Scenic RV Campground, Sioux City Nebraska to Mitchell KOA Journey, Mitchell South Dakota

September23 to September 24, 2025

It was a relatively short drive of 2 1/2 hours today. We’re excited to visit South Dakota, as neither of us has been there before. It’s been a bit of a slog since leaving Ohio, traveling daily with overnight stops, but it’s all been necessary to reach our destinations at both Little Bighorn and Custer State Park. At 7th Ranch RV Campground near Little Bighorn, we stay for 4 nights and at Custer State Park, we are there for 9 nights before heading back home.

There was a lot of road construction on today’s travels, too, north on I-90 but traffic was moderate. The weather is still warm during the day, cooling off most nights into the 50s and 60s. In addition to moving into the Fall season, we are also crossing time zones and that is a bit challenging in planning travel time. Today we will cross into MST, a two-hour difference from EST. We are monitoring the weather also, since it can change quickly in this part of the country but so far, it’s been great.

Mitchell KOA Journey campground is located on the outskirts of Mitchell, SD. It is a well-maintained KOA and the scenery is quite lovely. This is a first for sharing photos of a campground bathroom, but it is so amazing – very clean with beautiful fixtures. The campsites are fairly large, most are pull-thru with full hookups, the staff are friendly, making it a destination campground.

Mitchell, a 1,000-year-old farming village, is one of the earliest corn-growing sites on the Northern Plains. While traveling, we discovered that the Corn Palace of the World is located in Mitchell and decided to visit after settling in.

The Corn Palace is a unique structure that attracts over 500,000 visitors annually to admire its intricate corn murals. Built in 1892, shortly after Mitchell, SD was established, it served as a gathering spot for city residents and rural neighbors to enjoy fall festivals and entertainment. Celebrating the crop-growing season and harvest, the palace is redecorated each year with naturally colored corn, grains, and native grasses, making it a global agricultural showcase. Each year features a new theme, with murals designed to reflect it. Corn is carefully nailed onto the Corn Palace to create the scenes. This year’s theme was the 7 Wonders of the World, and in October, they will begin dismantling it to prepare for next year’s theme.

Our next campground is located in Wall, SD, near another world renown attraction, Wall Drug. A drug store, gift shop, and eateries are some of the amenities at the 76,000 sq ft building.