National Park Society
Discover Your National Parks
Black Hills and Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore National Memorial
Suggested Itinerary
Day 1 – Pawnee Buttes / Scotts Bluff National Monument.
Depart Denver. Proceed northeast into Colorado’s outback to view the spectacular Pawnee Buttes rising above the Pawnee National Grassland.
Continue to Scotts Bluff National Monument - a prominent natural landmark for emigrants on the Oregon Trail. Scotts Bluff, Mitchell Pass and the adjacent prairie lands are set aside in a 3,000 acre national monument. This site preserves original trail ruts and the memory of the historic Oregon, California and Mormon Trails.
The monument museum contains exhibits about the human and natural history of the area and also holds a unique collection of watercolor paintings by the frontier photographer and artist William Henry Jackson. Enjoy a welcome dinner tonight. Overnight in Scottsbluff, Nebraska at the Hampton Inn.
Day 2 – Fort Robinson / Wind Cave NP / Custer State Park
Breakfast at the hotel.
Travel north this morning to Fort Robinson. Fort Robinson played an important role in the Indian wars from 1876 to 1890. Crazy Horse surrendered here on May 6, 1877, and was mortally wounded that September while resisting imprisonment. In January, 1879, the Fort was the scene of a major battle as the result of the Cheyenne Outbreak led by Chief Dull Knife.
In the 20th Century Fort Robinson became the world's largest military remount depot and during the Second World War was the site of a K-9 corps training center and German prisoner-of-war camp. Lunch in Chadron, Nebraska.
Cross into South Dakota and the scenic southern Black Hills. Explore Wind Cave National Park and Custer State Park, famous for their wildlife, including bison, elk, deer, bighorn sheep and more.
Continue on to Rapid City for three nights at the historic Alex Johnson Hotel. Enjoy a group dinner tonight.
Day 3 – Mount Rushmore / Crazy Horse Memorial / Needles Highway
Breakfast at the hotel.
Visit Mount Rushmore National Memorial in the morning light. The sheer size of the mountain carving on Mount Rushmore evokes a sense of awe in those who view it. The four presidents carved in stone represent all Americans. They represent our courage, dreams, freedom and greatness.
View a film that tells the story of how the memorial was constructed and the artist behind the sculpture. An optional walk takes you along the base of the massive carving. Take advantage of the excellent gift shop here for souvenirs.
Continue to Crazy Horse Memorial. The world’s largest sculpture is a work in progress. It was begun in 1948 by sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski at the request of American Indians. Korczak died in 1982. His wife, Ruth, and their family continue the project working with the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation.
The Memorial includes the Indian Museum of North America, the Native American Cultural Center, the sculptor’s studio, as well as a new 40,000-square-foot Orientation Center and theaters. Many Native American artists and crafts people create their artwork and visit with guests at the Memorial during the summer season.
Enjoy lunch in the Black Hills and an adventure along the scenic Needles Highway through colorful, towering rock formations. Return to your hotel in Rapid City. Dine on your own at one of many excellent restaurants within a short walk of your hotel.
Day 4 – Badlands National Park / Wall Drug
Breakfast at the hotel.
Travel east to Badlands National Park. The park contains the world’s richest Oligocene epoch fossil beds, dating 37-28 million years old. The evolutionary stories of mammals such as the horse and rhinoceros arise from the 244,000 acres of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles, and spires.
Bison, bighorn sheep, endangered black-footed ferrets, and swift fox roam one of the largest, protected mixed-grass prairies in the United States.
Continue to historic Wall Drug. Established in 1931, it has become the world’s largest drug store with a giant shopping emporium and Western Art Gallery Restaurant.
Return to your hotel in Rapid City for a rest or an optional visit to the Journey Museum. The Journey Museum brings together four major prehistoric and historic collections to tell the complete story of the Western Great Plains – from the perspective of the Lakota people and the pioneers who shaped its past, to the scientists who now study it. Tonight, kick up your heals at a western dinner show.
Day 5 – Deadwood / Spearfish Canyon / Devils Tower / Casper
Breakfast at the hotel.
A short drive brings us to Deadwood. Imagine an entire city on the National Historic Register. What you'll see in Deadwood today is a careful, accurate restoration of a historically significant city. Deadwood's extensive Victorian architecture is unique to the West.
While the gold rush of 1876 brought the likes of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane, it also provided the wealth to construct a thriving commercial center in the heart of the Black Hills of South Dakota.
Travel through spectacular Spearfish Canyon. Slowly carved from the rock as the last great ocean receded from the face of North America, Spearfish Canyon features nearly vertical cliffs with stone in Neapolitan shades of brown, pink, and gray. Lunch in Spearfish.
Cross into Wyoming and travel to Devils Tower National Monument. The nearly vertical monolith known as Devils Tower rises 1,267 feet above the meandering Belle Fourche River. Once hidden below the earth's surface, erosion has stripped away the softer rock layers revealing Devils Tower.
