Day trip of the Black Hills: Mount Rushmore to Custer State Park!
Overview
Neal and Becky live in the Black Hills near the historic mining town of Hayward. Neal is a native South Dakotan having a close association with the Black Hills since his youth. As you tour the southern Black Hills, you'll get a narration of the history of the sights as well as personal stories of the area. They love people and have a desire to serve you to make your visit an enjoyable one. Suggestions and tips on how to make your stay more enjoyable freely offered!
Inclusions
- All Fees and Taxes
- Bottled water and light snacks.
- Entry/Admission - Crazy Horse Memorial
- Entry/Admission - Custer State Park
- Entry/Admission - Iron Mountain Road
- Entry/Admission - Mount Rushmore National Memorial
- Entry/Admission - Custer State Park Visitor Center
- Entry/Admission - Black Hills National Forest
What to expect
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Black Hills National Forest, Custer, SD 57730
Our entire day trip is within the Black Hills National Forest that covers an area 125 miles long and 65 miles wide, a 1.25-million acre forest! We spend about 2 hours driving time that is interspersed between the sites we visit as outlined below. Along the way, we take in the beauty of the Black Hills that encompasses rugged rock formations, canyons, gulches, open grassland, and mountain lakes, including learning about the rich history of the area, including Custer's expedition to the area in 1874.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Mount Rushmore National Memorial, 13000 Hwy 244, Keystone, SD 57751-4403
Our first stop is Mount Rushmore National Memorial where the rich history of the United States is told through the lives of presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham enshrined on Mount Rushmore. Through their lives we learn about the birth, growth, development and preservation of this country. The memorial is surrounded by the beauty of the Black Hills.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Stop At: Crazy Horse Memorial, 12151 Avenue of the Chiefs, Crazy Horse, SD 57730-8900
Leaving Mount Rushmore, we wind our way over to Crazy Horse Memorial passing by Horsethief Lake, a beautiful mountain lake, and Black Elk Mountain, the highest peak in SD at 7, 244 feet above sea level.
Crazy Horse Memorial is the largest carving in the world, depicting the Oglala Lakota war chief, Crazy Horse, riding a horse and pointing to his tribal land. Housed within the Crazy Horse Memorial complex, is the Indian Museum of North American.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Stop At: Custer, Custer, South Dakota
Next stop is in the small town of Custer for lunch. You’re on your own for lunch here, having the opportunity to choose the restaurant of your choosing. Custer is the oldest and first permanent settlement established in the Black Hills by European Americans.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Custer State Park, 13329 US Highway 16A, Custer, SD 57730-8351
Next stop is Custer State Park, a 72, 000 acre state park and wildlife refuge. The park is home to a herd of 1, 500 bison and a variety of other wildlife that roam free over the varied terrain that includes rolling prairie grasslands and rugged mountains.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Custer State Park Visitor Center, US Hwy 16A and Wildlife Loop Road, Custer, SD
We will stop here for a short break to stretch our legs, watch a short film on Custer State Park, then head out to find the buffalo and other wildlife on the Wildlife Loop Road.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Iron Mountain Road, Custer State Park, Custer, SD
The Iron Mountain Road is one of the most scenic and unique roads in America! It winds through the countryside, traversing through three tunnels, navigating up and down switch-backs and pig-tail-bridges with views of Mount Rushmore along the way. It was built to connect Custer State Park with Mount Rushmore. It was intentionally engineered to make travelers slow down to enjoy the beauty of the area. Along the way, we drive through the Norbeck Wildlife Preserve, a wilderness designated area.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Iron Mountain Road, Custer State Park, Custer, SD
Iron Mountain Summit, also called the Peter Norbeck Scenic Overlook. From the summit at 5, 450 feet above sea level, we are at the same elevation as Mount Rushmore which can be seen in the distance across the valley below, about 1 mile away. A breathtaking view! We can also see Black Elk Peak, the highest point in South Dakota at 7, 200 feet above sea level. It is also the highest peak east of the Rockies.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Keystone, Keystone, South Dakota
Our last stop of the tour is Keystone, dropping off any guests we picked up here before heading back to Rapid City.
Duration: 15 minutes
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Black Hills National Forest, Custer, SD 57730
Our entire day trip is within the Black Hills National Forest that covers an area 125 miles long and 65 miles wide, a 1.25-million acre forest! We spend about 2 hours driving time that is interspersed between the sites we visit as outlined below. Along the way, we take in the beauty of the Black Hills that encompasses rugged rock formations, canyons, gulches, open grassland, and mountain lakes, including learning about the rich history of the area, including Custer's expedition to the area in 1874.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Mount Rushmore National Memorial, 13000 Hwy 244, Keystone, SD 57751-4403
Our first stop is Mount Rushmore National Memorial where the rich history of the United States is told through the lives of presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham enshrined on Mount Rushmore. Through their lives we learn about the birth, growth, development and preservation of this country. The memorial is surrounded by the beauty of the Black Hills.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Stop At: Crazy Horse Memorial, 12151 Avenue of the Chiefs, Crazy Horse, SD 57730-8900
Leaving Mount Rushmore, we wind our way over to Crazy Horse Memorial passing by Horsethief Lake, a beautiful mountain lake, and Black Elk Mountain, the highest peak in SD at 7, 244 feet above sea level.
