If you are fascinated by the "Old West" this trip is for you! We'll explore historic cavalry outposts, marvel at the world's most immense mountain sculptures--Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial--and become  better acquainted with Teddy Roosevelt, Crazy Horse, George Armstrong Custer, Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickok. Highlights include: Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Fort Mandan, The Mammoth Site, a Jeep Safari in Custer State Park, Devils Tower, and the Wild West town of Deadwood. We hope you can join us next spring!

ITINERARY (11 Days/10 Nights)

ITINERARY

Day 1: Wednesday, May 28    (R,D)       

Individual arrivals in Rapid City, SD. Transfer to hotel in Keystone, SD. 

Gather with staff and fellow travelers at tonight’s welcome dinner. 

Overnight K Bar S Lodge, Keystone, SD

Day 2: Thursday, May 29    Mount Rushmore  -  Crazy Horse Memorial  (B)

Today we will visit two mountain monuments in the Black Hills. We'll tour Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial, a colossal work, which if completed, will be the world's largest monument. Overnight K Bar S Lodge, Keystone, SD

Day 3: Friday, May 30   The Mammoth Site   -  Jeep Safari     (B, L)

This morning, we will drive to Hot Springs, SD for a guided tour of The Mammoth Site. This active paleontological dig site boats the largest collection of mammoth remains in the world. On our way back to the lodge, we will stop to take a Jeep safari of Custer State Park in hopes of spotting wildlife including some of the park's bison herd. Overnight K Bar S Lodge, Keystone, SD

Day 4: Friday, May 31  Badlands National Park   (B, L, D) 

We will spend the day exploring Badlands National Park and tour the Minuteman Missile National Historic site. We will also stop at the world-famous Wall Drug Store, where a glass of ice water is still free and has been since 1932. Overnight Americinn, Fort Pierre, SD

Day 5: Saturday, June 1       South Dakota state capitol      (B, L)

This morning, we will tour the South Dakota state capitol before departing for Bismarck. En route, we will tour the Welk Homestead State Park, the birthplace of Lawrence Welk. His popular show aired on television for 26 years, making it the longest-running, prime-time musical program in television history. Check into our hotel for our 2-night stay.  Overnight Hampton Inn, Bismarck, ND

Day 6: Sunday, June 2      Fort Mandan  -Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park     (B) 

The Lewis & Clark Expedition spent a total of 213 days in North Dakota, longer than the time it spent in any other state. We will tour a reconstruction of Fort Mandan, an encampment they built on the banks of the Missouri River for the winter of 1804-1805. Fort Mandan is the site where Sacagawea and Charbonneau first joined the Corps of Discovery.  We will also visit the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center in nearby Washburn ND. This afternoon, we will explore Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park which features a reconstruction of George & Libbie Custer's last home, infantry blockhouses, a commissary, and earth lodges of a Mandan village.  General Custer was the first commander of the fort from 1873 until the Battle of Little Bighorn in July 1876. Overnight Hampton Inn, Bismarck, ND

Day 7: Sunday, June 3           Enchanted Highway -   Theodore Roosevelt Center  (B, L) 

We'll depart Bismarck and drive west across the wide-open prairie. We will drive 32-miles along North Dakota's Enchanted Highway where a local artist has installed a series of huge metal sculptures, some of which are the largest in the world.  At Dickenson University, we will learn more about our 26th president at the Theodore Roosevelt Center.  Continue to Medora and check in tour hotel for two nights. Overnight Rough Riders Hotel, Medora, ND

Day 8: Sunday, June 4       Theodore Roosevelt National Park     (D)

This morning, we will explore Theodore Roosevelt National Park in the company of a local guide.  We will see the cabin where Teddy Roosevelt spent two years ranching following the deaths of his wife and mother in 1884.  This afternoon, we will attend a "Conversation with Teddy Roosevelt" at the Old Town Hall. This evening's dinner is Medora's famous "Pitchfork Steak Fondue" with all the fixings!  Afterwards, you may wish to attend the "Greatest Show in the West!" in the outdoor Burning Hills Amphitheater.  The show pays tribute to the Old West way of life and features horses, cowboys, and song and dance routines. Overnight Rough Riders Hotel, Medora, ND

Day 9: Sunday, June 5   ( L, D)   "Center of the Nation"  -   Devils Tower

We depart Medora and have lunch in Belle Fourche, a small town dubbed the "Center of the Nation."  The actual geographic center of the US is 20 miles north of Belle Fourche on  private property.  We will continue to Devils Tower designated the nation's first national monument by Teddy Roosevelt in 1906. Overnight Hampton Inn, Deadwood, SD

Day 10: Friday, June 6  (B)           Deadwood    -  Homestake Mine

We will tour the historic town of Deadwood where Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane both lived and died. A tour of the town will include a visit to Boot Hill and the Mt. Moriah Cemetery to see their graves.  Continue to the nearby town of Lead, home of the Homestake Mine, the largest, deepest gold mne n North America. Today the mine is home to SURF, Sanford Underground Research Facility, where physicists are attempting to detect "dark matter" 4,800 ft below ground. Continue to Rapid City.

Overnight Fairfield Inn, Rapid City, SD

Day 11: Saturday, June 7  (B)

Individual departures from Rapid City.

DAKOTAS 11-DAY PROGRAM INCLUDES:

* local guides and private guided tours where available
* Services of a Tour Manager
* 10 nights hotel accommodations

* two wine/beer welcome receptions; 8 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 3 dinners

* all taxes, gratuities; pre-trip notes, and map book


COST: 11 DAYS/10 NIGHTS:
Double Occupancy: $4395 per person
Single Occupancy: $5475

*PRICES based on a minimum of 20 participants.

To enroll on this tour, print & complete the registration form and mail it with a $200 per person deposit check to: South Mountain Expeditions, P.O. Box 204, Keedysville, MD, 21756. Or call us at (301) 988-1852 or toll free at 1 (866) 914-1862. We accept VISA, Mastercard and American Express.