4-Nights South Dakota Hiking: Badlands, Mount Rushmore & Black Hills Lodge Based from $3,595

MT Sobek

OFFER ID 1629281

The land of infinite variety beckons! Get ready to immerse yourself in the majestic wonders of South Dakota. Walk the shadowy passageways of Wind Cave National Park and visit Jewel Cave National Monument. Search for fossils in the otherworldly terrain of Badlands National Park and stand in awe before the colossal visages of Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorials, testaments to human ingenuity and artistry. Join your seasoned MT Sobek guide as they share their deep knowledge of local geology, flora, fauna, and ancient history. Watch as the barren landscape of Badlands gives way to the evergreen forests and mountain spires of the Black Hills. South Dakota is brimming with natural treasures above and below ground.

Highlights:

Explore the Black Hills above and below ground from Jewel Cave to Cathedral Spires
Witness monumental artistry and reverence in the chiseled faces of Crazy Horse and Mount Rushmore
Step into the wild rock formations and eerie mystery of stunning Badlands National Park

Important Trip Details:
Participants should have experience hiking and be comfortable hiking 1-6 miles with up to 1,200' elevation gain/loss each day. The trails in Badlands are mostly dirt & flat with very limited shade. Some trails in the Black Hills are paved while some require navigating uneven terrain that include, rock, dirt, and roots. The Cave tours require comfortably navigating uneven ground and climbing a series of stairs that can be slippery, steep, and dimly lit. Some bending & stooping is required.

Minimum Age: 18

4 nights from $3,595 per person

Valid for new bookings deposited Now – December 31, 2026 for travel anytime.

*Amenity is combinable with all other offers, promotions, or discounts, and is subject to availability. Other restrictions may apply.

Itinerary

Click here for Full Itinerary Details

Itinerary Details

MT Sobek: South Dakota Badlands, Mount Rushmore & Black Hills Hiking

Day 1 Welcome to Badlands National Park
2.5-hour private van transfer
2-3 miles/1.5 hours hiking with 197' elevation gain and loss
Meet in the lobby of your host hotel in Rapid City for a quick orientation before setting out for Badlands National Park. Make a short stop enroute at the famous roadside attraction, Wall Drug; after all, no South Dakota Road trip would be complete without it! After a quick cup of their famous 5-cent coffee, head for Sage Creek Rim Road. Winding its way through the park, this scenic road provides incredible views and the occasional (and welcomed) roadblock known as a "bison jam." Your mellow hike today allows you to truly immerse yourself in this remarkable landscape while doing a little exploration on the Badlands' colorful bedrock. Late this afternoon, tour the park's impressive visitor center before arriving at the historic and quaint Cedar Pass Lodge, the only lodge inside the park. Have dinner at the lodge's restaurant before settling into your private cabin for the night.
Accommodation: Cedar Pass Lodge
(L, D)

Day 2 Hike in the Badlands & Travel to the Black Hills
2.5-hour private van transfer
4-5 miles/2-3 hours hiking with 142' elevation gain and 161' loss
Rise early this morning and enjoy the sunrise over the badlands from the inviting, handcrafted pine chairs on your patio. Today you'll hike the winding point to point Castle Trail through an alien landscape full of intriguing geology and vast prairie lands with opportunities to see bighorn sheep and prairie dogs. After this hike, say goodbye to Badlands National Park and head over to the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site, a unique relic of the Cold War where the peaceful prairie seems at odds with the devastating power it once held. This afternoon, travel west toward the lush forests and jagged granite peaks of the Black Hills. Spend your remaining nights in private, rustic cabins in the charming town of Custer.
Accommodation: Rock Crest Lodge & Cabins
(B, L, D)

Day 3 Explore Jewel Cave & Visit Awe-inspiring Crazy Horse Memorial
1-hour private van transfer
3.5-4.5 miles/2-3 hours hiking with 507' elevation gain and 491' loss
Today you'll explore one of the largest caves in the world at Jewel Cave National Monument. Inside the cavern, follow a mile-long paved path surrounded by sparkling calcite crystals, dripping stalactites and stalagmites, and glossy flowstone. After your cave exploration, enjoy a delicious lunch prepared by your guide, then hike the monument's only above-ground trail through canyons and meadows. Late this afternoon, visit the unfinished, incredible, Crazy Horse Memorial. Once completed, this imposing stone carving of the famous Lakota leader will be over three times the size of Mount Rushmore. Tour the extensive museum and take a rustic bus ride right to the base of the mountain. End your day with dinner in Custer where your guide shares what exciting adventures await you tomorrow.
Accommodation: Rock Crest Lodge & Cabins
(B, L, D)

Day 4 Hike to Cathedral Spires & Visit Mount Rushmore National Memorial
2.5-hour private van transfer
5 miles/2-3 hours hiking with 1,161' elevation gain and 1,175' loss
Today's hike takes you to the arresting Cathedral Spires, striking granite pinnacles named for their resemblance to the organ pipes in a cathedral. These unique rock formations were chosen as the original canvas for Mount Rushmore, but it was quickly discovered the rock was too thin to support the massive edifice that sculptor Gutzon Borglum envisioned. This afternoon, you'll soak in the incredible views on the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway as you make your way to Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Delight in different views of this national treasure as you follow the Presidential Trail, stopping at the Sculptor's Studio along the way. Enjoy a final, celebratory dinner together in Custer this evening.

