Origin
Rapid Valley, SD
Morning in Rapid Valley on Tuesday
Local time
10:58 AM
MDT
Current temp
53°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Rapid Valley, SD to Spearfish, SD
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
59m
Distance
53.3 mi
86 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$8
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 55m
★
6 AM
1h 0m
8 AM
1h 10m
10 AM
1h 3m
12 PM
1h 2m
3 PM
1h 4m
5 PM
1h 9m
8 PM
0h 57m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Spearfish, SD
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Rapid Valley, SD to Spearfish, SD is 53.3 miles and takes about 59 minutes via I 90, with a fuel budget near $8 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within the Great Plains region, offering a straightforward drive. You'll mainly be on the interstate, making it an easy and efficient way to get from point A to point B. Consider this a quick hop rather than an epic adventure, perfect for when you need to cover some ground without a major time commitment.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| I 90 | 48.9 mi | 49m |
| Elk Vale Road | 2.1 mi | 3m |
| East Jackson Boulevard | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Twilight Drive | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Sweetbriar Street | 0.2 mi | 1m |
| Jubilee Lane | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Peanut Lane | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Jolly Lane | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
I 90
— 48.9 mi, about 49m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Rapid Valley, SD and Spearfish, SD.
1
Start on Sweetbriar Street
0.2 mi
·
1 min
·
Sweetbriar Street
2
At end of road, turn left onto Walnut Street
192 ft
·
8 sec
·
Walnut Street
3
Continue on Peanut Lane
511 ft
·
27 sec
·
Peanut Lane
4
Turn left onto Twilight Drive
0.3 mi
·
38 sec
·
Twilight Drive
5
Turn right onto Jolly Lane
397 ft
·
15 sec
·
Jolly Lane
6
Turn left onto Jubilee Lane
0.2 mi
·
38 sec
·
Jubilee Lane
7
Turn right onto US 16 Truck; SD 79
2.1 mi
·
3 min
·
Elk Vale Road
8
Take the exit
0.5 mi
·
1 min
9
Merge onto I 90; US 14; US 16 Truck; SD 79
3.7 mi
·
4 min
·
I 90; US 14; US 16 Truck; SD 79
10
Continue on I 90; US 14; SD 79
31 mi
·
31 min
·
I 90; US 14; SD 79
11
Continue on I 90; US 14; SD 34
14 mi
·
14 min
·
I 90; US 14; SD 34
12
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
43 sec
Toward Jackson Boulevard, Black Hills State University
13
Turn left onto East Jackson Boulevard
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
East Jackson Boulevard
14
Turn left onto I 90 Business
149 ft
·
14 sec
·
North Main Street
15
Arrive at destination
I 90 Business
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
27 mi into the route
Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset
This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.
Pacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 12 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 26.7 miles from Rapid Valley, SD, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 95 decision points cluster between mile 0.2 and 52.4 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
0.2 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
Walnut Street
At end of road, turn left onto Walnut Street
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
5
0.4 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
Twilight Drive
Turn left onto Twilight Drive
Navigation decision point
4
0.6 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
Jolly Lane
Turn right onto Jolly Lane
Navigation decision point
4
0.7 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
Jubilee Lane
Turn left onto Jubilee Lane
Navigation decision point
5
52.4 mi into trip
|
~57m in
Take the exit toward Jackson Boulevard, Black Hills State University
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward Jackson Boulevard, Black Hills State Uni...
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$8.33 one way
$16.67 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
19 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $9.15 | $18.30 |
| premium | $4.89 | $10.26 | $20.51 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $11.77 | $23.54 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$8
Estimated CO2 emission: 18.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $6 in charging · 0 stops · 68% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 16 | 0 | $5.60 | $2.56 |
| Efficient EV | 13.3 | 0 | $4.66 | $2.13 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 21.3 | 0 | $7.46 | $3.41 |
Gas CO2
19 kg
EV CO2
6 kg (68% less)
This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Destination
Spearfish, SD
Morning in Spearfish on Tuesday
Local time
10:58 AM
MDT
Current temp
48°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
5 degrees cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
59m on the road
Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
What kind of drive is this?
This route is predominantly highway, with 92% of the drive on interstates like I 90. You'll experience 48.9 miles on I 90, which is the longest stretch. The final portion of your drive will transition from highway to surface roads. Expect a consistent cruising experience for most of the trip, with an increasing number of exits as you approach your destination.
92% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
15 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 48.9 mi on I 90.
How Hard Is This Drive?
3/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 90 and Elk Vale Road. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 0.2 miles in near Walnut Street.
Driving Effort
3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 59m drive. You will face about 9 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.2 miles (Walnut Street): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 0.4 miles (Twilight Drive): Navigation decision point; at 0.6 miles (Jolly Lane): Navigation decision point.
About the Cities
Arriving in Spearfish, SD
Full guide →Spearfish is in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Although Spearfish is a small community with 14,000 residents, it is the commercial and academic center for several towns in the Black Hills and nearby Wyoming and Montana, attracting more than a million visitors each year with its museums, festivals and natural beauty.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 59m. Total distance: 53.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
59m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (92%). Straightforward navigation.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 48.9 miles on I 90. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes — we found about 4 rest areas or service plazas within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.
Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.
Mostly yes along the main roads, but rural stretches through SD can have sparse or no coverage. Before you leave, download offline Google Maps or Apple Maps for the route, and consider downloading music or podcasts instead of streaming. If you depend on data for navigation, keep a paper backup of the turn-by-turn directions.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.2 miles (Walnut Street): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 0.4 miles (Twilight Drive): Navigation decision point; at 0.6 miles (Jolly Lane): Navigation decision point.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Spearfish, SD before heading back.
How this page is built
Compiled by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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