The Great Plains of the United States of America is a wide open, mostly agricultural area, but also home to the Badlands and Black Hills, where the iconic Mount Rushmore is located.
States
Paralleling the Rocky Mountains, this vast stretch of grasslands extends from a tiny pocket of northern Mexico, through Texas and all the way north to the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
Cities
Fargo
Kansas City
Lincoln
Oklahoma City
Omaha
Rapid City
Sioux Falls
Tulsa
Wichita
Other destinations
Badlands and Black Hills
Understand
Talk
Get in
Air-travel is fastest and probably the most practical way of entering the Great Plains region. Many smaller cities in this region are serviced by the airport hubs of Denver, Minneapolis, Dallas, Houston and Chicago. From those large airports, smaller commuter flights are available into many small city airports such as Fargo or Grand Forks, North Dakota; Rapid City or Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Omaha, Lincoln, Grand Island, Kearney, McCook, Scottsbluff and Alliance, Nebraska; Salina, Wichita or Topeka, Kansas; Tulsa or Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and Amarillo, Wichita Falls or Dallas, Texas.
Get around
Generally by automobile, Greyhound bus has several routes through here as well and there is very limited passenger rail service. Many larger cities have regular air-commuter service to larger hub airports. Smaller towns may have smaller commuter flights with more limited service.
See
Nature
Great numbers of wildlife can be observed here including Whitetail deer, otters, badgers, pronghorn, prairie dogs, coyotes as well as Elk and Buffalo in wildlife refuges as well as other managed areas
Theodore Roosevelt National Park in Western North Dakota
Badlands National Park in Western South Dakota
Black Hills National Forest in Western South Dakota
Sandhills in North Central Nebraska
Many National Grasslands dot this region
Do
Visit County/State Fairs generally occurring during the fall months, admission is usually charged
Rodeos
Horseback Riding
Wildlife Viewing
Museums
Storm Chasing
Hiking
Fishing (licenses required, purchased at sports shops and larger stores such as Wal-Marts or grocery stores in the region)
Hunting (licenses required, hunters safety requirements vary by state)
Eat
Drink
Free Ice Water at Wall Drug, Wall, South Dakota
Stay safe
The Great Plains are the location of "Tornado Alley", a multi-state region where tornadoes are more frequent on average during the spring and summer months. See Tornado safety for more information. While it is somewhat rare for tourists to experience tornadoes, severe thunderstorms containing frequent lightning, strong winds, hail and heavy rains are common during the spring and summer months as well. When weather conditions deteriorate listen to local radio stations for information ("Weather Radio Information" roadsigns are fairly common on interstates) The northern areas of this region are susceptible to blizzards and bitter cold temperatures during the winter; while southern regions sometimes face severe ice events. When driving cross-country in the winter, be prepared as Interstates often close during severe winter weather events.
Get out