Known by several northern plains tribes as Bears Lodge, it is a sacred site of worship for many American Indians. It was the setting for the film “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” Devils Tower was proclaimed in 1906 as the nation's first national monument by President Theodore Roosevelt. An optional 1.3 mile walk takes you around the tower base for ever changing views. Travel to Casper for two nights at the Holiday Inn.
Day 6 – Independence Rock / National Historic Trails Interpretive Center
Breakfast at the hotel.
Travel west this morning to Independence Rock State Historic Site. The rock derives its name from the fact that it lay directly along the route of the Emigrant Trail. Wagon parties bound for Oregon or California attempted to reach the rock by July 4 in order to reach their destinations before the first mountain snowfalls in autumn.
During the period of westward emigration on the trail, from 1843 to 1869, it was common for emigrants to carve their names in the granite rock, especially near the summit. Other emigrants left behind messages, sometimes for parties behind them on the trail, in axle grease.
Many instances of such carved graffiti are visible today at the summit of the rock, which is accessible by an easy climb up the surface of the rock. View also the high desert wildflowers found this time of year.
Return to Casper for lunch and a rest break. Then visit the new National Historic Trails Interpretive Center. During the 1800's, the area now known as Wyoming became the focus for western expansion.
The discovery of the South Pass route over the Rocky Mountains was the primary reason for the location of the Oregon, Mormon Pioneer, California, and Pony Express Historic Trails in Wyoming.
Interactive displays and an orientation film will demonstrate what life was like on the trail for these early pioneers. Enjoy a special farewell dinner tonight. Overnight in Casper.
Day 7 – Terry Bison Ranch / Denver
Breakfast at the hotel.
This morning travel to the Terry Bison ranch south of Cheyenne, Wyoming for lunch and a 1-hour motorized tour into a local herd of buffalo. Get up close and personal with these magnificent and noble creatures. You will be AMAZED! Bring your camera and capture every moment.
Continue to Denver and bid farewell to your guide and new friends until the next trip.
Price includes: Your group's own private ranger guide, 6 nights lodging, ground transportation, all breakfasts and lunches, five dinners, and all activities and park entrance fees. Price does not include airline tickets.
Day 1 – Pawnee Buttes / Scotts Bluff National Monument.
Depart Denver. Proceed northeast into Colorado’s outback to view the spectacular Pawnee Buttes rising above the Pawnee National Grassland.
Continue to Scotts Bluff National Monument - a prominent natural landmark for emigrants on the Oregon Trail. Scotts Bluff, Mitchell Pass and the adjacent prairie lands are set aside in a 3,000 acre national monument. This site preserves original trail ruts and the memory of the historic Oregon, California and Mormon Trails.
The monument museum contains exhibits about the human and natural history of the area and also holds a unique collection of watercolor paintings by the frontier photographer and artist William Henry Jackson. Enjoy a welcome dinner tonight. Overnight in Scottsbluff, Nebraska at the Hampton Inn.
Day 2 – Fort Robinson / Wind Cave NP / Custer State Park
Breakfast at the hotel.
Travel north this morning to Fort Robinson. Fort Robinson played an important role in the Indian wars from 1876 to 1890. Crazy Horse surrendered here on May 6, 1877, and was mortally wounded that September while resisting imprisonment. In January, 1879, the Fort was the scene of a major battle as the result of the Cheyenne Outbreak led by Chief Dull Knife.
In the 20th Century Fort Robinson became the world's largest military remount depot and during the Second World War was the site of a K-9 corps training center and German prisoner-of-war camp. Lunch in Chadron, Nebraska.
Cross into South Dakota and the scenic southern Black Hills. Explore Wind Cave National Park and Custer State Park, famous for their wildlife, including bison, elk, deer, bighorn sheep and more.
Continue on to Rapid City for three nights at the historic Alex Johnson Hotel. Enjoy a group dinner tonight.
Day 3 – Mount Rushmore / Crazy Horse Memorial / Needles Highway
Breakfast at the hotel.
Visit Mount Rushmore National Memorial in the morning light. The sheer size of the mountain carving on Mount Rushmore evokes a sense of awe in those who view it. The four presidents carved in stone represent all Americans. They represent our courage, dreams, freedom and greatness.
View a film that tells the story of how the memorial was constructed and the artist behind the sculpture. An optional walk takes you along the base of the massive carving. Take advantage of the excellent gift shop here for souvenirs.
Continue to Crazy Horse Memorial. The world’s largest sculpture is a work in progress. It was begun in 1948 by sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski at the request of American Indians. Korczak died in 1982. His wife, Ruth, and their family continue the project working with the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation.
The Memorial includes the Indian Museum of North America, the Native American Cultural Center, the sculptor’s studio, as well as a new 40,000-square-foot Orientation Center and theaters. Many Native American artists and crafts people create their artwork and visit with guests at the Memorial during the summer season.
Enjoy lunch in the Black Hills and an adventure along the scenic Needles Highway through colorful, towering rock formations. Return to your hotel in Rapid City. Dine on your own at one of many excellent restaurants within a short walk of your hotel.
Day 4 – Badlands National Park / Wall Drug
Breakfast at the hotel.
