The Black Hills & Colorado Springs
Rocky Mountain and Badlands National Park
July 12-21, 2018
$1979 Per Person Double . $ 1759 Per Person Triple . $ $1659 Per Person Quad . $ 2639 Single
Highlights of this Tour Incude:
All Deluxe Motor Coach Transportation with our Friends from Trobec Bus Company
16 Meals (9 breakfasts, 2 Lunches, 2 Dinner Buffets & 3 Light Dinner/Cocktail Receptions)
Wonderful Accommodations (All have free Wi-Fi and Indoor Pools)
The Black Hills: Mount Rushmore; Crazy Horse; Deadwood; Trial of Jack McCall; Dances with Wolves Film Set and Fort Hayes Chuckwagon Dinner; Panning for Gold; Black Hills Mining Museum; Custer State Park
National Parks: Badlands National Park and Rocky Mountain National Park
Colorado Springs: Pikes Peak Cog and Royal Gorge Railroads; Garden of the Gods
Highlights of this Tour Incude:
All Deluxe Motor Coach Transportation with our Friends from Trobec Bus Company
16 Meals (9 breakfasts, 2 Lunches, 2 Dinner Buffets & 3 Light Dinner/Cocktail Receptions)
Wonderful Accommodations (All have free Wi-Fi and Indoor Pools)
The Black Hills: Mount Rushmore; Crazy Horse; Deadwood; Trial of Jack McCall; Dances with Wolves Film Set and Fort Hayes Chuckwagon Dinner; Panning for Gold; Black Hills Mining Museum; Custer State Park
National Parks: Badlands National Park and Rocky Mountain National Park
Colorado Springs: Pikes Peak Cog and Royal Gorge Railroads; Garden of the Gods
- $125 per person deposit is due when registering. Credit Cards Accepted. Deposits are fully refundable with cancellations made by May 1, 2018, Final payment is due on May 20, 2018. Monies returned between May 20 and June 12, 2018 is contingent on what Happy Trails Tours receives back from hotels, theaters, restaurants, and charters and must be submitted in writing. There are no refunds with cancellations made after June 12, 2018.
- Travel Insurance is available at an additional charge. This can offer peace of mind and financial security. It must be purchased within 10 days of your initial deposit in order for pre-existing conditions to be waived. Let us know if you would like us to send you a brochure.
- Final documents will arrive about three weeks prior to departure to include day-by-day itinerary, luggage tags, phone numbers and confirmed boarding locations and times.
Thursday, July 12- Day 1 Begin Your Journey ~ Travel to Sioux Falls, SD
This tour includes motor coach boarding in towns throughout the northeast and central Minnesota.
This tour includes motor coach boarding in towns throughout the northeast and central Minnesota.
_____ 5:30 am -Grand Rapids Sawmill Inn on Hwy 169 _____ 6:15 am- Hibbing Hampton Inn
_____ 6:45 am- Virginia Village Inn _____ 7:00 am- Eveleth Super Eight (East Parking Lot)
8:00-9:00- Arrive to Duluth Perkins Miller Hill Mall Restaurant for breakfast, paying on own.
_____ 8:45 am- Duluth Perkins Miller Hill Mall _____ 9:25 am- Cloquet Perkins Restaurant
_____10:15 am- Tobies Hinckley _____12:00 pm- Sartell, AmericInn
Today we'll enjoy a leisure journey throughout our beautiful state of Minnesota .... traveling east from the Grand Rapids, picking up folks along the way on the Iron Range, Duluth and then south along 35 to Cloquet and Hinckley. We'll journey westward from Hinckley to central Minnesota to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It'll be a nice day where you can put your seats back and relax and meet fellow travelers. We'll arrive to our evening's destination by late afternoon.
1:30 pm- We'll make a lunch stop in Willmar, paying on own. Venue to be announced.
5:00 pm- Estimated arrival to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Check into the LaQuinta Inn~
There are nearby restaurants within walking distance. The evening is yours to enjoy as per your own agenda.
