If you're planning to explore South Dakota, make Rapid City your home base. Located in the western part of the state, this medium-sized city attracts travelers looking to explore this outdoor playground.

Whether you want to visit the founding fathers at Mount Rushmore, tour the ghost towns in the Black Hills or walk bow-legged through the cowboy haven of Deadwood, book a private Rapid City tour with a local guide who can share their hometown secrets with you.

If you want to hike to the base of Mount Rushmore, ask your guide to get an early start before the heat of the day settles in. Then step back millions of years at the fossil beds to see the prehistoric remains of tiny shellfish and gigantic dinosaurs.

Looking to channel Billy the Kid? Gallop off to Deadwood, where you can stroll the dusty streets and sip scotch in an old-time saloon. On the return trip, have your guide drive the Badlands Scenic Byway to take in the region's stark beauty in the golden light of the setting sun.

Rapid-City

Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse & Custer State Park

Have you ever dreamed of visiting three of the most iconic sites in the American West all in one day? Mount Rushmore is an internationally recognized symbol of America and its heritage. Crazy Horse is a mountain carving in progress that is dedicated to the spirit and culture of all Native Americans. Custer State Park is 71, 000 acres of natural splendor with historic sites, scenic drives and free-roaming bison herds and other wildlife. Join me for a trip to all three sites and an experience that you will never forget.

I am especially well qualified to enhance your understanding of the three sites. During four summer seasons I was a part-time volunteer with the National Park Service giving tours at Mount Rushmore National Memorial. I have a unique understanding of the Monument, its history and meaning. I have watched Crazy Horse emerge from the rock and hiked to the top many times. I will share the history of the carving, the man and his people. Custer State Park has been my haven - and I love to share it!

Driving the Needles Highway in Custer State Park.

"And what are you looking at?" - goats in the Park.

Pigtail Bridges on the Iron Mountain Road

The Best of the Black Hills

Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse and Custer State Park

Have you ever dreamed of visiting three of the most iconic sites in the American West all in one day? Mount Rushmore is an internationally recognized symbol of America and its heritage. Crazy Horse is a mountain carving dedicated to the spirit and culture of all Native Americans. Custer State Park is 71, 000 acres of natural splendor with historic sites, scenic drives and free-roaming bison herds and other wildlife. Join me for a trip to all three sites and an experience that you will never forget.

Growing up in the Black Hills I have not only heard the stories but have lived many of them. Come and learn about how the Hills have transitioned from The Great Sioux Nation to a booming mining economy and a thriving tourism destination. I will share the amazing story of the dream and reality of Custer State Park with its wide open spaces and free-roaming bison herds, the carving of Mt. Rushmore and the continuing dream of Crazy Horse. These icons are connected by some of the most scenic drives in America.

Give me a home where the Buffalo roam. Custer State Park

Photo oppurtunity on the Needles Senic Highway, Custer State Park

New life, springtime in Custer State Park

George up close and personal, from the Presidental Trail at Mount Rushmore Memorial.

Mountain Goats along the road to Mt. Rushmore

Black Hills rush hour in Custer State Park.

Heart of the Hills Tour in a Full Day

Spend the day in the heart of the Black Hills on our premier Mount Rushmore Tour , with visits to:

Mount Rushmore National Memorial
Crazy Horse Memorial
Custer State Park; Sylvan Lake, Needles Hwy and Wildlife loop
Iron Mountain Road
Our most popular Black Hills Tour takes you to the best of our National Monuments and parks.

We take the scenic drive up to magnificent Mount Rushmore National Memorial for you to see the famous faces!

Next stop is Crazy Horse Memorial, to be the worlds largest manmade monument! Learn about the Native American History and the phenomenal carving of this towering monument.

Leaving Crazy Horse, we continue our scenic drive into Custer State Park to see Sylvan Lake, where we often picnic for lunch, before drive scenic Needles Highway. Onwards to the wildlife loop to see its famous inhabitants; North American bison, deer, pronghorn, prairie dogs, elk, burros and a variety of birds are all commonly spotted!

This tour is priced for in and out of Rapid City.

Passing the Cathedral Spires on Needles Highway

Needles Highway, Black Hills South Dakota

Most popular tour through the heart of the Black Hills

Southern Black Hills Parks and Monuments

The Badlands - Daylight, Sunset & Night Sky

This is a tour for those who yearn to immerse themselves in the natural cycle that defines our day while in place of unique beauty. The Badlands are mysterious and inspiring by daylight and mystical by moonlight and starlight. Now you can experience both in the same trip! This trip starts in broad daylight and ends when the night rules the sky. This tour is highly customizable to meet your wishes and varies with the changing cycles of the setting sun. Since the park is free of air pollution and light pollution the sky is clear and dark, making it a perfect canvas for the beauties of the heavens.

