5 Days · 9 Meals · 4 Nights at the Newly Renovated DoubleTree by Hilton
5 Unforgettable Days in the Black Hills Without Planning a Single Detail.
Mount Rushmore. The Badlands. Deadwood. Custer State Park. A Western Chuckwagon Supper with Live Music at the actual Dances with Wolves film set.
Hosted by a locally owned Black Hills tour company — 50+ years and counting.
All Admissions Included
Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Badlands, and all planned attractions. No surprise fees.
4 Nights — DoubleTree by Hilton
Newly renovated. One hotel. No packing and unpacking every night.
9 Meals Included
Fort Hays breakfast, hotel breakfasts, Chuckwagon Supper Show, and more.
You've been thinking about this trip for a while now.
Maybe it’s the picture of Mount Rushmore you’ve had in your head since grade school. Maybe it’s the stories of Deadwood and the gold rush. Maybe your kids keep asking about the Badlands, or your spouse has always wanted to see Crazy Horse.
Whatever brought you here, you’re facing the same challenge everyone faces when they start planning a Black Hills vacation:
This Place is Enormous!
Mount Rushmore National Memorial
See the monument up close, learn how it was created and why it holds such significance within the Black Hills.
Crazy Horse Memorial
Gain insight into Native American history and the ongoing story behind this iconic monument carving located near Custer SD.
Custer State Park
Travel through one of the most scenic areas of the Black Hills, known for open landscapes, and wildlife corridors.
Badlands National Park
From Amazing scenery to Iconic visuals from Hollywood, the Badlands is a South Dakota must see.
Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Custer State Park, the Badlands, Deadwood, Wall Drug — they’re all spread across hundreds of miles of scenic highways, mountain roads, and national park land.
You can spend more time planning, driving, and looking for parking than actually experiencing the place. If you’ve got limited days, or you’re traveling with people who have different interests, it’s genuinely hard to see everything that matters without feeling rushed.
We've been guiding families, couples, and history lovers through the Black Hills for over 50 years.
The #1 thing we hear from people who tried to do it on their own first:
“We wished we’d done this from the start. We spent so much time driving and figuring things out that we missed half the experience.”
That's exactly what the Ultimate Mount Rushmore & Black Hills Tour is designed to fix.
Instead of a rental car, a stack of TripAdvisor tabs open on your phone, and three arguments about which road to take — you get five fully planned days with everything taken care of.
One hotel. Four nights. Nine meals. Every major site in the Black Hills, connected by a thoughtful route built by people who know these roads by heart.
And two experiences you simply cannot get anywhere else.
Fort Hays & the Dances with Wolves Film Set
Your Day 2 morning begins with a hearty Western breakfast at Fort Hays Chuckwagon — right on the location where Kevin Costner filmed Dances with Wolves. The original buildings are still standing. The supply house. The officer’s quarters. John Dunbar’s post.
Your evening ends there too — with a traditional chuckwagon supper (BBQ brisket, baked beans, sweet cornbread) followed by a full live Western music and variety show. The kind of evening that gets talked about for years.
This is not available anywhere else. No other tour company in the Black Hills includes Fort Hays — the film set, the breakfast, or the Chuckwagon Supper Show. This is exclusive to Mount Rushmore Tours.
The Mount Rushmore Night Time Lighting Ceremony
Most visitors see Mount Rushmore during the day and leave. On Day 4, you return after dinner for the nightly Lighting Ceremony — one of the most moving experiences in the National Park system.
As the granite faces of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln glow against the night sky, a ranger-led program tells the full story behind the monument. Not the postcard version. The real one.
TOUR ITINERARY
Mount Rushmore Tour with 2 Meals and Show at Fort Hays Chuckwagon Supper & Show
Day 1 — Arrival & Welcome
Check in to the newly renovated DoubleTree by Hilton — Rapid City Convention Center. This is your home base for all four nights — no packing and unpacking, no changing hotels. That evening, meet your tour director and fellow travelers at a hosted Welcome Reception.
Day 2 — Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park & Fort Hays
Western-style breakfast at Fort Hays (on the Dances with Wolves film set). Then — Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Up close. On time. With context.
The afternoon takes you through the heart of Custer State Park — Iron Mountain Road, Needles Highway, pigtail bridges, granite tunnels, Sylvan Lake. Lunch at the State Game Lodge (President Coolidge's summer White House).
A stop at Crazy Horse Memorial — the largest mountain carving in the world, and an ongoing tribute to Native American heritage.
The evening: Chuckwagon Supper + Live Western Variety Show at Fort Hays.
Day 3 — Badlands National Park & Wall Drug
East into Badlands National Park — the sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles, and layered formations that have stopped travelers cold for over a century. Multiple scenic overlooks. Photographer's dream.
Stop at the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site — South Dakota's quiet, crucial role in the Cold War. Then Wall Drug, the legendary roadside destination that has welcomed travelers since the 1930s.
Day 4 — Deadwood, Lead & the Lighting Ceremony
Journey to Deadwood — where Wild Bill Hickok was shot, Calamity Jane rode, and the gold rush changed the American West. The Homestake Gold Mine Visitor Center in Lead. Free time to explore Deadwood's historic gaming district, saloons, and museums.
