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Things to do in Rapid City

Our most recommended things to do in Rapid City

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. 

Rapid City: Private Black Hills Monuments Full-Day Tour

2. Rapid City: Private Black Hills Monuments Full-Day Tour

Enjoy a day of sightseeing on this all-inclusive private tour of the main sights of Black Hills. After a convenient pickup from your hotel, travel to the iconic Mount Rushmore National Monument, where you will spend some time hiking. Learn about how the monument came into existence. Next, travel to Crazy Horse Memorial, where you will learn about one of the most important historical figures in the history of South Dakota. Finally, explore the beautiful Custer State Park. See wildlife at incredibly close proximity and enjoy the local flora.

Badlands National Park Private Tour

3. 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.

From Rapid City: Private Devils Tower Tour and Hike

4. From Rapid City: Private Devils Tower Tour and Hike

Discover the diversity of South Dakota's natural monuments on this day trip to Devils Tower. Departing from your hotel in Rapid City or Spearfish, enjoy the ride to Devil's Tower National Monument in Wyoming. Once there, get the opportunity to hike around this natural wonder. While hiking, learn more about Devil Tower's incredible Native American history, and what makes it so unique, from your tour guide. Admire local fauna and flora and witness panoramic views. Stop for lunch at a restaurant of your choice and get the chance to sample some local cuisine before heading back to your hotel in the evening.

Buffalo Jeep Safari & Mammoth Site Tour

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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.

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

8. 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.

From Rapid City: Badlands National Park Trip with Wall Drug

9. From Rapid City: Badlands National Park Trip with Wall Drug

Head to the Badlands National Park for a day of unforgettable nature and dramatic sights. Enjoy a guided tour with snacks, drinks, and a picnic lunch, and visit the famous Wall Drug roadside attraction. Start with pickup from your hotel, hop in the vehicle, and head for the dramatic Badlands National Park. Sit back and relax as you travel through an ever-changing landscape. Keep a look out for wild animals like the American Bison, prairie dogs, coyotes, Bighorn Sheep, antelope, and more. Be struck by the sheer scale of everything as you drive through it. Admire a wild yet eerily calm that appears almost like a painting. Witness pinnacles and spires rising from the flat grassland in every direction, and great cliffs jutting into the sky behind them. Enjoy stops at a safe distance to watch animals grazing together peacefully. See tiny prairie dogs and pronghorn trotting by as you admire the natural landscape and the creatures that inhabit it. Drive down Sage Creek Rim Road and the Peter Norbeck-designed Badlands Loop Road with plenty of time to take some dramatic pictures. Be struck by the subtle changes in the landscape during the drive. See the brown and pink of the sandy soil gradually give way to more muted shades of yellow and purple. Complete your experience with a stop at the cowboy-themed Wall Drug roadside attraction. Browse the stores and sights as you delve into the authentic atmosphere of Americana.

South Dakota: Private Thoen Stone Tour

10. South Dakota: Private Thoen Stone Tour

History and mystery surround this tour as you are personally led by the author of The Kind Whisper, Alan Maas. This tour will leave you wondering did Ezra Kind and his companions really find gold in the Black Hills of South Dakota before California? Maas covers the story and locations where history and legends were made in this Northern Hills tour which includes the actual stone along with Deadwood, The Frawley Ranch, Spearfish, and many extras which will leave you wanting more! This tour includes a copy of the book The Kind Whisper, which you can study before the tour to answer questions and discover surprises. You can also choose to have the book autographed by the author himself!

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What people are saying about Rapid City

Overall rating

4.9 / 5

based on 80 reviews

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!!

Our guide was Rise and she was so friendly, very knowledgeable about South Dakota, alms history if everything we saw! We felt like she was part of our family when our tour was done! My husband was a little skeptical about the cost of the tour but in the end he felt it was worth every Penny and more! She knew so many places to see, get the best pictures and interesting things we would not have known on our own, plus he was able to see everything and enjoy the drive with Rose taking care of the driving and hair pin curves!! Really recommend the Blackhills Tour and ask for Rose !!

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.

Excellent experience! Christine was a great guide and was very informative!