Hi there!
I made the drive from South Dakota to Michigan in August 2021.
This is a quick list of stops I made along the way to break up the drive!
This was on the way back from a road trip out west from Michigan.
You can see the route I took going from Michigan to South Dakota (and North Dakota) with Black Hills National Forest, Badlands National Park, Wind Cave National Park, and Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
Of course there are many different ways that you can do the drive from South Dakota to Michigan.
So consider these just a few ideas!
Below will be how I made the drive from South Dakota to Minnesota to Wisconsin to Illinois to Indiana to Michigan! (Destination: Detroit area in southeast Michigan.)
South Dakota to Chicago was basically a drive on I-90. Chicago to Detroit was basically a drive on I-94.
If you will be driving in the opposite direction from Michigan to South Dakota, see route ideas here:
- National park road trip out west
- Chicago to Yellowstone National Park
- Chicago to Mount Rushmore
- Best places to visit in South Dakota
- Best places to visit in Wyoming
I have done a trip from Michigan to Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota, and then down to South Dakota, then then back to Michigan.
I have also done a trip from Michigan directly to South Dakota and Wyoming… then onwards to Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho, back into Wyoming to the Snowy Range Scenic Byway, stopping by Toadstool Geologic Park that’s part of a national grassland in Nebraska, and then back to Michigan.
Driving to Michigan from South Dakota
Listed driving time is according to google maps with no stops.
Day 1: South Dakota to Minnesota
Badlands National Park to Fairmont MN driving time: 5 hours 40 minutes
The last night of my South Dakota trip was in Badlands National Park at the Cedar Pass campground.
This was basically just a day of driving.
I considered staying at a South Dakota state park camping cabin in Palisades State Park that is reasonably close to I-90 in eastern South Dakota (map) but decided that I’d like to get a little further along on the drive to Michigan.
If all you need is a place to sleep, the South Dakota state park camping cabins are a GREAT budget option to look into! I stayed at camping cabins in Custer State Park. In 2021, the cost of a night in a camping cabin was $66 including taxes and the out-of-state resident fee. You also do need a South Dakota state park pass. It can be the state-wide pass ($36) or just a Custer State Park one ($20).
The camping cabins typically need to be reserved at least 2 days in advance so they can make sure that they are properly cleaned and ready for you (so I’m told) but you can try calling up the South Dakota camping reservation line on the day of to see if they can make it work. They need to call up the state park to see if it’s okay, so it’s best to call in the morning if you’re making same day reservations… again so I’m told.
I ended up staying at the Quality Inn Fairmont hotel in Fairmont MN. While on the road, I was doing a search for hotels in Minnesota that were a reasonable distance away. This was a hotel that upon reading the most recent google reviews, it didn’t seem to have anything terrible, so I went with it. No issues.
Day 2: Minnesota to Wisconsin
Fairmont MN to Janesville WI driving time: 5 hours 20 minutes
Fairmont MN to Great River Bluffs State Park MN to Janesville WI driving time: 5 hours 10 minutes
Yes it came up as less driving time when adding in Great River Bluffs State Park when I just checked it… 🤔
Great River Bluffs State Park is in Winona MN. (map)
This is just off of I-90, so it can be a convenient stop to make. This is a small state park that has a couple of shorter hikes to scenic overlooks of the Mississippi River.
There is also a hike in Great River Bluffs State Park called Kings Bluff Trail. This is listed as 2.5 miles round trip and will take you through a nice forest walk that ends with views of the Mississippi River.
As a state park, there are also picnic tables to eat at. There’s a Minnesota state park entry fee of $7 or so. If you’re looking for camping, there’s that too.
Winona MN seems like a nice little town to stay over in if you are looking for that.
You’ll also pass by Madison WI. This is also a nice city with a number of lakes. When I was looking for places to stay in Wisconsin, I did find hotels to be more expensive in Madison.
I stayed at the Quality Inn Janesville hotel in Janesville WI. I stayed here on the drive in the other direction (Michigan to North Dakota) and I felt the location was convenient enough, and I didn’t feel like looking through more hotel reviews 😜 so I went with the same as before since I had no issues before. You can read the most recent google reviews of this hotel.
Day 3: Wisconsin to Michigan
Janesville WI to metro Detroit driving time: 5 hours 50 minutes (map)
Janesville WI to Arlington Heights IL to downtown Chicago to Indiana Dunes National Park to metro Detroit driving time: 6.5 hours (map)
This was a day with a few longer stops and/or detours.
