USA Vacations

South Dakota

11 Days The Classic Lodges & Parks Of The West Luxury Tour Package

Duration: 11 Days / 10 Nights
Priced From: $2,669 pp Dbl. Occ.
Dates: Mar - Sep

 

On this fun-filled vacation, discover the majestic parks and historic lodges of the American West. Begin your trip in Rapid City, South Dakota, gateway to the Black Hills. Enjoy an orientation tour and visit to Badlands National Park with its stunning scenery. Spend two nights in Custer State Park at the historic State Game Lodge, a gracious stone and wood lodge set in a beautiful mountain valley that served as the “Summer White House” for President Coolidge. Here, enjoy a buffalo safari and chuck wagon cookout. Visit the world’s largest mammoth-remains excavation site in Hot Springs, spend free time exploring Custer State Park, and visit Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse monument. Then, on to the Old West town of Deadwood, final resting place of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane.

Cross the plains and mountains of Wyoming and arrive in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West town of Cody, Wyoming. Next up: Yellowstone National Park, America’s first national park and the geothermal home of Old Faithful Geyser. Stay at the majestic Lake Yellowstone Hotel, listed on the Register of Historic Places and the most luxurious lodging facility in Yellowstone. Enjoy Yellowstone’s Upper and Lower Falls and watch for herds of bison before spending the night at the historic Old Faithful Inn, one of the largest log structures in the world and located right beside Old Faithful Geyser. On your way to Jackson, Wyoming, tour beautiful Grand Teton National Park. In the thoroughly Western town of Jackson, enjoy plenty of leisure time plus the choice of joining a guided float trip on the Snake River or visiting the National Museum of Wildlife Art. Your grand vacation concludes with a trip through the Wasatch Mountains and a farewell dinner in Salt Lake City, Utah. On this tour, you see some of the West’s classic lodges, breathtaking scenery, and historic sights—what a grand vacation!

Day 1 Rapid City
Welcome to Rapid City, gateway to the Black Hills. Join your Tour Director for a 6:30 pm welcome reception this evening. (WR)

Day 2 Rapid City–Badlands National Park–Custer State Park
After breakfast, enjoy an orientation tour of Rapid City, then visit BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK to see some of the most spectacular scenery in the region. Afterward, there’s time to explore Wall Drug, well-known for its quirky roadside signs and free water. Later this afternoon, enjoy a BUFFALO SAFARI and a CHUCK WAGON COOKOUT. (B,D)

Special Feature: We overnight at the Historic State Game Lodge in Custer State Park. This gracious stone and wood lodge is set in a beautiful mountain valley, surrounded by a ponderosa pine forest. The State Game Lodge served as the “Summer White House” for President Calvin Coolidge and was visited by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. It was built in 1920 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Day 3 Custer State Park
This morning you will travel to Hot Springs to visit the world’s largest MAMMOTH SITE, where scientists are currently excavating remains of woolly mammoths that were trapped and died in the pond more than 26,000 years ago. After a short tour, you’ll have time to stroll the sidewalks of the dig area and see the paleontology laboratory. The remainder of the day is yours to relax in Custer State Park. Perhaps try some fly-fishing, mountain biking, or take a nature walk. (B,D)

Day 4 Custer State Park–Deadwood
Today, visit two of the world’s largest stone monuments: MOUNT RUSHMORE and CRAZY HORSE. At Mount Rushmore, the solid granite faces of four presidents loom more than a thousand feet overhead. We then continue to the Old West town of Deadwood, where Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane are laid to rest on Boot Hill. Overnight at picturesque Spearfish Canyon Lodge. (B,D)

Day 5 Deadwood–U-Cross Ranch–Cody
This morning, drive through scenic Spearfish Canyon and across the grassy plains of Wyoming. Enjoy lunch at an authentic WESTERN RANCH, where you can try your hand at fly-fishing, horseback riding, or take a dip in the pool. Next, we cross the Bighorn Mountains via Shell Creek Canyon to Buffalo Bill’s Wild West town of Cody, Wyoming. (B,L)

Day 6 Cody–Yellowstone National Park
Enjoy a leisurely visit to the BUFFALO BILL HISTORIC CENTER, a fascinating tribute to frontier America. Later, depart for YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, America’s first national park, where wild animals roam freely in vast meadows and forest. (B,D)

Note: The routing and areas visited within Yellowstone are subject to favorable weather and/or road conditions. When conditions are unfavorable, the routing may be adjusted accordingly.

Special Feature: Tonight, stay at the majestic Lake Yellowstone Hotel. Restored in 1990, the Lake Yellowstone Hotel is reminiscent of the 1920s with sweeping views of America’s largest mountain lake. Listed on the Register of Historic Places, Lake Yellowstone Hotel is the most luxurious lodging facility in Yellowstone Park.

Day 7 Yellowstone National Park
On today’s tour you will see Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon with its Upper and Lower Falls, watch for herds of bison in Hayden Valley, and view many of Yellowstone’s geothermal sites, including Old Faithful Geyser. (B,D)

Special Feature: Spend the night at the historic Old Faithful Inn, one of the largest log structures in the world and located right beside magnificent Old Faithful Geyser.

Day 8 Yellowstone National Park–Grand Teton National Park–Jackson
This morning, tour GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK. The jagged Tetons form a perfect backdrop behind Jenny and Jackson Lakes. Next, continue to the Western town of Jackson, Wyoming. This afternoon and evening are free to explore on your own. You may choose to see a shoot-out in Town Square, shop for souvenirs, or perhaps join our optional excursion to Bar-T-5 for a covered wagon cookout and Wild West show. (B)

Day 9 Jackson. Choose Your Experience
A PLATINUM EXCLUSIVE, select how you wish to spend your day. Join in a guided FLOAT TRIP along the majestic Snake River or perhaps take a guided tour of the NATIONAL MUSEUM OF WILDLIFE ART, where the mission is to bring together people, wildlife, and fine art. Tonight, enjoy dinner at a local restaurant. (B,D)

Day 10 Jackson–Salt Lake City
Follow the Snake River and lovely Star Valley en route to Utah. Wind along the shores of beautiful Bear Lake before climbing through the Wasatch Mountains and on to the Great Salt Lake Basin and Salt Lake City. Tonight, enjoy a farewell dinner hosted by your Tour Director. (B,D)

Day 11 Salt Lake City
After a leisurely breakfast, bid farewell to newfound friends as your vacation comes to an end with an included transfer to the Salt Lake City International Airport. (B)

9/09

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