Inspiration for your own tailor-made trip
Rapid City - Badlands - Custer - Sheridan - Cody - Yellowstone - Bozeman - Great Falls - Glacier National Park - Whitefish
100% customisable for you
The first leg of your journey consists of a nine-hour flight from London to Minneapolis in Minnesota, where upon arrival you’ll board a two-hour connecting flight to Rapid City in South Dakota. On landing in Rapid City, collect your hire car at the airport and head to your hotel where you’ll be spending the next two nights, located in the historic centre of the city.
While Rapid City is home to an old gold mine and the interesting Journey Museum, it's best known for hosting the Sturgis Rally, the world's second largest motorcycle rally. However, the real adventure lies in its rich surroundings. The Black Hills on the South Dakota border are a few miles to the west and the Iron Mountain Road zigzags through them, over dizzying bridges and through narrow tunnels, towards the famous Mount Rushmore. Here, the faces of four American presidents are engraved in granite: George Washington (1732-1799), Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) and Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865). Next, pay tribute to the Native Americans at the Crazy Horse Memorial, an engraving of the warrior and tribal leader and the Sioux equivalent of Mount Rushmore. Further north, Deadwood epitomises the Wild West vibe with its typical saloon facades and tributes to famous bandits and adventurers.
An hour-long drive separates Rapid City from the Badlands National Park to the east, where herds of buffalo graze the beautiful and colourful landscape. Tiny ghost towns are scattered everywhere and prairie dogs roam free. Sundown is the best time to explore the park, so spend a night in a beautifully-renovated cottage located in the heart of the park, and take the time to explore this fairy tale-like landscape of rocky scenery.
Return west to Custer State Park, named after the famous American cavalry general. Native American history enthusiasts can make a detour to Wounded Knee, before joining the Wildlife Loop Road, which winds through beautiful grasslands, home to herds of buffalo. Enjoy a private wildlife tour of Custer Park in a 4x4 with an expert guide. The park sprawls across 114 square miles of prairies, forests and granite peaks and is home to the largest number of free-roaming bison, moose, white-tailed deer, sheep and mountain goats in the world. Then spend the night in a lodge made entirely of stone and wood, surrounded by pine trees.
It takes a good half-day to drive from Custer to Sheridan, which is across the border in Wyoming. Leave the prairies of Custer State Park behind and head west, passing the second largest cave in the country, nicknamed the Jewel Cave because of its calcium crystals. Along the way take a detour to Devil's Tower, a curious monolith of fluted basalt that is 5,112ft tall and a sacred place for Native Americans. The road continues through Gillette and then Buffalo, nestled at the foot of the Big Horn Mountains. Spend a night in Sheridan, in a historic settlement partly owned by William Frederick Cody, known as Buffalo Bill, a legendary figure in the conquest of the American West.
Today, head out on a private tour of the Little Bighorn site with an expert Native American guide. Together you can explore the sites of the famous Battle of Little Bighorn, where the US cavalry were defeated and General Custer, a legendary figure in the country's history, lost his life. Following this, continue heading west through Bighorn National Forest and then to Cody, founded in 1896 by Buffalo Bill and dedicated to the heritage of the Wild West. Tonight, we can arrange tickets to the Cody Nite Rodeo, which has been held every night from the beginning of June to the end of August since 1938, before spending the night in a rustic lodge.
Drive west to Yellowstone, the oldest of all America's national parks and arguably the most impressive. This former Native American refuge, on the borders of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, is now a park where majestic bison graze among fumaroles (sulphurous gas vents), geysers, hot springs, mud pools and spectacular waterfalls. Spend three nights near Yellowstone Lake, close to the famous Old Faithful geyser, in a rustic-style hotel which blends beautifully into its surroundings. While here, we can arrange for you to spend a day exploring the park with an expert guide.
Leave Yellowstone and head north for around two hours until you reach Bozeman in Montana. The city owes its name to the local pioneer who built a road through South Western Montana, the Bozeman Trail, connecting the gold rush territory of Montana to the Oregon Trail. Today, this lively city is one of the most beautiful spots in the state, set against a backdrop of snowy peaks, with a retro Wild West feel to boot. Spend a night in the heart of the city, in an old motel that has been completely renovated in a modern style. While here, don’t miss the Museum of the Rockies, a museum of natural history renowned for housing the world's largest collection of dinosaur fossils.
It takes half a day to get back to Great Falls. The road runs north and for a while up the Missouri River, which soon expands into a large nature reserve. Take a break in Helena, Montana's capital, which was home to more millionaires than anywhere else in the United States during the Gold Rush. The route continues through Helena National Forest and follows the Missouri to Great Falls, with spectacular views on either side of the road. Spend a night downtown in a small, traditional hotel, the perfect base to rest your head after a day of exploring.
Continue north-west (around a three-hour drive), through farmland and the huge Blackfeet Indian Reservation, to reach East Glacier Park. The city is, as the name suggests, nestled at the foot of the mountains, and borders the majestic Glacier National Park on the east side. The park’s unique ecosystem consists of hundreds of snow-capped peaks and lakes, making it the perfect habitat for countless wildlife species. Spend two nights in a cosy lodge within the park.
Today, make the hour-and-a-half journey to reach Whitefish on the other side of the park. The mountain road runs alongside Glacier National Park, dotted with lakes, forests, peaceful villages and lovely views like Goat Lick Overlook. Whitefish is a charming little town nestled in the mountains, which owes its development to the historic Great Northern Railway, built at the start of the last century. Spend two nights in cosy accommodation, a short walk from the centre. Curl up by the fire in the lobby, or relax on the terrace and watch the sun set over the mountains. If you’d prefer an aerial view of the park during your stay, we could arrange for you to fly over the Glacier National Park in a private plane.
It’s a short drive from Whitefish to Kalispell airport, where you’ll return your hire car and catch your flight home from Kalispell to Salt Lake City in Utah and then onwards to London. Your overnight flight will arrive back in the UK the next day.
Everything in this itinerary is entirely customisable, down to the smallest details. Here are some more suggestions of what could be included
Each of our trips is entirely tailor-made with originality, quality and cultural immersion in mind. Our team of destination specialists will craft itineraries based on your tastes, using their first-hand knowledge and the help of our in-country team of Concierges and guides. All trips are accompanied by a wide range of additional services, including a 24-hour helpline, the Original Travel app, fast-track airport services and much more.
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