_____ 6:45 am- Virginia Village Inn _____ 7:00 am- Eveleth Super Eight (East Parking Lot)
8:00-9:00- Arrive to Duluth Perkins Miller Hill Mall Restaurant for breakfast, paying on own.
_____ 8:45 am- Duluth Perkins Miller Hill Mall _____ 9:25 am- Cloquet Perkins Restaurant
_____10:15 am- Tobies Hinckley _____12:00 pm- Sartell, AmericInn
Today we'll enjoy a leisure journey throughout our beautiful state of Minnesota .... traveling east from the Grand Rapids, picking up folks along the way on the Iron Range, Duluth and then south along 35 to Cloquet and Hinckley. We'll journey westward from Hinckley to central Minnesota to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It'll be a nice day where you can put your seats back and relax and meet fellow travelers. We'll arrive to our evening's destination by late afternoon.
1:30 pm- We'll make a lunch stop in Willmar, paying on own. Venue to be announced.
5:00 pm- Estimated arrival to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Check into the LaQuinta Inn~
There are nearby restaurants within walking distance. The evening is yours to enjoy as per your own agenda.
Friday, July 13- Day 2 Badlands National Park - Wall Drug - Black Hills
6:00 am - Breakfast is served in the lobby. Help yourselves!
7:00 am- The bus departs Sioux Falls - We are about 4 hours from the entrance of Badlands National Park .
This beautiful National Park is only 275 miles from Sioux Falls (4 hours) away. They're on Mountain Time~ we gain an hour.
10:30 am - Arrive to the Northeast Entrance at Cactus Flats and begin driving through the park.
We'll take time to visit the Ben Reifel Visitors Center and have our lunch inside the park today.
This amazing park was established in 1939, is 244,000 acres and offers the largest expanse of protected prairie ecosystem in the National Park system. It is considered one the world's richest mammal fossil beds and hosts approximately one million visitors annual from all over the world. It has over 64,144 acres of wilderness.
2:00 pm- Continue traveling west along I-90 to Rapid City, South Dakota - about an hour away.
Once we exit the park, we'll make a stop at Wall Drug ... a must see attraction for tourists of all ages!
4:00 pm- Arrive to Rapid City, South Dakota. Check into our hotel for the next 3 nights.
Check into the Holiday Inn Rushmore Plaza ~
There are nearby restaurants within walking distance. The evening is yours to enjoy as per your own agenda.
6:00 am - Breakfast is served in the lobby. Help yourselves!
7:00 am- The bus departs Sioux Falls - We are about 4 hours from the entrance of Badlands National Park .
This beautiful National Park is only 275 miles from Sioux Falls (4 hours) away. They're on Mountain Time~ we gain an hour.
10:30 am - Arrive to the Northeast Entrance at Cactus Flats and begin driving through the park.
We'll take time to visit the Ben Reifel Visitors Center and have our lunch inside the park today.
This amazing park was established in 1939, is 244,000 acres and offers the largest expanse of protected prairie ecosystem in the National Park system. It is considered one the world's richest mammal fossil beds and hosts approximately one million visitors annual from all over the world. It has over 64,144 acres of wilderness.
2:00 pm- Continue traveling west along I-90 to Rapid City, South Dakota - about an hour away.
Once we exit the park, we'll make a stop at Wall Drug ... a must see attraction for tourists of all ages!
4:00 pm- Arrive to Rapid City, South Dakota. Check into our hotel for the next 3 nights.
Check into the Holiday Inn Rushmore Plaza ~
There are nearby restaurants within walking distance. The evening is yours to enjoy as per your own agenda.
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Saturday, July 14 - Day 3 Crazy Horse . Panning for Gold in Lead - Deadwood's Trial of Jack McCall
6:00 am - Breakfast is served in the lobby. Help yourselves!
8:30 am- The bus departs for a fun day of touring. Travel to Crazy Horse.
