Afternoon: Check in at the Lodge after 3:00 PM. There is an orientation beginning at 5:00 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: Dinner is included.

Evening: After dinner you're free to settle into your room.

Lodging: K Bar S Lodge

Meals Included: Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast is included.

Morning: This morning we’ll venture into Custer State Park. General Custer’s men found gold here in the summer of 1874. 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.

Dinner: Dinner is included.

Evening: Tonight our instructor will lecture on related information to the Black Hills and its surrounding peoples and cultures.

Lodging: K Bar S Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast is included.

Morning: This morning, we'll continue our study of the Native American culture with a visit to Tatanka, a native interpretation center with live demonstrations. Here we'll also see the third largest bronze sculpture in the world. Commissioned by actor Kevin Costner after making his block-buster movie, Dances With Wolves, this sculpture features several Native American riders chasing buffalo over a cliff. Each piece is 125% life size and incredibly well done.

Lunch: Lunch is included.

Afternoon: This afternoon we'll discover the historic town of Deadwood. The discovery of gold ignited a rush of yellow fever seekers to the area in 1876. From this came colorful stories, legends and legacies left behind by notorious characters like Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane and Poker Alice. Learn about these historic figures and discover what spurred their desires to strike it rich in the Dakota Territory. 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 is included.

Evening: Tonight our instructor will captivate us with traditional oral stories, and historic accounts of the local culture and peoples.

Lodging: K Bar S Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast is included.

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 1/2 mile walk, for those who can handle stairs, is available to the sculptor's studio.

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 Lakota artifacts and learn why they call the Black Hills "Center of the Universe."

Dinner: Dinner is included.

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

Breakfast: Breakfast is included.

Morning: Today 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.

Lunch: Lunch is included.

Dinner: Dinner is included.

Lodging: K Bar S Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Ride The Historic 1880 Train to Hill City/Presentation/Hill City and the Black Hills Geological Institute

Breakfast: Breakfast is included.

Morning: Morning presentation.

Morning: Travel back in time as you 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 on your own in Hill City

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, Dinner

Breakfast: You may depart anytime after breakfast.

Meals Included: Breakfast