Driving through Chicago area
First I stopped by Mitsuwa, which has a Japanese grocery store, Japanese restaurants, and a Japanese bakery. At the grocery store, you can buy pre-made food like sushi and other Japanese food items. This was basically a lunch stop. Mitsuwa is in Arlington Heights IL which is a suburb of Chicago.
Driving through downtown Chicago
Then I wanted to take an iconic photo of Chicago so off to drive through downtown Chicago it was.
As you can imagine, there was traffic.
My “destination” within downtown Chicago was the DuSable Bridge and the William P. Fahey Bridge. These bridges go across the Chicago River.
If you have seen pictures of Chicago on a river, this area could very well be what you have seen.
You can’t get good pictures of the Chicago River from sitting in the car as you are driving across the bridge.
So I got out of the car and ran around Chicago for like 5 minutes to get some pictures of the Chicago River as my dad drove around the block in circles… or something like that. 😜 (Parking is expensive and a hassle in downtown Chicago!)
I basically got out of the car just north of the DuSable Bridge (map) and started running towards Lake Michigan (aka the other bridge). There’s a small little plaza with a driving circle that can make for a good pick-up point if your driver can keep going around in circles nearby without crossing the bridge. (map) If you cross the bridge it can get complicated getting back because of one-way streets and tunnels. (No GPS in tunnels too.)
If you navigate to DuSable Bridge on google maps from just outside of downtown Chicago, choose the option to avoid tolls.
From the Chicago River, it was onwards to driving along Lakeshore Drive heading north to get some more iconic Chicago views. Lakeshore Drive will have you driving directly along Lake Michigan. (Where the Chicago River and Lake Michigan meet is basically where the famous Navy Pier is.)
Then once I got enough of that, it was time to turn around to continue the drive to Michigan!
If you want to spend some time in Chicago, then have a look at taking a water taxi or boat tour. Experience both the Chicago River and Lake Michigan!
And speaking of tolls, if you follow google maps from Michigan to South Dakota, it will take you on the Illinois Tollway when you are in the Chicago area. If you do drive on the toll road, be sure that you get on the Illinois Tollway website within 2 weeks to pay for those unpaid tolls to avoid extra fees! I waited around for a bill to come in the mail and it was an extra fee for every toll booth I passed by. (You’ll pass by several if you follow google maps.) The toll booths were not staffed and they were not accepting cash at the time I went.
Driving to Indiana Dunes National Park
Next I decided that since I had never been to Indiana Dunes National Park, I wanted to get a quick stop here with a short hike that comes with views.
Through a quick google search while on the road (so I didn’t thoroughly research), it seemed like the only hike that fit this was the Dune Succession Trail to West Beach.
If you have been hiking in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, then it did not compare. I was hoping to see vast views of sandy sand dunes, which I really did not.
Also it was in the 90s in Chicago on a Saturday afternoon when I went so the beach was quite crowded. A crowded Lake Michigan probably also made my experience feel less great.
There is another area to Indiana Dunes National Park, so I do wonder what that area was like.
But of course, no matter what, it was a stop along a Lake Michigan beach, and can you really complain about a stop at Lake Michigan? 😜
If a beach stop sounds like a good way to break up a drive for you, then maybe stop here! You can also walk directly to West Beach from the parking lot.
Also just a note, dune grass is said to be fragile and an important part of the coastal ecosystem so take care not to step on it!
During the summer although there was a (comparably) small entry fee for the West Beach area of Indiana Dunes National Park, there didn’t used to be a national park entry fee. Now there is! It’s $25 per car. See current fee info.
If you have an annual national park pass, that will work at Indiana Dunes National Park.
There is also Indiana Dunes State Park that is right next to the national park. The state park has an entry fee of around $12.
Indiana Dunes is reasonably close to I-94.
And after this stop in Indiana… it was back home to Michigan!!
More road trip planning
Trip to Michigan
If Michigan is your vacation destination, be sure to see:
- Best things to do in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (lower peninsula)
- Best things to do in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (upper peninsula)
- Best places to visit in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
- Lake Superior road trip
- Lake Superior camping spots
And if the Upper Peninsula is your only destination within Michigan, the quickest route from South Dakota to the Upper Peninsula is not what was listed above! But if you want to add in the Lower Peninsula, then you can make it a loop around Lake Michigan. (map)
HAPPY DRIVING FROM SOUTH DAKOTA TO MICHIGAN!
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