Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt and George Washington pose for a few hundred thousand snapshots every summer. So the stony celebrities of South Dakota's Mount Rushmore must get positively lonely in September when vacationing families depart and they're gazing down on the national memorial's giant, nearly empty parking lots.

This is a great time to visit, and not just because there's no crowd to clutter up your snapshot. Autumn also brings the mellowest weather of the year to the Black Hills, as well as the most reasonable lodging prices in this popular corner of the Heartland. And in late September, coloring aspens bathe the hills in gold.

Fall visitors still have full access to all the region's other attractions, including Wind Cave and Badlands national parks and Jewel Cave National Monument. Near Sturgis, on the plains below the northeast rim of the Black Hills, you can get a panoramic view of the countryside from the top of Bear Butte. A hiking trail winds to the top of the sentinel mountain, the centerpiece of Bear Butte State Park.

Hiking and biking trails crisscross the region's public lands. Many of the streams host large populations of trout.

Lodging choices in the area include four state-owned resort lodges in Custer State Park, where you're likely to find yourself sharing the grounds with the many buffalo that roam the preserve. You'll also find a variety of historic hotels, bed and breakfasts, cabins, dude ranches, tepees and motels in Rapid City, the regional hub, and in Spearfish, Custer, Lead/Deadwood and Sturgis.

Reviewed April 2004.

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