Need planning help for Minot visit

Hope you can help us. Several friends will be traveling in June from different cities (St Louis, San Francisco, Norfolk, Jacksonville) to meet in Minot. Flights are very limited and expensive, as I%26#39;m sure you know. I didn%26#39;t expect a direct flight from VA but it has 2 stops, takes 8 hours, and costs $600+ each, other travellers are finding similar difficulty. So we are looking for alternatives, like flying into Denver, sharing a rental, stop at Rushmore, Custer State Park, Caves, then on to Minot. We have 2 or 3 extra days before we have to be in Minot. Do you have any ideas for alternate airports with a scenic drive/interesting stops on the way? We are looking forward to seeing ND and other places. People in our group like National/State Parks, historical sites, and some like to shop. Your suggestions are much appreciated.

Need planning help for Minot visit

If you plan to drive from Denver, I can tell you it%26#39;s a 14 hour trip (825 miles) with no stopping except for gas. Our kids live down there and we travel it regularly.

Mt. Rushmore and custer S.P. are nice places in SD to visit. Google Needles Highway in the Black Hills. We also go to the Black Hills for the Sturgis Bike Rally yearly. The scenery going north (US Hwy 85) out of the Black Hills is rolling plaines all the way. In ND when you get to I94 you could go 15 miles west and see Theodore Roosevelt N.P. That%26#39;s the most scenic area of all ND. To then get up to Minot go back east to Dickinson then north on Hwy22 to Hwy 23.

Malebird

Need planning help for Minot visit

Malebird, Thanks for the info. Denver is looking better and better because everytime we check airfares to Minot the cost is higher! At least we can take our time and see the sites. Appreciate your advice.

I%26#39;m a ND girl transplanted to Northern Virginia. Since my parents are still in Minot, I travel there at least 1-2 times a year. One of the best ways I%26#39;ve found to get good air fare is to find the NW Airlines coupons that arrive in the ';Couponpacs'; in your mailbox. Using these coupons, and the promo code on the web site, can usually get me to and from Minot for approx. $350. I don%26#39;t know if you have any NWA miles -- but their web site also has an ongoing Miles and Cash promotion that cuts down the fare substantially. Mt. Rushmore is worth the side-trip, and I would definitely encourage anyone to see it!

swasser, thanks for the tips. I got in a time crunch and had to make a decision, so I went ahead and bought NWA tickets, not as bad as it could have been (not as good either), about $600 rt. I did not have coupons, I know the one you refer to, but was afraid to wait any longer and have the fares increase even more. Hope we get ot see Rushmore and other sites. Appreciate your help.