9:30 am- Crazy Horse Memorial is located in the heart of the beautiful Black Hills. The Mountain is 6,532 ft and ranks 27th highest mountain in South Dakota. It is made of pegmatite granite and was chosen by Sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski & Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear for the Crazy Horse Memorial. The continuing progress of this sculpture is the world's largest undertaking by Lakota leader, Crazy Horse. Enjoy an orientation film, cultural programs, lunch & more while here.
"There's gold up in those hills..."The Black Hills Mining Museum is located in the mile-high city of Lead. You will enjoy numerous exhibits and activities. For more than a century, gold mining had been the #1 industry in Lead and in the Northern Black Hills. We've also made time to try your hand at panning for gold!
9:15 pm- We'll board our coach and return to our hotel for a well-deserved night's rest - arriving about 10:30 pm.
6:00 am - Breakfast is served in the lobby. Help yourselves!
8:30 am- The bus departs for a fun day of touring. Travel to Crazy Horse.
9:30 am- Crazy Horse Memorial is located in the heart of the beautiful Black Hills. The Mountain is 6,532 ft and ranks 27th highest mountain in South Dakota. It is made of pegmatite granite and was chosen by Sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski & Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear for the Crazy Horse Memorial. The continuing progress of this sculpture is the world's largest undertaking by Lakota leader, Crazy Horse. Enjoy an orientation film, cultural programs, lunch & more while here.
- Next Stop: Lead, South Dakota ~
"There's gold up in those hills..."The Black Hills Mining Museum is located in the mile-high city of Lead. You will enjoy numerous exhibits and activities. For more than a century, gold mining had been the #1 industry in Lead and in the Northern Black Hills. We've also made time to try your hand at panning for gold!
- What's next? Travel to Deadwood where we'll enjoy dinner at the historic Silverado Hotel, included and experience some of Deadwood's infamous history! Today, we've included dinner vouchers for the Las Vegas Buffet at the Silverado Franklin Hotel on Main Street. You're welcome to eat at your leisure.
9:15 pm- We'll board our coach and return to our hotel for a well-deserved night's rest - arriving about 10:30 pm.
Sunday, July 15 - Day 4 The Black Hills - Custer State Park - Mt Rushmore & Fort Hayes Dances With Wolves
6:00 am - Breakfast is served in the lobby. Help yourselves!
9:30 am- The bus departs for a fun day of touring. Travel to Custer, about an hour away.
We'll begin our day with the Wild Life Loop drive through Custer State Park. "Oh give me a home, where the buffalo roam!" Our drive in this magnificent reserve, takes only minutes before the enchantment begins beguiling your senses. Taking center stage in this transcendent landscape is one of the most powerful icons of the American West - the bison. There are nearly 1,500 in this 71,000 acre park.
9:00 pm- Estimated hour we should arrive to the hotel.
6:00 am - Breakfast is served in the lobby. Help yourselves!
9:30 am- The bus departs for a fun day of touring. Travel to Custer, about an hour away.
We'll begin our day with the Wild Life Loop drive through Custer State Park. "Oh give me a home, where the buffalo roam!" Our drive in this magnificent reserve, takes only minutes before the enchantment begins beguiling your senses. Taking center stage in this transcendent landscape is one of the most powerful icons of the American West - the bison. There are nearly 1,500 in this 71,000 acre park.
- Travel next to Mount Rushmore. Here you will experience one of the nation's most consequential and enduring patriotic symbols-Mount Rushmore National Memorial. The massive carving is the largest monument in the world. We've built in plenty of time to get photos, shop and a bite to eat.
- Our next attraction: Dances With Wolves Film Set and Fort Hays Chuckwagon and Cowboy Show
- Fort Hays Chuckwagon Supper & Cowboy Music Show - Supper Bell rings calling everyone to the serving line where
9:00 pm- Estimated hour we should arrive to the hotel.
Monday, July 16 - Day 5 Travel to Colorado Springs, Colorado
6:00 am - Breakfast is served in the lobby. Help yourselves!
