Planning a road trip from Chicago to Denver? There are two main options: the faster, direct southern route or the scenic, adventure-filled northern path. The traditional route across Nebraska on I-80 averages 14-15 hours of driving time. The northern route on I-90 via Rapid City, South Dakota, takes 19 hours. Why should you drive the extra 5 hours? Here are the top 10 reasons that the northern route will make your Chicago to Denver road trip a truly memorable experience.
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Top 10 Reasons to Take the Northern Route
1. Hiking Trails
Hikes are a great way to stretch your legs during long driving days. The drive along I-90 across Wisconsin, Minnesota, and South Dakota offers tremendous opportunities for hiking within a few miles of the highway. The subsequent drive south through Wyoming and Colorado just adds to the possibilities for hiking. Some of the trail highlights include:
- Fern Dell Trail at Mirror Lake State Park, Wisconsin Dells
- Grandad Bluff in La Crosse Wisconsin
- Great River Bluffs State Park, Winona, MN
- Notch Trail in Badlands National Park, South Dakota
- Cathedral Spires Trail in Custer State Park, South Dakota
- Blackberry Trail, Mount Rushmore, South Dakota
- Freedom Trail to Hot Springs Waterfall, South Dakota
- Curt Gowdy State Park, Wyoming
Don’t miss out also on Denver’s incredible red rocks day hikes.
2. Bike Trails
For cycling enthusiasts, the northern route includes many rails to trails options, as well as other convenient bike pathways. Our favorite rails to trails route is Sparta, Wisconsin’s Elroy-Sparta State Trail. In addition to the great trails, the train station is converted to a visitor’s center, with water refills, restrooms, and all the bike tools you might need to adjust your bike. They are the self-proclaimed bicycling capital of America. Some of our recommended trails on the northern route include:
- Elroy-Sparta State Trail in Wisconsin
- La Crosse River State Trail in Wisconsin
- Sioux Falls River Greenway in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- Leonard Swanson Memorial Pathway in Rapid City, South Dakota
- George S. Mickelson Trail in South Dakota (near Custer State Park and Crazy Horse Memorial)
- Greater Cheyenne Greenway, Cheyenne, Wyoming
- Poudre River Trail, Ft. Collins, Colorado
3. Paddle Boarding, Kayaking, and Canoeing
With all the river crossings and lakes along your route, you’ll have no shortage of water sports options. Paddle boarding, kayaking, and canoeing are all great options for a break from your driving. Getting out in nature allows you to clear your head and get some exercise. Our recommendations here are all places where you can rent boats onsite. If you bring along your own boat, you’ll have many additional options for paddling.
- Lake Delton, Wisconsin Dells
- La Crosse River, La Crosse, Wisconsin
- Lake Okabana, Worthington, Minnesota
- Lake Mitchell, South Dakota
- Missouri River, Chamberlain, South Dakota
- Sylvan Lake and Legion Lake in Custer State Park, South Dakota
- Horsetooth Reservoir, Ft. Collins, Colorado
4. Unique Museums
Discover quirky, unique, and educational museums along your route. Some of these are even free of charge.
- National Mustard Museum, Middleton, Wisconsin
- Spam Museum, Austin, Minnesota
- Corn Palace, Mitchell, South Dakota
- Laura Ingalls Wilder House, De Smet, South Dakota
- Lewis and Clark Museum and Dignity Statue, Chamberlain, South Dakota
- Mammoth Site, Hot Springs, South Dakota
- Cowgirls of the West Museum, Cheyenne, Wyoming
5. Beautiful Waterfalls
The Chicago Denver northern road trip route is dotted with beautiful waterfalls. Our recommended stops along the route include:
- Falls Park, Sioux Falls, Wisconsin
- Sunday Gulch Trail, Custer State Park
- Hot Springs Waterfall, Hot Springs, South Dakota
- Cascade Falls, Hot Springs, South Dakota
6. Botanic Gardens
Travelers along the northern route from Chicago to Denver can enjoy the variety and accessibility of botanic gardens. Our recommended stops include:
- Olbrich Botanical Gardens, Madison, Wisconsin
- Riverside International Friendship Gardens, La Crosse, Wisconsin
- Mary Jo Wegner Arboretum and East Sioux Falls Historic Site, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- Cheyenne Botanic Gardens, Cheyenne, Wyoming
- The Gardens of Spring Creek, Ft. Collins, Colorado
The Chicago Botanic Garden and the Denver Botanic Gardens are also worth a visit, on either end of your trip.
7. Badlands National Park
Badlands National Park in western South Dakota offers a remarkable landscape of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles, and spires. You can easily add the drive on the Badlands Loop Road to your Chicago Denver road trip. If you enter from the East in Incline and exit in Wall, you’ll add about 1.5-2 hours to your overall drive, depending on how often you stop.
If you’d like, add a few short hikes along the way, such as the Notch, Window, and Doors Trail. The Pinnacles, Badlands, and Yellow Mounds Overlooks are also great stops on your journey. You can see quite a bit in a half-day in Badlands National Park.
