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South Dakota

Hike, Kayak & Ride: Black Hills, Badlands & Mount Rushmore

Program No. 12774RJ

Discover the wildly diverse landscapes in the Black Hills of South Dakota while trekking, riding and kayaking through this unique wilderness that lies in the shadow of Mount Rushmore.

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7 days

6 nights

15 meals

6B 3L 6D

Lodge Check-in, Orientation, Welcome Dinner

Keystone, South Dakota

Jewel Cave, Crazy Horse, Natural Resources

Keystone, South Dakota

E-Bike Ride, Mount Rushmore, Lighting Ceremony

Keystone, South Dakota

Custer State Park, Hike, Horseback Ride, Chuckwagon

Keystone, South Dakota

Cathedral Spires, Kayak, Indigenous Dance, Campfire

Keystone, South Dakota

Badlands National Park, Hike, Farewell Dinner

Keystone, South Dakota

Program Concludes

Keystone, South Dakota

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At a Glance

Discover the wildly diverse landscapes in the Black Hills of South Dakota while hiking, biking, riding horseback and kayaking through this unbelievably unique and pristine wilderness. Home to Mount Rushmore, the Black Hills offers beauty, solitude and a plethora of activities for those with an adventuresome spirit. Let the great outdoors become your classroom as local experts reveal the wonders of this exquisite island in the plains.

Activity Level

Outdoor: Spirited

Hiking 2-5 miles over uneven and rocky terrain. Optional one hour horseback trail ride and afternoon lake kayaking; appropriate for beginners. Recreational ½ day bike ride on flat, crushed gravel surface. Elevations of 3,500-6,200 feet.

Small Group

Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.

Best of all, you’ll…

Hike among ethereal buttes and peaks in Badlands National Park and towering pine trees in the shadow of Mount Rushmore.
Learn about Indigenous history by visiting Crazy Horse Memorial.
Discover Custer State Park, the second-largest State Park in the nation, on foot, on horseback and in the seat of a kayak.

General Notes

For a less active program in the Black Hills, check out "The Best of Mount Rushmore, the Black Hills and Badlands" (#13160).

Featured Expert

All trip experts

John Esposti

John Esposti was born and raised in central New Jersey. He received a degree in education from the University of Idaho and utilized his degree by teaching in Alaska. He met his wife Cindy in Hawaii and returned with her to the Black Hills to operate a family-run travel business. After selling the business, John worked at the Black Hills Institute of Geological Research. John now spends his days with Cindy on a new tourism venture called GeoFunTrek, providing intimate explorations for visitors.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

John Esposti View biography

Stephen Yellowhawk View biography

Stephen was born in Eagle Butte, SD on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation, and raised in Rapid City, SD by his grandparents. In 2009 Stephen received his bachelor’s in elementary education from Oglala Lakota College. Growing up in his grandparents’ home, he learned from their example how to combine both the Christian and Lakota Traditional value systems. Stephen is the current board president for the Black Hills Powwow Association and is actively pursuing a master’s degree in leadership and management.

Tim Raben View biography

Tim Raben grew up in Rapid City, South Dakota, and graduated with a B.A. in history from the University of South Dakota. He has a M.A. degree in liberal arts from North Central College in Illinois. Tim and his wife, Karen, saw much of the country during his career in insurance and as business consultants. Tim is the board chair of the Badlands National Park Conservancy and past chair of the Journey Museum and Mount Rushmore Society.

Suggested Reading List (7 books)

Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop

You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.