7:30 am-The bus departs for Colorado Springs (457 miles away).
Set your seats back and relax as we journey west
on I-90 to Spearfish. From there we'll take #85 south along the eastern Wyoming border to Cheyenne. Colorado Springs is a straight shot south on I-25. Here is where we'll spend the next three nights! Comfort stops will be made as the day progresses.
5:30 pm- Estimated arrival to Colorado Springs, CO- We'll stay here for the next three nights. Drury Inn & Suites
The Drury Inn offers a wonderful light dinner reception with beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic); indoor pool, Free Wi-Fi, two beds in
the rooms, a wonderful full breakfast, hairdryers, irons and ironing boards in all rooms
6:00 am - Breakfast is served in the lobby. Help yourselves!
7:30 am-The bus departs for Colorado Springs (457 miles away).
Set your seats back and relax as we journey west
on I-90 to Spearfish. From there we'll take #85 south along the eastern Wyoming border to Cheyenne. Colorado Springs is a straight shot south on I-25. Here is where we'll spend the next three nights! Comfort stops will be made as the day progresses.
5:30 pm- Estimated arrival to Colorado Springs, CO- We'll stay here for the next three nights. Drury Inn & Suites
The Drury Inn offers a wonderful light dinner reception with beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic); indoor pool, Free Wi-Fi, two beds in
the rooms, a wonderful full breakfast, hairdryers, irons and ironing boards in all rooms
Tuesday, July 17 - Day 6 Exploring Colorado Springs and the Royal Gorge 1st Class Train!
6:00 am - 7:30 am - Breakfast
8:00 - 10:00 am- We'll begin our day with a wonderful Area City Tour of Colorado Springs!
11:30 am- Arrive to the train station in Canon City. This is where we'll begin our Royal Gorge experience. This exciting venue includes a first class train excursion (Dome Car with Lunch!) We'll see the stone ruins of the famous Royal Gorge War, the Gorges’ towering granite cliffs, and the mighty Arkansas River. Many unbelievable geological formations are some of what you’ll experience today in your 24 mile train excursion! Oh the places you'll go on a Happy Trails Tour!
3:15 pm- After our train excursion, we'll make a stop at the famous "Royal Gorge Bridge and Park" Visitors Center. We'll enjoy watching a short video before traveling back to the Drury Inn for an evening of relaxation.
6:00 pm- Estimated return to the Drury Inn where a light dinner, cocktails and soft drinks await!
NOTE: Persons with breathing disabilities and/or heart problems may have some difficulty with high elevations and may not be able to do the Pike's Peak Cog Railway. Please check with your doctor. Occasionally guests will sit this part of the tour out. Our original flyers may have Pike's Peak Cog RR on this day, but we moved it to the 2nd day in Colorado Springs so that everyone can acclimate to the elevation gradually.
6:00 am - 7:30 am - Breakfast
8:00 - 10:00 am- We'll begin our day with a wonderful Area City Tour of Colorado Springs!
11:30 am- Arrive to the train station in Canon City. This is where we'll begin our Royal Gorge experience. This exciting venue includes a first class train excursion (Dome Car with Lunch!) We'll see the stone ruins of the famous Royal Gorge War, the Gorges’ towering granite cliffs, and the mighty Arkansas River. Many unbelievable geological formations are some of what you’ll experience today in your 24 mile train excursion! Oh the places you'll go on a Happy Trails Tour!
3:15 pm- After our train excursion, we'll make a stop at the famous "Royal Gorge Bridge and Park" Visitors Center. We'll enjoy watching a short video before traveling back to the Drury Inn for an evening of relaxation.
6:00 pm- Estimated return to the Drury Inn where a light dinner, cocktails and soft drinks await!
NOTE: Persons with breathing disabilities and/or heart problems may have some difficulty with high elevations and may not be able to do the Pike's Peak Cog Railway. Please check with your doctor. Occasionally guests will sit this part of the tour out. Our original flyers may have Pike's Peak Cog RR on this day, but we moved it to the 2nd day in Colorado Springs so that everyone can acclimate to the elevation gradually.