8. Custer State Park
Custer State Park was the highlight of a recent road trip, with its variety of things to do, ranging from hiking to fishing, wildlife safari’s to trail rides. There are several scenic drives to take advantage of, including the Wildlife Loop with buffalo and antelope, the Needles Highway with its incredible rock formations, and Iron Mountain Road.
The hiking is incredible, whether you’re looking for an easy trail around Sylvan Lake with a waterfall or a challenging hike to Black Elk Peak. Don’t miss the annual buffalo roundup at the end of September—an awe-inspiring spectacle. Using Custer State Park as a base camp for your stay in western South Dakota is a great idea, whether you visit the campgrounds or stay at lodging within in Custer State Park. The park has such a breadth of activities, and you can easily access Crazy Horse Memorial and Mount Rushmore for more fun.
9. Mount Rushmore National Memorial and Crazy Horse Memorial
No trip through South Dakota would be complete without visiting Mount Rushmore. This iconic site celebrates America’s history through the monumental carvings of four U.S. presidents. The photo below is from a recent rainy day visit, where some say the presidents look like they are crying. Enjoy the museum and hiking to enhance your visit.
Just a short drive from Mount Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Memorial is a tribute to the Native American warrior, Crazy Horse. The Native American museum, sculpture gardens, and nature gates all help to make this a memorable experience. If you visit in early June or late September, try to align your visit with the Volksmarch, which lets you hike up to the sculpture itself.
10. Wind Cave National Park
Wind Cave National Park is known for its complex cave system and the unique formation of boxwork calcite. Unfortunately, the cave tours are closed during the summer of 2024, while they perform maintenance on the elevator that is used for tours.
Even without a visit to the caves, the drive through Wind Cave National Park is worthwhile. The road passes through the mixed-grass prairie, home to bison, elk, wild turkeys, and other wildlife. The photo below is from an early morning drive through the park in May. Don’t miss hikes on the shorter Rankin Ridge Interpretive Trail and the more moderate Lookout Point Trail and Centennial Loop.
Taking the northern route between Chicago and Denver enhances your road trip with stunning natural scenery and rich history. It also offers a diverse range of activities, whether you enjoy outdoor adventures or unique museums. Stay safe on your road trip! If you have other recommendations for places to stop on the northern route, please add them in the comments!
Best Places to Stay on the Northern Route
There are many great towns to visit during your Chicago Denver road trip on the northern route. These recommended stops break the route up into 3 main driving days. The times listed are average driving times.
- 8 hours from Chicago: Sioux Falls, South Dakota (alternatively, Mitchell, or Chamberlain)
- 5-6 hours from Sioux Falls: Custer State Park or Rapid City, South Dakota
- 5-6 hours from Custer State Park to Denver, Colorado
Sioux Falls Lodging
| Comfort Inn & Suites at Sanford Sports Complex | Top rated hotel with suites just off of I-90 with Indoor pool, hot tub, fitness center. |
| Hyatt Place Sioux Falls South | Hotel close to I-90, with indoor pool and fitness center. |
| Historic Victorian Inn | Bed & breakfast with tennis court and garden. |
Rapid City Lodging
| Staybridge Suites Rapid City – Rushmore, an IHG Hotel | Excellent suites hotel with full kitchens, free laundry, indoor pool, fitness area. Free dinners are included some nights of the week. |
| Best Western Plus Rapid City | Highly rated 3-star hotel with indoor pool and fitness center, conveniently located to the highway. |
| Priceless Black Hills View | 2-bedroom apartment with views of the Black Hills. Access to outdoor swimming pool. |
Custer State Park Lodging
There are four main areas of the park, which we describe in more detail here.
- Best for Families, History- and Wildlife-Enthusiasts: State Game Lodge & Cabins
- Best for Hikers, Photo- and Lake-Enthusiasts: Sylvan Lake Lodge & Cabins
- Best for Families and Small Groups: Bluebell Lodge & Cabins
- Best for Groups and Family Fun by the Lake: Legion Lake Lodge & Cabins
Each of these areas has cabins, most have lodge rooms and campgrounds.
Denver Lodging
Denver has many diverse areas to stay for your visit. Some top options close to the main sights in Denver include:
| Hyatt Centric Downtown Denver | Full service hotel in the heart of downtown with fitness center and private parking. |
| Flora House Denver | This top rates B&B is just minutes away from the Botanical Gardens, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, and the Zoo. It offers suites, a peaceful setting, and easy parking. |
| Element Denver Downtown East | Marriott hotel with convenient downtown location, fitness center, garage parking, and free bikes to use to explore town. |
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Travel Resources
We recommend booking through our preferred travel booking sites below.
| Air Travel | SkyScanner |
| Lodging | Booking.com, VRBO.com, Expedia.com, Hostelworld |
| Tours and Activities | Viator.com, GetYourGuide.com |
| Car rentals | Discovercars.com |
| Travel insurance | Squaremouth |
| Bike and scooter rentals | BikeBookings.com |
| Train tickets | Trainline, RailEurope |
| Bus tickets | Flixbus, Busbud |
Such great stops along the way! I love road trips, and this one looks amazing!
