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Black Hills Safaris & wildlife activities

Our most recommended Black Hills Safaris & wildlife activities

Rapid City: Mount Rushmore and Black Hills Full-Day Tour

1. Rapid City: Mount Rushmore and Black Hills Full-Day Tour

Head out on an 8-hour, all-inclusive tour of the Black Hills of South Dakota. On this tour, you will depart from Rapid City and travel to Custer State Park, while exploring the top attractions along the way. As you make your way through the Black Hills, your driver/guide will provide interesting commentary, answer questions and provide you with information of what to do and see at your attraction stops. Your first destination will be Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Explore the world-famous memorial depicting four of the most prominent presidents of the first 150 years of the United States – George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Thomas Jefferson. Next, you will discover the 8th wonder of the world at Crazy Horse Memorial. It is the world’s largest mountain carving and is a memorial to all Native American tribes.  Lastly, travel into Custer State Park. It is known for its bison herds and other wildlife. Take in the scenery and marvel at the beauty of the Iron Mountain Road, which climbs 17 miles to the entrance of Mount Rushmore. You will wind over unique wooden bridges known as the pigtails. 

Badlands National Park Private Tour

2. Badlands National Park Private Tour

Enjoy a private tour for a unique glimpse into the unique beauty of the Badlands National Park. Learn about the history of the area and spend the day discovering the rare geology of the Badlands. After being picked up, take a short drive to the quaint town of Wall to explore and uncover why Wall Drug is so legendary throughout the world. Next, travel into the Badlands National Park to admire some of the rarest and most incredible geological formations in South Dakota. Enjoy a few moderate hikes around the Badlands and with some luck see some local wildlife up close. Lastly, visit the town of Scenic, a ghost town with a great history, which your guide will tell you all about. On your way there, see the Minuteman Missile Site.

Buffalo Jeep Safari & Mammoth Site Tour

3. Buffalo Jeep Safari & Mammoth Site Tour

Get up close and personal with roaming buffalo, deer, and feed the wild donkeys at Custer State Park. Once in the park, board an open-air Jeep and explore the beauty the park has to offer with your guide. Make sure to bring healthy snacks for the wild donkeys and you will have them eating out of the palm of your hands. Next, travel to Hot Springs to get a behind-the-scenes VIP tour of the Mammoth Site. While at this active Paleontological dig site, view fossils from the ice age. Enjoy an interactive learning experience that includes a botany and geological walkway.

From Rapid City: Private Spearfish Canyon Tour

4. From Rapid City: Private Spearfish Canyon Tour

Start with pickup from your hotel in the morning and travel to Spearfish Canyon. Journey along the winding road up the canyon and marvel at the beauty of the Black Hills. Arrive at Spearfish Canyon where you will see breathtaking limestone palisades of a creek-carved gorge more ancient than the Grand Canyon. With your guide, choose from different hiking options suited to all levels of ability and experience. Discover incredible waterfalls, scenery, wildlife, and plant life. Enjoy some lunch at a location of your choosing. After your day of exploration, be returned to your accommodation back in Rapid City.

From Rapid City: Custer State Park Private Safari and Hiking

5. From Rapid City: Custer State Park Private Safari and Hiking

Enjoy a private full-day tour from Rapid City or Hill City to the beautiful Custer State Park. Custer is South Dakota's largest state park, famous for its bison herds, antelope, mule deer, white-tailed deer, mountain goats, coyotes, elk, bighorn sheep, and other wildlife. Custer State Park is regularly named as one of the best wildlife destinations in the world. Once at the park, join an open-air jeep safari tour to get up close and personal with roaming buffalo and other wildlife. You will have an opportunity to get out and feed the burros. For the remainder of the afternoon, you will be able to hike some of the most beautiful trails located in the park. Lunch will be enjoyed at the historic Custer State Game Lodge, or another location of your choice.

