evans, before going down thru Leadville, and Buena Vista with a slight side trip to Cottonwood Pass. Then go over to Colorado Springs. MUCH more scenic than going down the freeway thru Denver, and avoiding a lot of backtracking to boot. Enjoy your trip!

TonyF Loc: Bradenton, FL

Sorry to hear about Crazy Horse. I was there in 1970 and actually took a picture of Crazy Horse when they detonated some TNT. I had a Brownie box camera and had to hold it at an angle and actually got the shot of rock exploding.