Afternoon: Check in at the Lodge after 3:00 PM; Orientation at 5:30 PM in the Lodge. Please check your final itinerary to schedule your arrival time allowing about 45min travel time from the airport to the K Bar S Lodge.

Dinner: Opening dinner at K Bar S Lodge.

Evening: Feel free to settle into your room after dinner.

Lodging: K Bar S Lodge

Meals Included: Dinner

Field trip to High Plains Western Heritage Center/Field trip to Historic Deadwood/Lead/Presentation

Breakfast: Breakfast at K Bar S Lodge in Keystone

Morning: We'll kick off our week of exploration with a trip to the High Plains Western Heritage Center. The Heritage Center contains a five-state regional museum founded to honor the old west pioneers and the Native Americans of North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming and Nebraska. Western artifacts, western art, live animals and family history displays are used as a determinant of historical events.The museum includes over 17,000 sq. ft. of displays featuring a wide range of western artifacts including displays that honor the Native American, the cattle and sheep industries, blacksmithing, saddle making, natural history, mining, forestry and of course the cowboy and rodeo. The High Plains Western Heritage Center currently provides a community forum for entertainment and education. Their intent is to exhibit the on-going historical preservation of this region of the American West.

Lunch: Lunch is included.

Afternoon: This afternoon we'll travel to Deadwood as we continue our discovery of the settlers and gold seekers of the 1870's. Jump aboard a trolley as we travel to Boot Hill to hear the stories of people like Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane and Poker Alice while we learn about the colorful history of Deadwood where the great gold rush of 1876 occurred. Later in the afternoon we'll tour the historic town of Lead. The town of Lead has played a pivotal role in the history of the Black Hills. Home to the Homestake Gold Mine and sister city to the town of Deadwood, the streets of Lead tell a tale as rich as the gold mined from its hills. The Homestake Gold Mine was one of the early enterprises associated with the Gold Rush of 1876 in the northern Black Hills of what was then Dakota Territory.

Dinner: Dinner at K Bar S Lodge

Evening: This evening we'll enjoy a unique look into the colorful past of those who blazed the trail expanding the western frontier. Presentation subject to confirmation.

Lodging: K Bar S Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast at K Bar S Lodge

Morning: Amidst the emerald carpet of the Black Hills, sculptor Gutzon Borglum looked out upon craggy pine-clad mountains and saw not simply granite, but rather nature’s foundation for a majestic monument. Borglum’s vision became Mount Rushmore National Memorial as the noble portrayal of four of America’s leaders gradually emerged from the enduring granite. The towering faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln embody the birth, growth, preservation and development of the United States. This morning immerse yourself in the shadow of Mount Rushmore. Learn about the monument, the land it occupies and the artist whose vision created a symbol for all of America. Optional ½ mile with numerous stairs down the Sculptor’s Studio is available.

Lunch: Lunch is included.

Afternoon: This afternoon we'll continue our exploration with a visit to the Journey Museum. The Journey takes you on an incredible trek through time, from the violent upheaval that formed the mystical Black Hills over 2.5 billion years ago to the continuing saga of the Western Frontier. The Journey Museum brings together four major prehistoric and historic collections to tell the complete story of the Western Great Plains - from the perspective of the Lakota peoples and the pioneers who shaped its past, to the scientists who now study it. Get a close up look at the struggles settlers and sod busters went through to tame the vast and wild land.

Dinner: Dinner at K Bar S Lodge.

Evening: Tonight we'll attend the lighting ceremony at Mt. Rushmore. There is a very patriotic program presented in the open, outdoor auditorium. SUBJECT TO SEASONAL DATES.

