Mount Rushmore Memorial: - Inspiring! America's Shrine to Democracy. Great photo stop. Watch for Mountain Goats.

Crazy Horse Memorial: Mankind's largest sculture in the making! Includes one of the finest Indian Museums.

Needles Highway: Breath-taking beauty and surprises around every curve. (Note: highway closed in winter.)

Sylvan Lake: The Black Hills most beautiful mountain lake.

Custer State Park: 72,000 acres filled with buffalo, big horn sheep, deer, antelope.

Free Wine Tasting: Sample wines at Prairie Berry in Hill City.

MOUNT RUSHMORE NATIONAL MEMORIAL: Located near Rapid City, the national memorial is a testimony to freedom. The tour includes admission to the monument. You will enjoy close up views of the monument with special telescopeS located at the memorial. Also, visit the museum, amphitheatre, and dining areas. The memorial also has clean and modern restrooms.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial.

Sculptor Gutzon Borglum's Shrine to Democracy: Blasting and carving on the mountain took place from 1927 to 1941. Approximately 3 million visitors annually stop to admire this granite colossal monument. The heads (l-r) of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln are six stories high from chin to top of head.
 

Presidents from Iron Mountain Road tunnel.

Washington's Profile: In a recent nationwide poll, Mount Rushmore was the second most recognized American Landmark/Memorial, second only to the Statue of Liberty in New York. Fourteen years in the making, with no loss of life and a cost of less than one million dollars, Mt. Rushmore will stand above the Ponderosa Pines in the Black Hills for thousands of years to come.

Rocky Mountain Goats: These beautiful and often illusive animals can often be seen grazing around Mount Rushmore or on hill tops on Iron Mountain Road. The goats were introduced into the Black Hills in the 1920s. Today's goats are descendants from those captured in Glacier National Park in Montana. Our tour will traverse the Iron Mountain Road on our way deeper into the southern Black Hills.

Iron Mountain Road: Tunnel View of Mt. Rushmore: Iron Mountain Road between Mt. Rushmore and the NE corner of Custer State Park offers many photo opportunities, incl: tunnels, spiral bridges, scenic overlooks, and wild animals. Note: Iron Mountain Road is closed in winter, and is not offered in the winter itinerary of this tour. Don't worry, we have an exceptional alternative.

CUSTER STATE PARK: There is no doubt about it, there is a wildlife surprise around every corner when visiting Custer State Park, so bring your camera and plenty of film. You may see Big Horn Sheep cross the road in thePark. The sheep were transplanted in the Black Hills from the Rocky Mountains in the 1920s.

General Georrge Armstrong Custer: Gold was discovered on French Creek in what is now Custer State Park during General Custer's 1874 expedition to the area. The discovery of gold created a stampede of miners who spread out far and wide across every stream, cranny, and canyon is the hopes of striking it rich.

North American Bison: Over 1200 bison roam free through the 72,000-acre Custer State Park, one of the largest state parks in the country. Often called "buffalo" they are actually North American Bison. The first explorers and fur trappers to enter the west had never seen creatures such as these. They looked similar to the African Cape Buffalo or the Water Buffalo of India, so they called them "buffalo" and the name stuck and is still with us today.

North American Pronghorn Antelope: This fleet-footed animal of the plains can often be seen in sections of Custer State Park. This male has near trophy-sized horns (not antlers...horns do not fall off and regrow like antlers of deer, elk, moose, etc.).

Big Horn Sheep: The rocky Mountain Big Horn Sheep were transplanted into the Black Hills beginning in 1924. This sheep replaced the Black Hills Audubon Sheep (a beautiful sheep found only in the Black Hills . . .but was hunted to extinction by 1920). The wild sheep are often spotted on the roads running through Custer State Park.

The park bison herd and pronghorn below.

Panhandling Donkeys and Burros: We mostly likely will encourter these friendly donkeys and burros that often stop traffic in Custer State Park looking for handouts. Donkeys and burros were favorite work animals of early prospectors and miners. Many were abandoned and wild herds roamed the hills near mining camps throughout the west.

Needles Highway: One travel magazine called the Needle's Highway one of the top 10 scenic roads in America. A highlight is the popular Needle's Eye. Tunnels, Cathedral Spires, majestic overlooks, and the beautiful Sylvan Lake can all be found on this great highway

Iron Mountain Road: US 16A is famous for its scenic, one-lane tunnels aligned to frame the faces on Mount Rushmore, its "pigtail bridges", and its sections of divided highway but with single (and narrow) lanes on each roadway. It is the only route which can be used to drive through Custer State Park without having to pay an entrance fee for the park, provided the traveler does not stop in the Park.

Beautiful Sylvan Lake.

Sylvan Lake: This trout-filled, spring-fed lake is a haven for hikers, fishermen, and nature lovers. Without doubt the most scenic lake in the Black Hills. Nearby are picnic and camping areas, a general store, and the beautiful Sylvan Lake Lodge, with clean modern restrooms. This a crowning jewel along the famous Needles Highway in Custer State Park.
 

Needles Highway
and Cathedral Spires

CRAZY HORSE MEMORIAL: This spectacular mountain sculpture is the largest man has ever attempted -- destined to become the 8th Wonder of the Modern World. Sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski began blasting on this mountain in 1948.

Today, his wife and children continue his dream of creating a memorial dedicated to all North American Indians. 

When completed, the sculpture will be taller than the highest pyramid in Egypt and higher than the Washington Monument in Washington, DC. The face alone is nearly 9-stories high. The horse's head will be about 22-stories high!

Crazy Horse Blast: Dust begins to settle after a blast in front of what will become the horse's head on Crazy Horse Mountain. When finished the statue will be 563 feet high and 641 feet long. Crews work on the mountain year-around, with blasting occurring about 2-3 times a week.

This is a "must-see" attraction on your Black Hills visit.  Visitors can enjoy a 20-minute DVD movie prior to checking out the extensive art work and artifacts in the huge visitor's center, museum, the original log cabin home built in 1949, Korczak's workshop and studio, and the Native American Cultural Center. 

LUNCH IS ON US: Dine at the popular Custer State Park Game Lodge, sometiems referred to as the 'Summer White House'. 

Enjoy the rustic country store with antiques and Hall of Fame Rodeo Clown Museum. Choose from a huge selection of buffet entrees, salads and desserts.

PRAIRIE BERRY WINE TASTING: A Perfect Ending - End the day with a visit to Prairie Berry Winery in Hill City with a free samplings of award-winning wines. 

Next door you can visit Mistletoe Ranch and Quilt Shop. 

Browse through huge selections of Christmas decorations and quilts and quilt patterns.