National Park Wonders
Experience Overview
Saddle up for this gallop through the American frontier. Admire the peaks of Grand Tetons, spot the bison in Yellowstone National Park, see Mount Rushmore and explore the Black Hills. Stop in Cody made famous by Buffalo Bill, stop at Devil's Tower National Monument and Crazy Horse, where you will be reminded that wonder is never far from sight.
Highlights
Dining Summary
- 4 Dinner (D)
- 8 Breakfast (B)
Be My Guest
- Billings: Guests will dine at the historic Billings Depot and experience a hyper-local pairing of food and mixed cocktails. Your host for the evening is Allen Hodges, the owner of Undammed Distilling Company. Undammed is located in Billings and their products are a tribute to the majestic, wild, undammed Yellowstone River. Guests will get to hear from Allen how his products are made and get a taste of three different Undammed cocktails, each paired with a dinner course prepared by award-winning Chef, Stephen Hindman of Stacked a Montana Grill. Drinks for the evening will be prepared by the historic Rainbow Bar. The ‘Bow, as it’s often called, opened as a beer parlour and hotel in 1935 and continues to be a staple in Downtown Billings.
Dive Into Culture
- In Yellowstone National Park’s Norris Geyser Basin, join local guides who bring the landscape to life over accounts of early travelers, anecdotes from the scientists who study the geology and wildlife of Norris Geyser, and their personal stories from living year-round in Greater Yellowstone. Explore history, geology and living traditions here at the home of Steamboat Geyser, the world's tallest active geyser. As you stroll among the boiling springs, hissing steam and spouting geysers of Norris, you'll walk in the footsteps of the Native people who first called this powerful place home. You can opt for one of two one-mile walks. Take a loop walk in the Upper Basin (Porcelain Basin) with a steep decline and mostly flat boardwalk. Or, join a Lower Basin (Steamboat Geyser) out-and-back walk along the boardwalk with mostly a decline toward Steamboat Geyser and a slight incline back to the main trailhead.
Iconic Experience
- Grand Teton National Park: Get your cameras ready for Grand Teton National Park’s shimmering peaks of the Teton mountain range rising up above forests and lakes. You’ll love exploring the park’s alpine landscapes with your Tour Director who shares details about the 40-mile Teton Range. Explore the Thomas and Colter Bay Visitor Centers, Jenny Lake and Colter Bay overlooking Jackson Lake, one of the highest altitude lakes in the United States.
- Yellowstone National Park: Yellowstone National Park. A bucket list destination and a must-see icon. Established as America's first National Park by President Grant in 1872, Yellowstone is famous for its hot springs, bubbling mud pots, vast canyons and lush forests and a variety of terrain including alpine mountains, prairies, valleys and waterfalls as well as a diversity of nature including the hydrothermal features. Explore the Southern Loop of Yellowstone with your Travel Director who shows you the must-sees and highlights, paired with background information of this huge, ever-changing national park. See the splendor of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, keep an eye out for bison in Hayden Valley, and witness Old Faithful blow off some steam.
- Cody: Jump into the playground of the wild west. Glimpse into the "Spirit of the West" at the Buffalo Bill Center for the West Museum complex. Boasting five museums on its campus, this “Smithsonian of the West” will immerse you in the sounds and sights of the Wild West. You'll feel like you've been transported back to a time of cowboys and cowgirls, outlaws and Native American warriors.
- Sheridan: Admire Devils Tower, a geological monolith that seems to rise up out of the prairie. You’ll be able to see why Devils Tower is considered sacred to local Native American tribes, as it is totally unique and contrasts with the plains around it. The first National Monument in the USA (1906) the tower stands some 867-feet from summit to base. Native American's often refer to the monument as Bear Lodge Butte.
- Black Hills: Unlock the history of Crazy Horse Memorial. Learn how construction began in 1948 after Henry Standing Bear, a Lakota elder, commissioned Korczak Ziolkowski, who worked on construction of Mount Rushmore. While the original idea was to carve a face into rock like Mount Rushmore, the monument will ultimately have a full body and horse. There is no completion date yet, but the face of Crazy Horse was completed in 1998 at 87 feet 6 inches (26.7 m) high. Enhance your visit exploring The Indian Museum of North America that is also part of the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation.
MAKE TRAVEL MATTER®
- Rapid City: Get ready for a one-of-a-kind-experience meeting Stephen Yellowhawk to discover the history of his tribe during a festive evening of dance and song. A performer for more than 20 years, Stephen has a passion for dance and sheer determination to promote his Native American culture. Raised by his grandparents from the Lakota tribe and Onondaga Iroquois tribe, Stephen will share his family and tribal history, culture, and traditions with you. Your experience supports United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities.
Must-see Highlights
- Discover Jackson, Rapid City
- Visit the towering peaks of Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park, the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Devils Tower National Monument, the Black Hills of South Dakota
- View Crazy Horse Memorial, Mount Rushmore
- Explore Meet naturalist guides from Yellowstone Wildlife Profiles to learn about its geysers, hot springs, deep canyons and wildlife
Stays With Stories
- Yellowstone National Park: Nothing beats staying close to all the action. Your accommodation for the next two nights is inside the National Park granting you all day access to the park and hotel amenities. Enjoy an evening stroll when the day-trippers are gone and appreciate the natural beauty surrounding you.