Thanks!
It’s amazing how much of the US looks like Turkey! Looks like such a scenic drive to take. Would love to be able to spend more time in the US if it wasn’t such a hassle.
I’ll have to spend more time in Turkey too the explore the landscape.
This sounds awesome! I’d love to see more of this part of the country!
Sioux Falls has been on my travel to-do list for the longest time, and your photos are stunning! Thank you for sharing!
Hope you can visit. I happened to wake up really early, so caught the sunrise at the falls. It isn’t captured in this picture, but the lighting was great.
Is it weird that I´m from Spain and can´t wait to visit all of these places?? This Chicago Denver road trip looks just like a movie!! Great blog post!
Thanks! I live in Colorado and we have many amazing places, but I can’t wait to go back to Europe.
Did a road trip from Tucson to South Dakota and saw many of these sites. Love Custer State Park! Great places on this list.
Thanks. We’ve done the Phoenix Denver road trip a number of times too. So much to see in between.
I love a well thought out route! Looks like you have some great stops on here!
Thank you!
With all these great options, I doubt I’d ever make it to my original destination. I might just stay in Wisconsin and go biking and hiking!
We would definitely plan to take the more adventurous rout from Chicago to Denver. Lots of great reasons with great stops along the way. And we might even want to plan a longer stay to allow for more time for hiking and kayaking.
I would definitely suggest a longer stay in Western South Dakota, in addition to other stops along the way.
Great itinerary and places to visit (Cowgirl museum – yeehaw!) I’ve not yet done this route so will keep in mind when we do!
Hope you have a chance to give it a try.
I have never thought a Chicago – Denver route could be that interesting, the adventure-packed northern way looks so amazing! Thanks for sharing the details!
Thanks for the feedback. Yes, there was so much more to do than I had expected.
This looks like an amazing road trip with stunning scenery. You had me at hiking trails, lol. I would definitely take this route!
Thanks!
I haven’t considered a road trip between Denver and Chicago, looks like there’s lots of beautiful stops to make I wouldn’t have considered!
If you need to drive that way for any reason, definitely worth going the northern route.
I would love a US road trip. Never looked at this route before. Just wondering, is some of it on historic Route 66? Time to do a road trip in the US again, I will definitely look at this route more closely.
Route 66 is further south. Another option is to just to this as a Denver to South Dakota trip, passing Rocky Mountain National Park and then going to Badlands, Custer State Park, etc. It’s about 6 hours from Denver to Custer.
I can definitely see the reasons to take the norhtern route. There are some parks and sights I have not seen that you showed here. One day, I will make it to the Badlands National Park.
Badlands is worth a visit, hope you can make it there.
Great must stop locations. I had most of these on my itinerary and want to see the caves in the area. I’ve never been to Badlands National Park so it’s on my list.
The Jewel Cave National Monument is still open (though the caves in Wind Cave are closed this year).
So many roads in America, so it is nice to take a different road and this one sounds very interesting.
Thanks. It’s a long drive but it certainly helps to have great places to stop.
Awesome guide! Thanks!
Thank you!
Short and sweet blog post! I always love your pictures.
Thank you!
This would be a great road trip. There are definitely a lot of beautiful spots to stop along the way.
Thanks, I was surprised at just how many great spots I came across along the way.
Love this helpful guide on taking the more scenic road trip from Chicago to Denver. Love discovering new hiking trails, waterfalls, and museums especially. Great way to break up the long drive.
Thanks!
I love all the paddleboarding options. 🙂 That’s one of my favorite things to do.
I love getting out paddleboarding too, and so easy when they have rentals on site (if you don’t have one with you).
I wonder how the rocks formed at the Cathedral Spires… such a unique shape! How long would you recommend for this road trip?
I would split the trip into 3 or 4 driving days. If possible, I would spend 3-4 days in western South Dakota, exploring Badlands, the Black Hills, Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse. So one week minimum if possible.
Wow! I had no idea all of this existed among those states. I love hiking so if I’m ever up for a road trip thru these areas, I know exactly how and where I’ll be visiting!
I was surprised by just how much hiking there was too.
this is such a fantastic post. I love road trips!
Thanks!
Waht a great route to see so many classic sites!
It was a great change of pace from our typical route through Nebraska. That has its highlights too, but not like I-90.
I must see mount rushmore. I am adding it to my US travel bucket list.
It’s worth a visit (though plan some days in the area, there is so much more to see).
I would love to do a roadtrip like this!
Lots of driving, but it was a fun solo trip.
The Mitchell Corn Palace is a MUST on any road trip out west! Great article.
Thanks, I enjoyed stopping at the Corn Palace. It had just been used for the local college and high school graduations. I hadn’t realized it was an event center too.
What a unique place!
Such fun ideas…something for everyone. Another great adventure would be to take the Amtrak.
I’ve looked at the Amtrak but have yet to try that route. For this last trip, I was bringing my son’s car back from Chicago for him.