Crazy Horse Memorial is the largest carving in the world, depicting the Oglala Lakota war chief, Crazy Horse, riding a horse and pointing to his tribal land. Housed within the Crazy Horse Memorial complex, is the Indian Museum of North American.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Stop At: Custer, Custer, South Dakota
Next stop is in the small town of Custer for lunch. You’re on your own for lunch here, having the opportunity to choose the restaurant of your choosing. Custer is the oldest and first permanent settlement established in the Black Hills by European Americans.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Custer State Park, 13329 US Highway 16A, Custer, SD 57730-8351
Next stop is Custer State Park, a 72, 000 acre state park and wildlife refuge. The park is home to a herd of 1, 500 bison and a variety of other wildlife that roam free over the varied terrain that includes rolling prairie grasslands and rugged mountains.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Custer State Park Visitor Center, US Hwy 16A and Wildlife Loop Road, Custer, SD
We will stop here for a short break to stretch our legs, watch a short film on Custer State Park, then head out to find the buffalo and other wildlife on the Wildlife Loop Road.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Iron Mountain Road, Custer State Park, Custer, SD
The Iron Mountain Road is one of the most scenic and unique roads in America! It winds through the countryside, traversing through three tunnels, navigating up and down switch-backs and pig-tail-bridges with views of Mount Rushmore along the way. It was built to connect Custer State Park with Mount Rushmore. It was intentionally engineered to make travelers slow down to enjoy the beauty of the area. Along the way, we drive through the Norbeck Wildlife Preserve, a wilderness designated area.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Iron Mountain Road, Custer State Park, Custer, SD
Iron Mountain Summit, also called the Peter Norbeck Scenic Overlook. From the summit at 5, 450 feet above sea level, we are at the same elevation as Mount Rushmore which can be seen in the distance across the valley below, about 1 mile away. A breathtaking view! We can also see Black Elk Peak, the highest point in South Dakota at 7, 200 feet above sea level. It is also the highest peak east of the Rockies.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Keystone, Keystone, South Dakota
Our last stop of the tour is Keystone, dropping off any guests we picked up here before heading back to Rapid City.
Duration: 15 minutes
Additional information
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Most travelers can participate
- Wheelchairs can be checked out at Mount Rushmore National Memorial and Crazy Horse Memorial. If one is needed, Neal will fetch it for you!
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Ticket delivery
You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.
Cancellation
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start time of the experience.
Octavia_J
October 2023
Seeing Mt. Rushmore in person and Crazy Horse was surreal . Neal was very informative and accommodating
Seeing Mt. Rushmore in person and Crazy Horse was surreal . Neal was very informative and accommodatingcatheyt
October 2023
Experiencing the Black Hills, Crazy Horse Memorial and Mt. Rushmore was amazing. The scenery on the Iron Mountain Road Summit was too beautiful to be described! Custer State Park was so scenic and we had an added bonus of seeing lots of bison at the Bison Center, as the round up had just taken p...
Experiencing the Black Hills, Crazy Horse Memorial and Mt. Rushmore was amazing. The scenery on the Iron Mountain Road Summit was too beautiful to be described! Custer State Park was so scenic and we had an added bonus of seeing lots of bison at the Bison Center, as the round up had just taken place the week we visited. Neal was very knowledgeable about the area and a fun tour operator. Granted, this was a full day tour, but it really could’ve been extended to allow a little bit more time in each location. Although, we did our best in a short time to contribute to the local economy at each gift shop!ralpht852
October 2023
We went with Black Hills Day Trips, Wow what a full day, Mt. Rushmore, Local History, Custer National Park, Buffalo, Deer, Big Horn Sheep, and the Black Hills. All in a day... Wonderful view, scenic places, many pictures, local guide with local history and well worth the price. Neall was a gre...
We went with Black Hills Day Trips, Wow what a full day, Mt. Rushmore, Local History, Custer National Park, Buffalo, Deer, Big Horn Sheep, and the Black Hills. All in a day... Wonderful view, scenic places, many pictures, local guide with local history and well worth the price. Neall was a great guide, answered all our questions, and we enjoyed the ride.Trail728920
October 2023
Great tour. Reasonable price. Neal, our tour guide, was down to earth, friendly, and shared some great information. We were fortunate to witness bison herd up close and personal as they were being branded, vaccinated, and evaluated. Well worth the time and money! Thanks Neal!
Great tour. Reasonable price. Neal, our tour guide, was down to earth, friendly, and shared some great information. We were fortunate to witness bison herd up close and personal as they were being branded, vaccinated, and evaluated. Well worth the time and money! Thanks Neal!kelving667
October 2023
Amazing tour. Driver/guide was excellent. Fantastic day trip. Comfortable vehicle with multiple pickup locations.
Amazing tour. Driver/guide was excellent. Fantastic day trip. Comfortable vehicle with multiple pickup locations.garykfischer
October 2023
The tour was amazing, with frequent stops to take in the amazing sites and, yes, to use the restrooms if needed. Our guide, Neal, was very welcoming, knowledgeable, and gave us plenty of time at each stop. I could not have asked for a better tour and guide.
The tour was amazing, with frequent stops to take in the amazing sites and, yes, to use the restrooms if needed. Our guide, Neal, was very welcoming, knowledgeable, and gave us plenty of time at each stop. I could not have asked for a better tour and guide.