North & South Dakota
Adventure Safari Side Trip Ideas

by Russ McGlenn


Jeffers, MN. West of Mankato. 2 hours from Mpls.
Jeffers Petroglyphs. Free, open 12 - 5 pm.

Pipestone, MN.
Pipestone National Monument $3/vehicle

Sioux Fall, SD. 6 hours from Mpls.
Various Museums
Aircraft Museum

Mitchell, SD. 1 hours from Sioux Falls.
Earthen Mandan Lodge $1.50/ person, 12 & under free.
Corn Palace
R&R Campground (Private) $12/tent

Okaton SD. exit 183.
Ghost Town
Westlakes Rocks, run by Christians.
Great buys on Indian pot sherds, arrowheads, fossils, and antiques.

Weta, SD. exit 143. 3 hours West from Mitchell.
(See Book on SD Minerals in Library - Midwest Gem, Fossil, and Mineral Trails, Prairie States, Zeitner, 1989, Gem Guide Book Co. Library # 552 ZEI)
To look for agates & fossils you can keep outside of National Park.

Cactus Flat, SD. exit 131.
Badlands National Park $5/vehicle Good view of strata from Noah's Flood.
Prairie Homestead

Wall. SD. exit 110. Started by Christians with a cold drink of water, see their flyer.
Has rock shop and tourist traps.

Rapid City, SD. 2 hours from Weta, Weeks of things to do, here's a few:
Museum of Geology, Free.
Dinosaur Park, Free.
Sioux Indian Museum
Mount Rushmore, Free, pay to park
Reptile Gardens, look for the Biotic Message in the numerous skeletons.

Hill City, SD.
Hill Mountain 7th Day Adventist Camp $1/person/nite.
Black Hills Institute of Hill City (Museum), Free. They have a full T-Rex
and other dinos. A very good stop and good reference books.
Rushmore Cave $6/adults, $3/ 7-12 year-olds

Mammoth Hot Springs, SD. 1 hour from Rapid City.
Mammoth Museum $4.25/adult, 2.50/ 6-12 year-olds.
Even's Plunge, $8/adult, $6/3-12 year-olds.

Mule Junction Rest Stop, Wym. 1 hour from Mammoth Hot Springs.
Clivus Multrum Composting Toilet (for those from the 60's)

Dickinson, ND.

Dinosaur Museum, Get guide map to geology along I-94. Look at their evolutionary interpretation and re-interpret from Flood perspective.

Bismarck, ND.
State Museum has very fine Mammoth reconstruction
Various Museums inquire locally.

Fort Ransom, ND. 30 miles South of Valley City.
Writing Stone may be Indian calendar, also Viking activity in the area see The Great Ice Sheet and Early Vikings in Mid-America, by Orval Fredrics,
1993. (This is written by a Christian pastor) Call Walter Lang for this book. 612-861-5288

Moorhead, MN.
Heritage Hjemkomst Center. Full size Viking Long Boat.

Pelican Rapids, MN.
Minnesota Woman. North of town on 59 to rest stop and historical marker on east side of road. My interpretation is she was part of the Viking expedition of 1000 A.D. as C14 dating is "uncertain" (read "doesn't fit evolutionary presuppositions"). See Orval Fredric's book.
Pelican Rapids Town Park see Viking Mooring Stones at park by suspension walk bridge.

Fergus Falls. MN.
Ottertail Historical Society Museum, good Indian exhibit.

Alexandria. MN.
Alexandria Rune Stone and Viking Museum.
Viking Mooring Hole Tour and Interpretation. Get directions at museum.


Adventure Safaris:
Outfitters for Life
Russ McGlenn
russmcglenn{at}juno.com
web homepage Adventure Safaris



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