We start about 5 hours before sunset to travel to the Badlands of Dakota and view its natural beauty by the light of day. At sunset we watch the spectacle of the setting sun and the ever- changing light show in the western sky. Then we stay for the darkening sky to reveal the splendor of the moon and stars in a dark and clear sky of Badlands National Park.

Feel the Magic of Nature's Eternal Cycle.

Visit this ever-changing land where legends are born. Maca Siku as it was called by the Native Americans is a place of stark scenery, natural serenity and a soul-gripping sense of awe. This is a journey into, and not just a drive through, one of Nature's most remarkable places. There is a short museum visit, plenty of panoramic views of the distant Black Hills and the sculpted landscapes, short hikes if you want them and numerous opportunities for photographs and memories. This tour is designed to immerse you in the essence of this place and impart an understanding of those who call it home.

Wildlife in Badlands National Park, Big Horn Sheep

Underground in the Badlands, a Prairie Dog family

Big Horn Sheep, up close and personal, Badlands

A Geological Marvel

Badlands of South Dakota Full Day

Take a step back in time and discover Badlands National Park… imagine an underwater world forming into a lush forest and then into the rugged water and wind swept land it is today. Enjoy the wildlife that lives here today and discover the amazing life and unimaginable animals that once called this land home.

After touring through the park, we stop at the Visitor Center where guests have the opportunity to explore the Fossil Preparation Lab and exhibits. This is also where we enjoy a nice picnic lunch surrounded by badlands formations.

Follow on to the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site and re-live America's Cold War history. We stop at both the Delta 01 Missile Site and the Visitor's Center. With advanced notice, we may even be able to book into a tour of the underground command bunker- Delta 01! Space is extremely limited on the National Park's tours of Delta 01, so be sure to contact us if that is something you would like to pursue.

Finish the day at Wall Drug for souvenirs and famous Donuts!

A visit to other-worldly formations

Badlands National Park

Visit this ever-changing land where legends are born. Maca Siku as it was called by the Native Americans is a place of stark scenery, natural serenity and a soul-gripping sense of awe. This is a journey into, and not just a drive through, one of Nature's most remarkable places. There is a short museum visit, plenty of panoramic views, wildlife, short hikes and natural wonders. All this makes for a fun and rewarding day.

Displays in the BenReifel Visitor Center.

Where the Grasslands and the Badlands Meet

Badlands of South Dakota - A Land Shaped by Water and Time.

A Day in the Dakota Badlands

Daylight and Sunset in the Badlands of South Dakota

This is a tour for those who yearn to immerse themselves in the natural cycle that defines our day while in place of unique beauty. The Badlands are mysterious and inspiring by daylight and mystical by moonlight and starlight. Now you can experience both in the same trip! This trip starts in broad daylight and ends when the night rules the sky. This tour is highly customizable to meet your wishes and varies with the changing cycles of the setting sun. Since the park is free of air pollution and light pollution the sky is clear and dark, making it a perfect canvas for the beauties of the heavens.

We start about 5 hours before sunset to travel to Badlands National Park and view its natural beauty by the light of day. At sunset we watch the spectacle of the setting sun and the ever- changing light show in the western sky. After sunset as the sky darkens we can enjoy the starlight in the Park and on our trip home. This is a very unique and awe inspiring experience.

Visitors at sunset, Pinnacles Overlook, Badlands

Adventure of Light and Shadows in a Full Day

This private tour is for those with less time than my full day tour of the Southern Black Hills.

We begin the day with driving lower Iron Mt Road, hearing the history of the mountain while driving through tunnels that frame the monument!

We will then head up to Mt Rushmore National Monument and spend some time taking in the monument up close and looking through the fascinating historical exhibit.

After Mt Rushmore guests will have the option of either visiting Crazy Horse Memorial or driving the thrilling Needles Highway in Custer State Park

Enjoy a 4 hours trip to Mt Rushmore!

Half Day Mt Rushmore Tour

This is a tour to the place where legends are born. Spoiler alert! Some of your most cherished beliefs may be challenged on this tour. This tour is highly customizable and can be modified at your request. The tour concentrates on the early history of the Black Hills and the impact of the Gold Rush on settlement and development of the region. This is a great experience for those who wish to experience the places where history was made starting in the 1870's and continues today.

