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Sacred Sites - Devils Tower & Bear Butte (Private)

Sacred Sites - Devils Tower & Bear Butte (Private)

Overview

This tour is hosted Charlie, our Northern Black Hills Specialist.
A South Dakota native, he earned an advanced degree in education. He was involved in teaching and guidance counseling throughout the state.

He is a retired SD National Guard Officer, with over 15 years as an instructor and a Little Bighorn Battlefield Staff Ride Guide. His background brings with it a wealth of knowledge of the regions local Indian Wars and the culture of the Lakota Sioux.

On this tour Charlie will share with you the history of the regions geography, gold rush, Lakota culture and history of the homesteader and ranchers.

City: Rapid City

Fri 06 Jun

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $449.99

Make a reservation

Fri 06 Jun

Starting at $449.99

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Private transportation

Crackers/Chips/Cookies

Bottled water

Sub choice ham or turkey or salad (you may bring your own lunch/beverage)

All Fees and Taxes

Additional Info

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Handicap Van is available for wheelchair touring. Van has convertible top that slides open as needed and has large side windows. Contact us if you have special needs.
Face masks provided for travellers
Hand sanitiser available to travellers and staff
Regularly sanitised high-traffic areas
Gear/equipment sanitised between use
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitised
Guides required to regularly wash hands
Contactless payments for gratuities and add-ons
COVID-19 vaccination required for guides
Lots of 'Sunshine and Fresh Air' touring. Jeeps do have transparent tops and sides that can be closed for inclement weather. Guides wear masks were required and/or requested. No Hugs - No Handshakes - No Offense :o)

What To Expect

Devils Tower National Monument

Devils Tower rises above the surrounding grassland and ponderosa pine forests like a rocky sentinel. To understand the place called Devils Tower also requires many perspectives. Ancient peoples have lived around the Tower for thousands of years; their modern descendants still maintain a connection with this place on a physical and a spiritual level. Oral histories passed down by various American Indian tribes, as well as their present-day ceremonies, offer us important perspectives of the Tower. Historically, many tribes of the Great Plains and Black Hills regions had connections with the area around Devils Tower. Today there are over two dozen tribes associated with the Tower site. Indigenous people of the region today include: Arapaho, Crow, Cheyenne, Shoshone and Lakota. Most tribes that lived in or near the Black Hills had individual oral histories about the creation of the Tower. Although there are similar elements to many of these stories, they are unique in the details.

Aladdin General Store

Aladdin, Wyoming is a small community (pop. 15) located in the extreme northeast corner of the state of Wyoming. Bill Robinson built the Aladdin General Store in 1896 using lumber from Pearson Sawmill. At first a saloon, the store served as a post office, train depot, barbershop, freight station, gas station and general location to purchase all items one might need. Today it makes for an intriguing rest stop and great photo ops.

Bear Butte State Park

This geological formation is one of several intrusions of igneous rock in the Black Hills that formed millions of years ago. Bear Butte has been a sacred mountain for many Indian tribes for more than 4,000 years. The mountain is both a state park and a holy site for many American Indian tribes who come here to hold ceremonies and is considered sacred by many of the area’s Native American tribes, so hikers will likely encounter religious offerings around the park's trail system. (Please leave them undisturbed.)

Old Fort Meade Museum

It was here, that the Star Spangled Banner first became the official music for the military retreat ceremony, long before in became the National Anthem. In 1892, the post commander began the custom of playing the "Star Spangled Banner" at military ceremonies and requested that all people rise and pay it proper respect long before it became the National Anthem. Fort Meade was established in 1878-79 by units of the 7th Cavalry. The mission of the post was to provide military protection against the Sioux for the gold seekers and settlers who had invaded the region. Its strategic location at the mouth of the natural gap in the hogback ridge forming the outer rim of the Black Hills, on the main Indian trail to the favorite hunting grounds of the Sioux, and near the confluence of the heavily-traveled Bismarck, Fort Pierre and Sidney trails of the pioneers. Today, the Museum in the former officers headquarters, offers in-depth history of Fort Meade (including famous Captain Reno incident).

Sturgis

On our return to Rapid City, we tour the infamous Sturgis Main Street (stopping for photos).

Show 2 more stops

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (10)

V989shannonh

Jul 2021

Ryan was a great tour guide! We saw many things that we would never have known about on our own. We had a great day and our favorite was visiting the Bison. My kids loved it!

Response from Host

Jul 2021

Hello V - Thank you for taking time for the review. I'm pleased that you and your family enjoyed your Jeep Safari. Ryan is new with us this season but has been in the hospitality business for some time and knows Custer Park very well. Hope you will have time to return some day and enjoy more of our Black Hills! Be Well - Rich

I2250KKstellac

Jul 2021

Loved our trip. Our guide went above and beyond to keep us entertained. Loved the picnic at the Lake. We saw probably more than 250 buffalo up close.

Response from Host

Jul 2021

Howdy 12250K - Thanks for sending in your review. It makes a big difference for other guests and also for our company to know how our services are. Glad you had a good tour at Custer Park. It's always a hoot to find a herd of bison and be able to be so close . . . and safe! Be Well - Rich

Paigerr14

Jul 2021

This tour covered a big amount of the stuff we wanted to see outside of Mount Rushmore. Custer state park, black hills, needles highway, and more! It was nice being able to sit back and not drive so the wife and I could both enjoy the scenery. Jeff was our guide and he was extremely informative and knew a lot of history of the area (he’s even got some good jokes hah!). If you have the extra cash and time make sure to add this on the itinerary, you won’t regret it!

Response from Host

Jul 2021

Hi Paige - I'm very glad you enjoyed your tour with Jeff. He has a lot of information to share and is fun to tour with, especially with kids (he's a retired 4th grade teacher). Thank you for providing your review, I will pass on your kind words to Jeff. Be Well - Rich For our future guests. The Mt Rushmore +Safari tour provides the most you can see of the Southern Black Hills in one day (Mt Rushmore+Crazy Horse+Custer State Park). It's one of our most popular for travelers with little time to visit here. We use our convertible top Woody vans for the tour . . . very comfortable and excellent for viewing and photos.