Our trip out West generally has started with one of 2 routes- taking I90 up towards South Dakota, or taking I70 towards Colorado. We also are FINALLY taking our pups with us. Our trusty dog, Freddy, and our new addition, Adrian.

This summer, as we are heading up north, we took the I90 route. This would take us right past Indiana Dunes National Park. We had visited this two summers ago, right after they became a national park, and hiked some of the dunes. This time, we hiked some of the other parts of the park. This was also helpful to let the pups stretch their legs and get out of the car for a while. We thoroughly enjoyed seeing a different part of the park!

Our first leg of the trip would be to Rock Cut State Park near Rockford, Illinois. If you’ve been following our trips the past few summers, you may remember that this is the same place that 2 years ago, Scott ended up in the emergency room with complications from pneumonia. Luckily, this year went much smoother. Last time we camped at Rock Cut, we stayed in the Prairie View loop. We loved that campsite which is why we booked at this location again. This time, however, we stayed in the Plum loop. We did not enjoy this loop as much as we did the other. This was a much bigger area, which means more people and a lot more noise, etc. We were only there for one night, and were glad to be out the next morning.

Our next leg of the trip took us to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. This is just inside the state. Having the dogs with us, it is important to note that this KOA has a fenced in dog area which was really nice. Both of our dogs are incredibly good travelers, but even so they needed a place to stretch their legs off leash and run around. Adrian is OBSESSED with playing fetch, so that kept her occupied most of the time. Freddy enjoys sniffing things and occasionally playing fetch (more like, run and get the ball and then expect you to chase him 🙂 ) We arrived early enough at the KOA that we had plenty of time to relax, make some dinner, and hang out with the pups.

The final leg of our initial push out West got us all the way to Pactola Reservoir Campground, right outside of Custer State Park. We had visited the Badlands two summers ago, and wanted to see more of what South Dakota has to offer. When we booked our campsite, I had noted that we would be right next to the water. I didn’t, however, know that we would have access to the lake directly from our spot! It was a perfect spot to hunker down for a few days while visiting the area.

More on this campground and our ventures in Custer State Park on the next post!