Trip Details
Product Code: 28238
Tour Type: Group Tour
Accommodation: Deluxe
Transport: Private
Guide Language: English
Travel Styles:
Family, 55+
Tour Operator:
Trafalgar (CA)
Supplier Code: 222.339B
Starts: Jackson (WY), United States Of America
Finishes: Rapid City, United States Of America
Duration: 9 days
Departures: Guaranteed
Physical Rating:
Easy
Includes
Price
Price per person: (Double Occupancy) CAD $5,262 ($585 /day)
Itinerary
Welcome to Jackson! Home to an array of wildlife and the center of outdoor adventures, explore Jackson on your own before meeting your Travel Director and fellow travelers for a Welcome Dinner. Excitement builds as your Travel Director outlines the sites to come in your exploration of US national parks.
Accommodation: The Lodge at Jackson Hole
Meals: Dinner
Spend the morning connecting with the dazzling natural scenery of Grand Teton National Park. Marvel at the summit peaks of the Teton mountain range and take in the awe-inspiring Jenny Lake. This afternoon, choose to sail into the sky on an aerial tram ride to the peak of Rendezvous Mountain offering 360-degree views of the Tetons, Jackson Hole, the Snake River Valley, and Grand Teton National Park. This evening, opt for a western hoedown featuring a Dutch-oven style dinner with Bar-T 5.
Accommodation: The Lodge at Jackson Hole
Meals: Breakfast
This morning, you may take an optional float trip down Snake River. Sit back and relax as your expert guide points out the sites and wildlife which may include beaver, cutthroat trout, cliff swallows, pelicans, osprey, and bald eagles. No matter what critters come into view, you’ll surely enjoy the mountain views. We continue our exploration of the great American West as we head to the world's first National Park, Yellowstone. Your encounter with its geothermal wonders will leave you in awe. Witness Old Faithful’s waters arc high into the air as it has done approximately every 90 minutes since the Washburn Expedition discovered it. We stay amidst the colorful pools of hotsprings, mudpots and geysers tonight at one of the park’s signature lodges.
Accommodation: National Park Lodges Yellowstone
Meals: Breakfast
Rise and shine to unlock Yellowstone National Park. Begin by teaming up with local naturalist guides to explore Norris Geyser Basin, the hottest, most acidic and most dynamic geyser basin in Yellowstone on the rim of the Yellowstone volcano. Continue your discovery of the Park with your Travel Director, keeping a keen eye out for bison, grizzlies and elk as you journey through Hayden Valley en route to the rusting walls of Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon. Drive along Dunraven Pass and past Montana’s Lamar Valley, home to herds of elk, bison and grizzlies. Admire the gentle cascade of water running down the multi-colored mineral terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs as they descend into the valley.
Accommodation: National Park Lodges Yellowstone
Meals: Breakfast
Head to the infamous town of Cody, named for its most famous native son, Buffalo Bill. Gain insights into the history of the American West at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West and delve into the history of the cowboy, the role of the firearm in the early days, and the culture of the Plains Indians. This evening, enjoy a Be My Guest experience as you dine at the historic Billings Depot, featuring a hyper-local pairing of food and mixed cocktails. Meet Allen Hodges, owner and founder of Undammed Distilling Co. for a one-of-a-kind culinary experience.
Accommodation: DoubleTree by Hilton Billings
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Head through the windswept prairies of the American Frontier and into the Black Hills of South Dakota, admiring the looming fortress of Devils Tower, a geological monolith that seems to rise up out of the prairie. You’ll learn why Devils Tower is considered sacred to local Native American tribes while appreciating its distinct beauty. Afterwards journey to Rapid City, where you'll have your overnight stay.
Accommodation: The Rushmore Hotel & Suites
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Today is your first full day in Rapid City to do as you please. Relax at your hotel or opt for one of our exciting Optional Experiences. Choose to visit Badlands National Park with your Travel Director exploring some of the 244,000 acres of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles and spires amongst the largest protected mixed grass prairie in America. You’ll even make a stop at the famous Wall Drug Store, one of the top roadside attractions in the country. Later, you may opt to see a different side of Mount Rushmore and enjoy a ranger talk at an outdoor amphitheater for a moving patriotic program and sculpture lighting ceremony as the evening culminates in the slow exposure of light until the monument is fully illuminated. (seasonal)
Accommodation: The Rushmore Hotel & Suites
Meals: Breakfast
Travel through the Black Hills to pay tribute to Crazy Horse, the largest mountain carving in the world, peering at the immortalized face of the famed war chief of the Lakota people etched from the granite rock of the Black Hills. We continue to Mount Rushmore featuring the enormous carvings of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln dramatically etched into the granite rock face. On tonight’s MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience, meet with cultural ambassador Stephen Yellowhawk for a Farewell Dinner over stories about the history of his tribe and how he came to learn the traditional dances.
Accommodation: The Rushmore Hotel & Suites
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
After breakfast, bid farewell to your traveling companions and transfer to Rapid City Regional Airport at your leisure. Or, extend your stay in Rapid City at The Rushmore Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast
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Tour Operator
Trafalgar (CA)
Family owned and run since 1920, The Travel Corporation (TTC) is the world leader in immersive travel experiences across an extensive range of travel categories. Each year TTC's 40 award winning hospitality and travel brands connect over 1 million happy travellers to the world. We give you access to the 12 DMC’s behind these brands, so you can build your business by capitalizing on the extensive experience, local expertise, and financial assurance of TTC. LOCAL EXPERTISE The world leaders in travel for over 100 years, we offer unparalleled local expertise with a global footprint. Our 12 DMCs, led by experienced in-destination teams, deliver experience rich travel solutions in more than 80 countries. Additionally, our market based teams are on hand to support across our 40 offices worldwide
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