Travel east to Badlands National Park. The park contains the world’s richest Oligocene epoch fossil beds, dating 37-28 million years old. The evolutionary stories of mammals such as the horse and rhinoceros arise from the 244,000 acres of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles, and spires.
Bison, bighorn sheep, endangered black-footed ferrets, and swift fox roam one of the largest, protected mixed-grass prairies in the United States.
Continue to historic Wall Drug. Established in 1931, it has become the world’s largest drug store with a giant shopping emporium and Western Art Gallery Restaurant.
Return to your hotel in Rapid City for a rest or an optional visit to the Journey Museum. The Journey Museum brings together four major prehistoric and historic collections to tell the complete story of the Western Great Plains – from the perspective of the Lakota people and the pioneers who shaped its past, to the scientists who now study it. Tonight, kick up your heals at a western dinner show.
Day 5 – Deadwood / Spearfish Canyon / Devils Tower / Casper
Breakfast at the hotel.
A short drive brings us to Deadwood. Imagine an entire city on the National Historic Register. What you'll see in Deadwood today is a careful, accurate restoration of a historically significant city. Deadwood's extensive Victorian architecture is unique to the West.
While the gold rush of 1876 brought the likes of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane, it also provided the wealth to construct a thriving commercial center in the heart of the Black Hills of South Dakota.
Travel through spectacular Spearfish Canyon. Slowly carved from the rock as the last great ocean receded from the face of North America, Spearfish Canyon features nearly vertical cliffs with stone in Neapolitan shades of brown, pink, and gray. Lunch in Spearfish.
Cross into Wyoming and travel to Devils Tower National Monument. The nearly vertical monolith known as Devils Tower rises 1,267 feet above the meandering Belle Fourche River. Once hidden below the earth's surface, erosion has stripped away the softer rock layers revealing Devils Tower.
Known by several northern plains tribes as Bears Lodge, it is a sacred site of worship for many American Indians. It was the setting for the film “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” Devils Tower was proclaimed in 1906 as the nation's first national monument by President Theodore Roosevelt. An optional 1.3 mile walk takes you around the tower base for ever changing views. Travel to Casper for two nights at the Holiday Inn.
Day 6 – Independence Rock / National Historic Trails Interpretive Center
Breakfast at the hotel.
Travel west this morning to Independence Rock State Historic Site. The rock derives its name from the fact that it lay directly along the route of the Emigrant Trail. Wagon parties bound for Oregon or California attempted to reach the rock by July 4 in order to reach their destinations before the first mountain snowfalls in autumn.
During the period of westward emigration on the trail, from 1843 to 1869, it was common for emigrants to carve their names in the granite rock, especially near the summit. Other emigrants left behind messages, sometimes for parties behind them on the trail, in axle grease.
Many instances of such carved graffiti are visible today at the summit of the rock, which is accessible by an easy climb up the surface of the rock. View also the high desert wildflowers found this time of year.
Return to Casper for lunch and a rest break. Then visit the new National Historic Trails Interpretive Center. During the 1800's, the area now known as Wyoming became the focus for western expansion.
The discovery of the South Pass route over the Rocky Mountains was the primary reason for the location of the Oregon, Mormon Pioneer, California, and Pony Express Historic Trails in Wyoming.
Interactive displays and an orientation film will demonstrate what life was like on the trail for these early pioneers. Enjoy a special farewell dinner tonight. Overnight in Casper.
Day 7 – Terry Bison Ranch / Denver
Breakfast at the hotel.
This morning travel to the Terry Bison ranch south of Cheyenne, Wyoming for lunch and a 1-hour motorized tour into a local herd of buffalo. Get up close and personal with these magnificent and noble creatures. You will be AMAZED! Bring your camera and capture every moment.
Continue to Denver and bid farewell to your guide and new friends until the next trip.
Price includes: Your group's own private ranger guide, 6 nights lodging, ground transportation, all breakfasts and lunches, five dinners, and all activities and park entrance fees. Price does not include airline tickets.
Parks and Memorials of the Black Hills
with Kent Taylor
with Kent Taylor
Your Guide - Ranger Kent Taylor
He is a former forest ranger and worked for the Colorado Division of Wildlife on a bighorn sheep research project.
Kent has been guiding park tours since 1984 and has led numerous trips to the Black Hills.
Kent will teach you about the geology, the diverse plants and animals of the area and the colorful history that includes Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull, Custer, Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, the Sundance Kid and many other legends of the frontier.
On the road, Kent’s stories of his personal travels will keep you on the edge of your seat!
Kent has been guiding park tours since 1984 and has led numerous trips to the Black Hills.
Kent will teach you about the geology, the diverse plants and animals of the area and the colorful history that includes Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull, Custer, Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, the Sundance Kid and many other legends of the frontier.
On the road, Kent’s stories of his personal travels will keep you on the edge of your seat!
Trip Highlights include:
Crazy Horse Memorial
Badlands National Park
Wind Cave National Park
Custer State Park
Historic Deadwood
Devils Tower National Monument
Scotts Bluff National Monument
Spectacular Wildlife
Mount Rushmore Memorial
Wild Bill Hickok
Calamity Jane