America's Cowboy Country

Welcome to Rapid City, long known as the gateway to the Black Hills and your home for three nights.
Hotel Name: Alex Johnson Hotel

Visit rugged Badlands National Park. Upon arrival at the visitor center, view its informative exhibits and displays and watch a film that introduces you to the area. Follow the Badlands Loop Road, a wonder of rock formations and vibrant colors formed by mineral deposits. Stop at Wall Drug, a classic store from 1936, where there is time for lunch and browsing. This evening, a Lakota Native American will join you before your welcome dinner to discuss his dedication to his community and the Native American way of life, past and present.

Breakfast Included
Dinner Included

Visit Area: Badlands National Park
Badlands National Park is a national park in southwestern South Dakota that protects 242,756 acres of chiseled spires, deep canyons and prairie grassland in the state. The name comes from the difficult travels over the rough terrain said to be ‘bad land.’ The geologic deposits here contain one of the world’s richest fossil beds. Today, bison, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs and black footed ferrets live here.

Travel to Custer State Park and search for a herd of over 1,000 roaming bison. Your guide will fill you in on the park’s wildlife history and facts. Next, prepare to be amazed by the Crazy Horse Memorial, the world's largest mountain sculpture still in progress. The memorial includes the Indian Museum of North America, Native American Cultural Center, the sculptor's studio, an orientation center and theaters. Many Native American artists and craftspeople practice their art at the memorial and are on hand to discuss the influence their culture has on their work. Later, see Mount Rushmore, one of the country’s most famous landmarks.

Breakfast Included

Visit Area: Custer State Park
Custer State Park is a state park and wildlife reserve in the Black Hills of southwestern South Dakota. The park is South Dakota’s first and largest state park. The park covers an area of over 71,000 acres and features many wild animals. The park is famous for its scenery and picturesque drives and is home to a famous herd of 1500 free roaming bison, as well as elk, deer, mountain goats, and mountain lions.

Stop in Deadwood, a rambling Western town and a National Historic Landmark. Recreations of turn-of-the-century streetlamps light the way through the restored architecture. A local guide introduces you to the history of the city, where gold, gambling and gunpowder were once the order of the day. Visit Mount Moriah Cemetery, final resting place of Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, and other figures from the Wild West. Continue to Kevin Costner’s Tatanka: “Story of the Bison.” This interpretive center features large, awe-inspiring sculptures depicting the relationship of bison and the Lakota Native Americans. Your day ends in Buffalo, Wyoming.

Breakfast Included
Hotel Name: Hampton Inn & Suites

Admittance: Crazy Horse Memorial
Crazy Horse Memorial, the world’s largest mountain sculpture now in progress, is located in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The nine-story-high face of Crazy Horse, a visionary leader committed to preserving the traditions and values of the Lakota way of life, was completed in 1998 when work shifted to the 22-story-high massive horse’s head. The work was begun in 1948 by sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski at the request of Native Americans. Korczak determined that the memorial would be more than just a sculpture…it would be a humanitarian project telling present and future generations the story of Native American peoples by collecting and preserving outstanding examples of Indian culture and heritage. Visitors to the memorial can view the progress of the sculpture as well as tour an Indian museum, cultural center, the sculptor’s studio and orientation center. Although Korczak died in 1982, his wife, Ruth, and their family continue the project working with the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation.

This morning, make your way through the Bighorn Mountains and cross through the territory of the Great Sioux Nation. This afternoon, visit the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, a tribute to one of the most well-known figures of the Old West.

Breakfast Included
Dinner Included
Hotel Name: Buffalo Bill Village Holiday Inn and Cabins

Visit Area: Mt. Rushmore
Mount Rushmore is a sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore near Keystone, South Dakota. Mt. Rushmore features 60 foot sculptures of the heads of four U.S. Presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. The faces were sculpted between 1934 and 1939. Mt. Rushmore attracts more than 2 million people annually.

Visit Yellowstone National Park, the world’s first national park. Famous for its geysers, hot springs and incredible wildlife – including free-ranging herds of buffalo – Yellowstone lives up to its reputation. No visit to the park would be complete without seeing its most renowned attraction: Old Faithful. Watch in awe as the geyser sends a fountain of steam more than 130 feet in the air. Travel over the Sylvan Pass and see Yellowstone Lake on the way to Jackson, your home for the next two nights.

Breakfast Included
Hotel Name: The Lodge at Jackson Hole

Visit Area: Deadwood
Deadwood is a city in South Dakota that is named after the dead trees found in its valley. Deadwood became a popular destination during the Black Hills Gold rush in the mid to late 1870s when prospectors discovered gold. The town's population quickly swelled as folks came seeking their fortune. Today, Deadwood maintians its historic roots, and instead of gold, folks come to get a taste of life in the Wild West.

Wind through Grand Teton National Park, home to the youngest peaks in the Rockies. Keep your camera handy, as there are plenty of opportunities to take photos. Afterwards, enjoy free time to explore trendy downtown Jackson. Look for the Antler Arch at the entrance to the historic town square. Get a taste of the Old West at your farewell dinner where your ride in a covered wagon takes you past the Cache Creek for a night of Western hospitality at a chuckwagon dinner* with entertainment.

Breakfast Included
Dinner Included

Admittance: Buffalo Bill Center of the West
Founded in 1917, the Buffalo Bill Center of the West is a complex of five museums featuring art and artifacts of the American West. The purpose of the museum was to preserve the legacy and vision of Colonial Will F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody. The five museums in the complex are the Plains Indians Museum, Whitney Western Art Museum, Cody Firearms Museum, and the Draper Natural History Museum.

Your tour comes to a close today, leaving you with many pleasant memories.

Breakfast Included

Visit Area: Yellowstone National Park
It's a wonderland with the world's largest collection of geysers! Yellowstone is a National Park primarily located in the state of Wyoming, but it also extends into Montana and Idaho. It was established as a national park on March 1st, 1872. Yellowstone is said to be the first national park in the world. The park is famous for its wildlife and geothermal features, especially Old Faithful Geyser, which is one of the most popular features of the park. Yellowstone comprises an area of 3,468.4 square miles featuring lakes, canyons, rivers and mountain ranges.