(B, L, D)

Day 5 Explore Wind Cave & Mammoth Site
2.5-hour private van transfer
1-2 miles/1 hour hiking with 241' elevation gain/loss
This morning, you'll explore another mysterious underground labyrinth. The shimmering calcite crystals of Jewel Cave are replaced with the extremely rare, delicate boxwork formations found in Wind Cave. Before your ranger-led cave tour, hike a short trail to appreciate the magic above ground in the vast mixed-grass prairie. After your illuminative cave walk, enjoy a final meal together while you discuss all the intriguing and distinct differences between these two caves. For your last adventure, explore a different kind of underground treasure, the Mammoth Site, an active paleontological dig site that has uncovered the remains of more than 60 mammoths. This afternoon, return to your host hotel in Rapid City, recounting all the incredible things you've done and seen the past several days.

Featured Destinations

Black Hills

Rapid City

Mt. Rushmore

Located in the southwestern part of the state, 35 mi/56 km southwest of Rapid City, Mount Rushmore is one of the most famous landmarks in the U.S. and the draw that started the Black Hills tourism boom. The likenesses of four U.S. presidents—George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt—have been carved into the mountain. Each 60-ft-/18-m-tall face of this impressive sculpture was designed by Gutzon Borglum. He died in 1941, shortly before the monument was completed and 14 years after the project was begun.

You're likely to spot the faces well before you arrive at the foot of the mountain: The approaching road provides some dramatic views of the presidents. You have several choices for getting a closer view. Most visitors see the faces from the observation area below the mountain, during the daytime. In summer you can also see them at night, when a lighting ceremony dramatically reveals the faces against the black sky. A 0.5-mi-/0.8-km-long Presidential Trail from Grandview Terrace leads to the slope immediately below the faces, where fragments of blasted stone are still heaped in large piles (part of the sculpting process involved dynamiting the mountain). Be sure to visit the museum, which details how the monument came to be.

If you have one sculpted mountain, you might as well have two: The second is Thunderhead Mountain (17 mi/27 km southwest of Mount Rushmore), site of the Crazy Horse Memorial, 17 mi/27 km southwest of Mount Rushmore. This ongoing work is a tribute to Native Americans in the form of Lakota Chief Crazy Horse, who led the defeat of Gen. George Custer at Little Big Horn. When finished, the Crazy Horse Memorial will be a 641-ft-/200-m-long by 563-ft-/175-m-high sculpture in the round of the Lakota hero riding a charging stallion: The animal's head alone will be 22 stories tall, and Crazy Horse's outstretched arm will be the length of a football field. The face was completed in 1998, giving visitors a good idea of what the sculpture will look like.

Still, something that large takes time. Though the sculpture was begun in 1949, some people estimate its completion to be around 2050. Sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski designed the memorial at the request of Native Americans. He died in 1982. His family is carrying on the project and doing so without any public funding. Finances come largely from admission fees to the area, where you can see a scale model of the sculpture, as well as the Native American Educational and Cultural Center, which showcases Native American artisans. The Crazy Horse Volksmarch, a 6-mi/10-km hike up the Crazy Horse Memorial, is held the first full weekend in June—the one time visitors are allowed to walk on the sculpture. A laser-light show entertains summer visitors each evening.

Not far from the Crazy Horse Memorial is Needles Highway (Highway 87), one of the most scenic drives in the Black Hills. It's meant to be driven slowly—the winding route runs through tunnels, over bridges and beneath mountain summits. Harney Peak, seen from the highway, is the highest point in the Black Hills at 7,242 ft/2,207 m. Oversized recreational vehicles aren't allowed to travel the main road, but there is an alternative route available. Motorists enjoy the spectacle of the Needles—eerie granite spires that tower over the landscape.

Badlands National Park

Vacation Details

Valid Date Ranges

06/07/2026 - 06/11/2026

from $3,595 per person

06/13/2026 - 06/17/2026

from $3,595 per person

06/18/2026 - 06/22/2026

from $3,595 per person

09/13/2026 - 09/17/2026

from $3,595 per person

09/19/2026 - 09/23/2026

from $3,595 per person

09/25/2026 - 09/29/2026

from $3,595 per person

* This departure has been designated a guaranteed departure by the operator, meaning that the minimum number of guests has been met, although still subject to weather and other conditions.

Prices Start At

from $3,595 per person

Length

4 Nights

Air City

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Vacation Rating

Deluxe

Remarks

Prices subject to availability and change without notice. Some restrictions may apply.

All fares are quoted in US Dollars.

OFFER ID

1629281

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4-Nights South Dakota Hiking: Badlands, Mount Rushmore & Black Hills Lodge Based from $3,595

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