Los Angeles to Mt. Rushmor - advice wanted

[josh111]

Hello everybody,
I am new to the forum, nice to meet you all.

I am planing a trip this August (2017) from Los Angeles to Rapid City, SD with my daughter to visit Mt. Rushmore and was hoping I could get some feedback on route selection and any other good advice that comes to mind.

I will be flying a Diamond Da40, G1000. I will have 02 tanks but prefer not to use them except for short periods over 12k, unless there is a strong route logic to do so. Assume the trip will be VFR.

My initial thoughts on route, big picture, are KSMO to KHND (las vegas), to Grand Junction, CO KGJT for the first leg. Stay the night in grand junction.

For the second leg, I plan to fly north to KCPR (Caspar, Wyoming) and then east in to KRAP (rapid city, SD and an indentifyer my daughter will no doubt find quite amusing).

My logic in this route selection is to avoid flying over the worst of the mountainous areas. By flying to grand junction from Vegas I avoid the mountain flying that would be required if I flew to salt lake for example (an otherwise logical path). And, by flying up to Caspar from grand junction, I avoid the stretch of Rockies to the east of grand junction that would need to be traversed if I flew more directly to KRAP.


If anybody can offer advice broadly on any part of this trip, I would really appreciate it. weather, mountains, regional tips. I'll take it all.

Thanks!

 

[Briar Rabbit]

Hello everybody,
I am new to the forum, nice to meet you all.

I am planing a trip this August (2017) from Los Angeles to Rapid City, SD with my daughter to visit Mt. Rushmore and was hoping I could get some feedback on route selection and any other good advice that comes to mind.

I will be flying a Diamond Da40, G1000. I will have 02 tanks but prefer not to use them except for short periods over 12k, unless there is a strong route logic to do so. Assume the trip will be VFR.

My initial thoughts on route, big picture, are KSMO to KHND (las vegas), to Grand Junction, CO KGJT for the first leg. Stay the night in grand junction.

For the second leg, I plan to fly north to KCPR (Caspar, Wyoming) and then east in to KRAP (rapid city, SD and an indentifyer my daughter will no doubt find quite amusing).

My logic in this route selection is to avoid flying over the worst of the mountainous areas. By flying to grand junction from Vegas I avoid the mountain flying that would be required if I flew to salt lake for example (an otherwise logical path). And, by flying up to Caspar from grand junction, I avoid the stretch of Rockies to the east of grand junction that would need to be traversed if I flew more directly to KRAP.


If anybody can offer advice broadly on any part of this trip, I would really appreciate it. weather, mountains, regional tips. I'll take it all.

Thanks!

In August the area hosts the Sturgis motorcycle rally for a week and prices triple all over South Dakota. You might want to check the dates. If you are in to motorcycles you may enjoy it. It gets pretty crazy. Personally I prefer less crowded times. Rapid city is great and I go the first week of October when the rates significantly decrease for motel rates. Deadwood is a must visit if you like Vegas style casinos and history. Mt Rushmore & its museum, Reptile gardens, Bear Country, Needles drive, park wildlife, Badlands worthwhile - Wall Drug is over rated. Used to be a neat laser lght show at Crazy Horse site but the Crazy Horse carving is not far enough along to warrant a visit by itself. Lots of typically tourist trap stuff for kids to do. Have fun and tell us what you enjoyed!

 

[Pilawt]

I've not flown the route you describe, so I can't comment on it. I have flown from SoCal (KFUL) to Minneapolis in a Grumman Cheetah, by way of I-15 to Provo, then Evanston WY (overnight); then via I-80 to Alliance NE. From there you can hang a left and go north to KRAP. From Provo via Heber to Evanston is about 60 nm of mountains, but you can follow the highway through passes at reasonable altitude. Terrain along I-80 through Wyoming is high in elevation, but it's high desert and not too daunting.

Plan to fly early in the day to minimize density altitude and turbulence. Convection can occur any time of day during the summer in that part of the country, but it's more common in the afternoon.

On arrival be careful not to mistake nearby Ellsworth AFB for KRAP. They look alike and the runways are aligned similarly.

On our last trip there we went to the evening show at Mt. Rushmore. Dramatic; with the added advantages of cooler temperature, less crowded, and easier parking.

Downtown Rapid City is pleasant and walkable. On many downtown streetcorners are interesting statues of US presidents, Native American leaders and other dignitaries. Look for the poignant statue of JFK on the northwest corner of Main St. and Mt. Rushmore Rd. (Hwy 16), in front of the Rushmore Hotel. The statue depicts JFK handing a toy airplane to his toddler son.

For another day trip from Rapid City, Deadwood SD is touristy but fun.



Have a great trip. Bring back photos for us.