This tour is designed to give you a sense of place and a chance to visit significant sites in American western history. We will visit museums dedicated to the area's history; walk the streets where the deeds occured; and even see the graves of characters we all know by name, but never met.

Old Style Saloon - the world's only museum with a bar in it.

Wild Bill Hickok's Grave at Mount Moriah Cemetery

The Wild, Wild West we think we know Tour.

Deadwood and the Northern Black Hills

This bike tour can be just a section or all of a beautiful loop through the Southern Black Hills that includes Mt. Rushmore, Needles Highway and Iron Mountain Road. You'll be grinning ear to ear on the long descends through the needles formations and Cathedral Spires and down Iron Mountain through tunnels that face Mt. Rushmore and the world famous "Pig-tail bridges!" The full loop is about 40 miles, but there are other options available. Our bikes are nice 2018 Norco bikes, with both drop bar and flat bar bikes available. This tour is in and out of Rapid City. Pickup is available from other locations but may be subject to an additional charge.

Biking through a tunnel that frames Mount Rushmore on Iron Mt Road, Black Hills, South Dakota

Biking out of a rock tunnel into a "pigtail bridge" on Iron Mt. Road, Black Hills South Dakota

Biking out of the Needles Eye Tunnel on Needles Highway

Descending on Iron Mt. Road, Black Hills of South Dakota

Biking past the Cathedral Spires on Needles Highway in Custer State Park, South Dakota

Biking past George Washington's profile on Mount Rushmore

A biking tour through the most scenic roads in the Black Hills and past Mount Rushmore

Black Hills Bike Tour

This tour is a journey through time and the history of life on planet Earth. The Black Hills regions contains some of the oldest and youngest rock layers to be found anywhere. Nested within these layers are a nearly complete history of life and how it has changed and developed. Ancient marine sediments contain a rich collection of shellfish, bony fish, turtles and marine reptiles. The terrestrial sediments contain lizards, amphibians, snakes, dinossurs, birds and mammals. Here is your chance to visit one of the most concentrated and complete fossil libraries on Earth!

Marine Display at the Black Hills Institute

The Trail of Life and Geologic Time

Dinosaurs & Fossils

Take a step back in time and discover Badlands National Park… imagine an underwater world forming into a lush forest and then into the rugged water and wind swept land it is today. Enjoy the wildlife that lives here today and discover the amazing life and unimaginable animals that once called this land home.

On this tour, we bike the moderate 22-mile paved scenic drive through heart of the badlands pinnacles. There are only a couple of short steep hills on the breathtaking ride. There is an option to bike 40 mile loop is a longer ride is desired. After the ride, we enjoy a picnic lunch at the Visitor Center and make a stop at Wall Drug and the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site if desired.

Our bikes are really nice 2018 Norco bikes, with both road style and flat bars available. We also supply water bottles and helmets. This tour can do rides as short or as long as desired (seriously from a couple miles to a century).

Cycling through the spectacular formations and scenery in the Badlands

Badlands National Park- Bike Tour

See the sites and remains of a bygone era. Gold mining is what brought settlement to the region and the forces of nature are slowly erasing its remains from view. This tour is highly customizable and you choose from a menu of options including sites all over the Black Hills. This is hands-on history for those who want to see it before it is gone. Black Hills railroading history may be easily incorporated into the tour. The tour starts with a map of the possible locations from which we make a prioritized list, and then we spend the day going to as many sites as time will permit. This tour may be broken into several days with other popular sites added to satisfy the needs of the entire group.

Wallpaper inside the Superintendent's House.

Gordon Stockade near First Gold Site by Custer

Historic Photograph - Square Sets in a Stope

Rapid city tours

Explore with 14 tours and 3 guides.

John E.

$ 800 (USD)

Cynthia P.

$ 800 (USD)

Kevin Q.

$ 800 (USD)

John E.

$ 800 (USD)

Cynthia P.

$ 800 (USD)

Kevin Q.

$ 800 (USD)

John E.

$ 800 (USD)

Cynthia P.

$ 800 (USD)

Kevin Q.

$ 600 (USD)

John E.

$ 800 (USD)

Kevin Q.

$ 690 (USD)

John E.

$ 800 (USD)

Kevin Q.

$ 690 (USD)

John E.

$ 800 (USD)

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Rapid City tours

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