Wall: Mount Rushmore & Badlands Self-Guided Audio Tour

6. Wall: Mount Rushmore & Badlands Self-Guided Audio Tour

Start by downloading the Action Tour Guide app, which will function as your personal tour guide, audio tour, and map all in one. Once downloaded, your tour of Mount Rushmore begins outside the Information Center. As you walk toward the mountain, you’ll stop at a memorial to the sculptor behind this monument and hear his story. Next, you’ll stroll down the Avenue of Flags, before arriving at the main viewing platform, boasting a clear view of Mount Rushmore. Too many people? A less-crowded platform waits just ahead, where you’ll hear how workers carved the presidential faces. Then you’ll stop at the Sculptor’s Studio, where you can see a plaster model of the monument’s original design and learn more about Borglum himself. After that, you’ll walk the Presidential Trail, a boardwalk through lush natural scenery. Along the way, you’ll hear about the Lakota perspective on Mount Rushmore. Your tour ends at the conclusion of the Presidential Trail, back at the main viewing platform. At Badlands National Park, your tour begins in the town of Wall (or Philip if it’s more convenient). Upon entering the park, you can choose to detour to a prairie dog colony that’s perfect for animal lovers! That’s followed by Pinnacles Overlook, a great place to see bison or bighorn sheep. At Ancient Hunters Overlook, next, the ancestors of the Lakota used to butcher bison they’d hunted. Then you’ll pass Yellow Mounds Overlook, which reveals millions of years of geologic history! Homestead Overlook comes next. Here, you’ll find out how the Homestead Acts forever changed the Badlands. Then, at Burns Basin, you’ll get a chance to see the site of one of those homesteads! Prairie Winds Overlook is next, offering views of lush, flowing prairie. Then there’s Panorama Point, one of the park’s best spots for photos. After that, you’ll learn how to identify a golden eagle, one of the Badlands’ most iconic residents. The Fossil Exhibit Trail follows, and is a must-see for anyone with younger travelers. This trail uncovers the history behind the many fossils and prehistoric creatures of the Badlands. Next, you’ll come to Saddle Pass Trail, a hike that’s great for birdwatchers. Then there’s the Cliff Shelf Trail, which takes hikers through a juniper forest to break up the rocky landscape. You won’t want to miss the next trio of trails known as The Notch, The Castle, and The Door. Boasting a whole breadth of difficulties and lengths, there’s something for everyone here! Finally, you’ll reach Big Badlands Overlook, offering some of the best views in the whole park. Your tour concludes here.

Black Hills: Private Tour of Mt. Rushmore & Flume Trail Hike

7. Black Hills: Private Tour of Mt. Rushmore & Flume Trail Hike

Go on this full-day private tour and explore two famous landmarks of the Black Hills. Enjoy a convenient pick-up from Rapid City, Custer or Hill City and spend your morning learning in-depth details of Mount Rushmore, the Shrine of Democracy, and how the Monument came to fruition. Take great pictures and admire the panoramic views.  Savor a delicious lunch at a location of your choice and spend the rest of the day hiking the Flume Trail which runs downhill from Sheridan Lake Dam to the old gold-mining town of Rockerville.  Hike 3-miles while enjoying the local flora and wildlife. The Flume Trail follows the historic Rockerville Flume, an 1880's gold-rush era water channel used to transport gold.  Listen to the stories your knowledgeable guide can share and learn about the rare history of the Black Hills, the Flume Trail, and the mining boom of the 1880s.  See historic remnants along the way and learn what makes this trail so important to the Black Hills.

Pactola Lake: Private Kayak or Paddleboard Experience

8. Pactola Lake: Private Kayak or Paddleboard Experience

Start your day with a convenient pickup from your hotel and enjoy a short ride to Pactola Lake, the largest reservoir in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Be amazed by the stunning views. Choose whether to try a stand-up paddleboard or a kayak and enjoy your private guided adventure on the lake. Learn about the fascinating history of how the lake came to exist in western South Dakota. Spend the day taking in exquisite views of the best flora and fauna South Dakota has to offer. All five of your senses will be invigorated while on the lake. Enjoy lunch at a location of your choice. There are many locations to choose from and suggestions are available upon request.

Other Sightseeing Options in Black Hills

Want to discover all there is to do in Black Hills? Click here for a full list.

What people are saying about Black Hills

We had a delightful day with Christine, our private driver, photographer and guide. She had all the insight required to educate us on all aspects of the Badlands in SD. We found prairie dogs, Buffalo, Little Bighorn sheep and antelope. We stopped for many breathtaking views of Badlands. We visited famous Wall drug store. The van was super comfortable and clean with plenty of water and snacks. We had lunch at Red Rock restaurant (included). Christine customized our experience based on our level of fitness and our interest. She allowed us to skip a view of the military missile silos in order to see Sturgis. Pick up and drop off from your Hotel. Highly recommended tour with Christine!!

The driver was just great, he shared a wealth of information along with his driving skills around and thru the mountain. I'm from New Jersey if I come back this way again I will take tour again with Bruce as my tour guide. I will tell others about the experience and recommend the tour.

We thoroughly enjoyed our tour. Bruce, our bus driver, was very knowledgeable, and an extremely careful driver! We could relax, listen to the information, and enjoy the scenery!!

Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse were the highlights...driver was great...enough time at each stop...well worth the price!!!

Bruce our driver was very friendly and provided a lot of information in which made the trip more enjoyable.