So, what do you do when the temperature hits 102 degrees when you are in the Black Hills? Well you either find a cave, which there are plenty of, or you find a place indoors.
We chose to take the 30 minute run down to Hot Springs, SD and visit the Mammoth site.
To get there from Custer State Park you just head South on Hwy 87 through Wind Cave National Park. Don't worry though, there is no entrance fee for the park itself - just the cave.
The stretch of Hwy 87 in Wind Cave National Park featured prairies with tons of Prairie Dogs as well as herds of Buffalo. It is a nice little scenic drive.
Buffalo along Hwy 87 in Wind Cave National Park
At the end of Hwy 87 take 385 south to Hot Springs. There wasn't much to Hot Springs itself. If you want to soak in the thermal water you need to visit Evans Plunge, but since it was 102, we really were not interested.
Mammoth Site
Mammoth Site is located on the US 18 bypass not far from downtown. Hours and opening days vary based on the time of year, but they are open daily in summer.
The tour guide explained the geological history of the area and the unique circumstances that led to the pit filled with dozens of Mammoths and other animals from that time.
It is a working dig site, so depending on when you are there you might see teams of volunteers carefully exposing a new bone. The fascinating thing is that they truly are bones and not fossils.
It was an educational tour and worth the price of admission. There is a small exhibit hall next to the dig site, and you can also take the elevator downstairs to see them working on the bones taken from the pit.
Their Junior Paleontologist programs make me wish that we had brought the kids when they were younger!
It was a unique destination that should interest most people of all ages. It is also carefully climate controlled, so it was a welcome reprieve on a HOT day in the Black Hills.