Evening: Dinner at Mount Rushmore followed by the Nightly Lighting Ceremony.
Day 5 — Departure
Final hotel breakfast. Depart at your leisure. Leave with a full story to tell.
Here is everything included in the Ultimate Mount Rushmore & Black Hills Tour:
Try to replicate this trip on your own.
4 nights in a comparable Rapid City hotel: $800+. 9 meals: $350+. Rental car for 5 days: $300+. Gas, parking, park passes: $150+. Getting lost on Needles Highway at dusk: priceless — and not in a good way.
The math isn’t the point. The point is that when you book this tour, every decision has already been made by people who’ve been doing this for half a century.
2026 Tour Dates & Hotel Deadlines
Six departures are available in 2026. Hotel rooms are held until the deadlines below — after that, the block releases and we cannot guarantee availability.
| Tour Departure Dates | Hotel Booking Deadline |
|---|---|
| May 21 – May 25, 2026 | April 1, 2026 |
| June 19 – June 23, 2026 | May 5, 2026 |
| June 27 – July 1, 2026 | May 13, 2026 |
| July 5 – July 9, 2026 | May 21, 2026 |
| July 18 – July 22, 2026 | June 3, 2026 |
| August 1 – August 5, 2026 | June 17, 2026 |
⚠ Important: Peak summer departures (July and August) fill first. If you’re traveling with a group, early booking is essential for adjacent seating and room availability.
⚠ Hotel booking deadlines are firm. Once a deadline passes, the room block releases and availability cannot be guaranteed. July & August departures fill first.
When you book the Ultimate Mount Rushmore & Black Hills Tour, here's what you get:
- Five fully planned days — every route, stop, and timing handled by people who know these roads better than anyone.
- The only tour that includes Fort Hays — the Dances with Wolves film set, Western breakfast, and the Chuckwagon Supper Show.
- Mount Rushmore twice — once during the day for the full historical context, and once at the Lighting Ceremony after dark.
- Four nights in one hotel — the newly renovated DoubleTree by Hilton. Unpack once. Sleep well. Come back each evening.
- Nine included meals — so you’re not scrambling for restaurants or budgeting for every bite.
- The Badlands, Wall Drug, Deadwood, and Lead — woven into a logical route so you’re never backtracking or rushing.
- Local guides with 50+ years in the Black Hills — not a script. Real knowledge, real stories, real insight into this place.
- Everything admission-related is covered — park fees, monument entries, all planned attractions.
- No rental car stress — no mountain road navigation, no parking battles at busy overlooks, no missed turns on Needles Highway.
- A travel experience that actually feels like a vacation — not a logistics project with scenery.
2026 departures are limited. Six tours. Six hotel blocks. Once the deadline passes, we can't hold your rooms.
If the Black Hills have been on your list — this is the easiest, most complete, most locally authentic way to finally do it right.
Check Dates & Reserve Your Spot Now
Select your departure date and secure your hotel booking before the deadline.
Questions? Call us — we’re locals, and we’re here.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Guided Black Hills Sightseeing Tour
How long does the guided Black Hills sightseeing tour last?
The tour is designed as a full sightseeing experience that covers major Black Hills landmarks in one day. Exact duration can vary based on season and conditions.
Does the tour include Mount Rushmore?
Yes. Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a central stop on the tour and serves as the anchor for the overall sightseeing route.
Is this tour suitable for families and older travelers?
Yes. The tour is designed for a wide range of ages and does not require strenuous physical activity. It is well suited for families and multi-generational groups.
Do I need to do any planning before the tour?
No. The sightseeing itinerary, transportation, and timing are handled for you. Guests simply arrive ready to enjoy the experience.
What should I bring on the tour?
Comfortable clothing, walking shoes, and weather-appropriate layers are recommended. Bringing a camera or phone for photos is also encouraged.
Does the tour operate year-round?
Tour availability is seasonal and may vary based on weather and daylight hours. Scheduling details are provided at the time of booking.
Is advance booking required?
Advance reservations are strongly recommended, especially during peak travel seasons when availability may be limited.
Our Guarantee to You
This tour is run by people who live here and love it. We don’t book guests onto experiences we wouldn’t take ourselves. Every stop on this itinerary has been refined over decades of feedback from real travelers.
If something outside our control affects any element of your tour, we’ll do everything in our power to make it right. That’s the promise of a locally operated company — the people making that promise are the same people guiding your tour.
Questions before booking? Call us directly. You’ll talk to a real person who knows every mile of this route.
P.S. The Fort Hays Chuckwagon Supper Show is a genuine evening out — dinner with live Western music and a variety show. It’s the kind of night most people call the highlight of their entire trip. It happens every evening May through September — but only when you book through Mount Rushmore Tours. You won’t find it on TripAdvisor or available to walk-in guests during tour season.
Remember: the July departures fill first. Hotel booking deadlines are hard stops.
→ Check availability for your dates before your preferred departure sells out.