Lodging: K Bar S Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Field trip to Custer State Park/Field trip to Crazy Horse Memorial/Presentation

Breakfast: Breakfast at K Bar S Lodge

Morning: The Custer Expedition of 1874 is contributed with the illegal flood of white settlers into the Sioux territory and the Black Hills. Colonel George Custer spent nearly two months exploring and recording the area around and within the Black Hills. It was during this trip that gold was discovered in French Creek near the current town of Custer. This morning we’ll venture into Custer State Park. The park’s pine forests, grassy meadows and towers of granite offer spectacular views while also providing a remarkable, lush sanctuary for the park’s four-legged residents. Nearly 1,500 magnificent bison, along with fleet pronghorn, elusive elk, sure-footed mountain goats and a band of begging burrows freely roam the park’s sprawling 71,000 acres.

Lunch: Enjoy an outdoor Western Cookout at the State Game Lodge, 1927 Summer White House to President Calvin Coolidge.

Afternoon: Creation of the world’s largest sculpture began on June 3, 1948 by Boston-born sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski. His work continues today with the help and dedication of his wife and 10 children at Crazy Horse Memorial. The dimensions are staggering. A mountain-sized statue of an Indian man and a spirited warhorse that’s as long as a cruise ship and taller than a 60-story skyscraper! With work now finished on the face of Crazy Horse, carving has shifted to the horses head. Because of the tremendous amount of rock overburden still left to remove and the unique engineering challenges the mountain carving presents, it will take many more years of drilling and blasting. Along with the carving, discover the rich traditional museums and gallery below the mountain. This carving was begun at the request of Lakota Chiefs who, in the words of Chief Henry Standing Bear, said "we want the White Man to know that the Red Man had great leaders, too."

Dinner: Dinner at K Bar S Lodge.

Evening: This evening we'll enjoy a unique look into the colorful past of those who blazed the trail expanding the western frontier. Presentation subject to confirmation.

Lodging: K Bar S Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast at K Bar S Lodge.

Morning: The settlers and gold seekers of early days often struggled daily just to stay alive--not from attacks by Native Americans or hostile competitors over a claim but in their very effort to live and eat. En route to the Black Hills many traveled across the Badlands. This morning, on the edge of the Badlands, we'll visit an original sod house on the prairie still owned by the descendants of hardy explorers. The Prairie Homestead Historic Site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and gives us a true sense of the rough life of settlers of this by-gone era.

Lunch: Lunch is on your own in Wall

Afternoon: This afternoon we’ll tour Badlands National Park. Time becomes difficult to comprehend as we learn about the deep canyons, towering spires and flat-topped tables of the Badlands. An inland sea covered this area 68-77 million years ago. Layers of sediment deposited over the next 75 million years give the Badlands their bands of colors while erosion continues to expose the inner most secrets of these lunar-like deposits. This land of sharp ridges, steep gullies, pyramids and knobs has been so ruthlessly ravaged by wind and water that it has become picturesque. The Badlands are a wonderland of bizarre, colorful spires and pinnacles, massive buttes and deep gorges. The forces that carved these features have not only created a unique topography; they have given a strange beauty to this almost desolate land.

Dinner: Dinner at K Bar S Lodge.

Lodging: K Bar S Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Field trip on the Historic 1880 Train to Hill City/Black Hills Geological Institute

Breakfast: Breakfast at the K Bar S Lodge

Morning: This morning we'll travel back in time as we ride through the beautiful back country of the Black Hills on the historic 1880 steam engine train. We'll have prime opportunity to spot a plethora of wildlife, flora and fauna. The steam engine will take us to the neighboring town of Hill City where we'll enjoy lunch.

Lunch: Lunch is included

Afternoon: This afternoon enjoy the local flavor of Hill City. You may immerse yourself in the colorful art galleries and shops of this quaint town. This afternoon discover creatures from long ago with a group tour of the Black Hills Geologic Research Institute. Hop back on the iron horse for your return trip to the K Bar S where we'll enjoy our last evening together.

Dinner: Tonight enjoy wine, champagne and hors d' oeuvres before dinner. This is the conclusion of the program.

Lodging: K Bar S Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast at the K Bar S Lodge You may make plans for your return trip home.

Meals Included: Breakfast