Rugged Peaks to Painted Prairies – A Dakotas Adventure

Day 1 – Welcome to Rapid City!

Optional transfers from our departure points will have us at LAX for our morning flight to Rapid City, South Dakota. Those guests making their own flight arrangements can request the group’s flight schedule to coordinate a flight arrival time that would allow them to be included on the complimentary transfer to the hotel. Upon arrival, we’ll board a deluxe motorcoach and travel to downtown Rapid City – one of the most charming and patriotic cities in America, it features life-sized bronze statues of our nation’s presidents. We’ll begin a four-night stay at an upscale, full-service, centrally-located hotel.

Day 2 – Black Hills, Custer State Park

This morning we’ll be joined by a local guide and travel into the famed Black Hills of South Dakota for an extensive visit to the Crazy Horse Memorial. After time at leisure to browse the Indian Museum of North America (housing the sculptor’s home and workshop), we’ll reboard our motorcoach and drive to the base of the memorial for a unique opportunity to get a VIP, close-up view of what is considered to be the “The Eighth Wonder of the World...in progress.” Started in 1948, this tribute to the Lakota leader will be 563 feet high and 641 feet wide when completed, making it the largest sculpture in the world! This afternoon, we’ll visit Mount Rushmore National Memorial – where American history is alive in stone. Enjoy time at leisure here to explore the Lincoln Borglum Visitor Center and the Sculptor’s Studio. A stroll along the Presidential Trail provides more intimate views of the 60-foot faces and perhaps some of the area’s wildlife. Later, we’ll arrive in Custer State Park and the historic State Game Lodge – the summer White House for President Calvin Coolidge. We’ll board a jeep and get an up-close view of some of the Park’s 1,400 free-roaming buffalo, as well as possible sightings of elk, wild burros, and golden eagles while on a guided buffalo “safari.” This evening we’ll enter one of the Park’s mountain meadow canyons for an included chuckwagon cookout. (Breakfast, Dinner)

Day 3 – Black Hills, Deadwood

This morning we’ll join our local guide and visit Bear Country USA – a unique drive-through wildlife park where we’ll see black bear, elk, reindeer, cougars, bighorn sheep and buffalo up-close. Enjoy time at leisure for lunch on your own in historic Hill City, a walkable-shoppable little town featuring art galleries, boutique shops and a variety of restaurants. This afternoon we’ll arrive in the historic mining town of Lead, South Dakota and visit the Sanford Underground Research Facility Visitor Center. We’ll learn about this dedicated science facility (housed in a former gold mine) and the world-class research that is occurring nearly 5,000 feet underground! We’ll continue to the Wild West town of Deadwood and witness the thrill of a Main Street shoot out, enjoy time at leisure for exploration and an included dinner at a locals’ favorite. (Breakfast, Dinner)

Day 4 – Rapid City, Wall Drug Store, Badlands National Park

This morning we’ll join our local guide and visit Chapel in the Hills. Built in 1969, this unique chapel is an exact reproduction of the Borgund Stavkirke in Laerdal, Norway which was built in 1150. At the world-famous Wall Drug Store we’ll enjoy time at leisure for lunch on your own and browsing this fascinating complex of shops, art galleries and restaurants that has been serving road-worn travelers since 1931 with their famous, free ice water. We continue to Badlands National Park – a study in contrast of nature’s chaos and wild beauty. We’ll make several photo stops at scenic outlooks along the Loop Road to admire the dramatic landscape here that features layered rock formations, steep canyons and towering spires. This evening we’ll arrive at the Fort Hays Chuckwagon Supper & Show and enjoy time at leisure exploring the Dances With Wolves film set and the Fort Hays workshops. When the supper bell rings, grab your handmade tin plate for the best chuckwagon in the West while the Fort Hays Wranglers take the stage for the Black Hills’ most popular variety show. (Breakfast, Dinner)

Day 5 – Devils Tower, Medora

This morning we’ll travel into the northeast corner of Wyoming, where Devils Tower National Monument rises dramatically 1,267 feet above the surrounding plains, creating a dramatic and awe-inspiring sight. This majestic volcanic tower featured in Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind was designated the first-ever National Monument in the U.S. in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt. Enjoy time at leisure to explore the visitor center, take a leisurely stroll around the tower on the paved (1.3 mile) Tower Trail and enjoy an included lunch. We continue north to Medora, the historic city located on the western edge of North Dakota. We’ll enjoy a two-night stay at the Rough Riders Hotel – the premier hotel in Medora, it provides a taste of the Old West and is centrally-located in downtown Medora. Enjoy the balance of the evening at leisure with dinner on your own in this charming town known for its Old West charm and cowboy heritage. (Breakfast, Lunch)

Day 6 – Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Medora

This morning we’ll travel the short distance to Theodore Roosevelt National Park where we’ll stop to admire the Maltese Cross Cabin – Roosevelt’s first ranch cabin. A driving tour with a local guide along the Park’s Scenic Loop Drive will showcase the “Northern Badlands.” This afternoon we’ll tour Chateau de Mores, the fully preserved 26-room mansion that memorializes the life and activities of Antoine de Vallombrosa, the Marquis de Mores. Among the Marquis’s enterprises were a beef packing plant, a stagecoach line, a freighting company, refrigerated railway cars, and a new town which he called Medora, in honor of his wife. This evening we’ll enjoy the nationally-acclaimed Pitchfork Steak Fondue where cowboy chefs skewer steaks onto a pitchfork and then plunge them into barrels of hot oil, resulting in an unbelievably juicy steak with a light crispiness on the outside. The barbecue-style buffet includes baked beans, baked potatoes, garlic toast, coleslaw, vegetables, cinnamon-sugar donuts and lemonade. We round out the evening with the Medora Musical, the iconic Country Music Revue featuring thrilling variety acts, horses on stage and a firework finale set in the outdoor splendor of the rugged North Dakota Badlands. (Breakfast, Dinner)

Day 7 – Journey Home

This morning we’ll travel to Bismarck, North Dakota for an afternoon flight to Los Angeles. Those guests making their own flight arrangements can request the group’s flight schedule to coordinate a flight departure time that would allow them to be included on the complimentary transfer to the airport. (Breakfast)

While we make every effort to operate our tours as outlined in the itinerary, we ask for your patience, understanding and flexibility and to retain a sense of adventure while traveling with us. Situations may arise that necessitate changes to the itinerary. Should we need to adjust the itinerary either prior to or while on tour, these changes will be communicated to you and only done when absolutely necessary.