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Hike, Kayak & Ride: Black Hills, Badlands & Mount Rushmore

Program Number: 12774

Cowboy Life: The Letters of George Philip

by George Philip and Cathie Draine

As a young man, George Philip emigrated from Scotland to escape a harsh apprenticeship. In 1899, he arrived on the doorstep of his uncle, James (“Scotty”) Philip, patriarch of one of South Dakota’s foremost ranching families. For the next four years, Philip rode as a cowboy for his uncle’s L-7 cattle outfit during the heyday of the last open range. But the cowboy era was a brief one, and in 1903 Philip turned in his string of horses and hung up his saddle to enter law school in Michigan. With a law degree in hand, he returned to South Dakota to practice in the wide-open western towns of Fort Pierre, Philip, and Rapid City. In these candid letters, Philip tells his children that his life was an ordinary one, but his memoirs quickly dispel that notion. He provides fascinating insights into the development of the West and of South Dakota. His writing details the cowboy’s day-to-day work, from branding and roping to navigating across the plains by stars and buttes as the great open ranges slowly closed up. The places and characters of the range find life in Philip’s mixture of humor, hard-nosed “horse-sense," and poignant reflection.

The Carving of Mount Rushmore

by Rex Alan Smith

This entertaining and very readable book tells the fascinating stories of the people of Mount Rushmore. Included are first person accounts of not only the carvers, the politicians and Borglum, but an almost unbelievable host of others who became part of the tumult and triumph that make this history read like a novel. If you’re only going to read one book about Rushmore, this is the one.

Pioneer Days in the Black Hills

by John S. McClintock

A rough-and-tumble account of the early days of Deadwood and the Dakota Territory written by early-day pioneer John S. McClintock. He provides material on the gold rush, skirmishes with Indians, exploits of road agents and outlaws, and appearances of celebrities such as Wild Bill Hickok and Deadwood Dick.

Heartland Legacy The Art of Jon Crane

by Gail Crane

Dust jacket notes: "Acclaimed artist Jon Crane has spent thirty-one years creating Heartland Legacy - Art That Takes You Home. In Heartland Legacy: The Art of Jon Crane, admirers can at last enjoy his work in book form. They can also meet the person behind the paintbrush through the story of Jon's life, as only his wife Gail can tell it. Through Gail's shared insights and observations, readers will get to know a man who is straightforward, honest, and realistic, both in daily life and in the magnificent watercolors that have earned him a national reputation - a man who is a builder, an explorer, and a recorder of the world as he sees it. Jon and Gail Crane have embarked together on numerous adventures - traveling the United States and Mexico and building a unique home in an idyllic natural setting. But the most satisfying adventure of them all, the one that never ends, is art. Within these pages, Jon Crane's art will take you on a faraway adventure to a simpler time - and a place called home."

Roadside History of South Dakota

by Linda Hasselstrom

Reading Roadside History of South Dakota is like having a knowledgeable friend explain the most fascinating and pertinent tidbits of the state's past without reciting a lot of boring details. The book's comfortable, conversational style guides readers smoothly along the state's highways and byways. Even those who think they already know South Dakota can anticipate learning new things from this insightful, informative, yet thoroughly readable and entertaining roadside history. The material is rich, and Linda Hasselstrom reveals it in an exciting way by focusing on the people who made South Dakota what it is today.

Moon of Popping Trees

by Rex Alan Smith

The Massacre at Wounded Knee was the last major battle between whites and Native Americans. With parallels to concerns some have of today’s news reports, you’ll see that this massacre was largely a result of overblown news reports of the danger of the Native American Ghost Dance. Even more startling is the revelation in this book that the Ghost Dance had its origin in the Christian resurrection story. This book spans fifty years of the life and struggles of Native Americans as they try to maintain their lifestyle in the face of America’s westward expansion.

Exploring with Custer: The 1874 Black Hills Expedition

by Ernest Grafe & Paul Horsted

General George Armstrong Custer's Journey to the Black Hills in 1874 was better documented than any other military expedition of the Old West. Not only did William H. Illingworth record superb views of the landscape and several camps, but at least fifteen men wrote diaries, reports or newspaper dispatches brimming with vivid detail. This book blends the Illingworth photos and their present-day counterparts with selections from all known accounts to paint a unique portrait of everyday life along the trail. Please order through Paul Horsted at www.dakotaphoto.com or 1.800.248.2194

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Hike, Kayak & Ride: Black Hills, Badlands & Mount Rushmore

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At a Glance

Best of all, you’ll…

General Notes

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