Wednesday, July 18 - Day 7 Pike's Peak; Garden of the Gods; Cadet Chapel
6:00 am - 8:00 am - Breakfast is served in the lobby. Help yourselves!
We’ll depart this morning with eyes wide open to experience some of the many geological wonders of Colorado Springs! We'll begin our morning getting orientated with Colorado Springs with a local step on guide. Our next BIG Colorado Attraction: Pikes Peak! The Pike’s Peak Cog Railway begins at the historic Manitou Springs Depot. The first few miles of track follow a cascading stream through a steep canyon filled with dense pines & gigantic boulders. Your conductor will narrate all the points of interest as the train moves higher and higher to 14, 500 feet! The Alpine tundra awaits us along with yellow-bellied Marmots and Rocky Mountain Big-Horned Sheep! When we reach the summit...it is possible to see Denver, 60 miles to the north and the Sangre de Cristo Mountain’s pushing south into New Mexico, 100 miles away. This is a spectacular tour! Lunch is included today.
2:00 pm- Our next wonderful stop is to visit “The Garden of the Gods”. Visitors from all 50 states and more than 60 countries discover the beauty and history of the 1,367-acre Garden of the Gods Park, which has been designated as a National Natural Landmark.
4:00 pm- On our way back to our hotel, we'll make a visit to the U.S. Airforce Academy and see the beautiful Cadet Chapel.
6:00 pm - We'll end our day arriving to the Drury Inn - just in time for another light dinner and cocktails or soft drinks.
Relax tonight visiting with fellow travelers or maybe enjoying the swimming pool or hot tub.
6:00 am - 8:00 am - Breakfast is served in the lobby. Help yourselves!
We’ll depart this morning with eyes wide open to experience some of the many geological wonders of Colorado Springs! We'll begin our morning getting orientated with Colorado Springs with a local step on guide. Our next BIG Colorado Attraction: Pikes Peak! The Pike’s Peak Cog Railway begins at the historic Manitou Springs Depot. The first few miles of track follow a cascading stream through a steep canyon filled with dense pines & gigantic boulders. Your conductor will narrate all the points of interest as the train moves higher and higher to 14, 500 feet! The Alpine tundra awaits us along with yellow-bellied Marmots and Rocky Mountain Big-Horned Sheep! When we reach the summit...it is possible to see Denver, 60 miles to the north and the Sangre de Cristo Mountain’s pushing south into New Mexico, 100 miles away. This is a spectacular tour! Lunch is included today.
2:00 pm- Our next wonderful stop is to visit “The Garden of the Gods”. Visitors from all 50 states and more than 60 countries discover the beauty and history of the 1,367-acre Garden of the Gods Park, which has been designated as a National Natural Landmark.
4:00 pm- On our way back to our hotel, we'll make a visit to the U.S. Airforce Academy and see the beautiful Cadet Chapel.
6:00 pm - We'll end our day arriving to the Drury Inn - just in time for another light dinner and cocktails or soft drinks.
Relax tonight visiting with fellow travelers or maybe enjoying the swimming pool or hot tub.
Thursday, July 19 - Day 8 Rocky Mountain National Park ~ Travel to Sterling, Colorado
6:00 am - 7:00 am - Breakfast
Depart Colorado Springs today, traveling north along I-25 to I-40 to Granby. We'll enter into the park from the southwest to Grand Lake. Rocky Mountain National Park is 415 square miles that encompass and protect spectacular mountain environments. With elevations ranging from 8,000 feet in the wet, grassy valleys to 14,259 feet at the weather-ravaged top of Longs Peak, visitors will feel like they're on top of the world— literally. The park contains 359 miles of trails, 150 lakes, 450 miles of streams, and several small glaciers and permanent snowfields are found in the high mountain cirques. We'll travel along the famous Trail Ridge Road, the highest continuous paved road in the U.S. It'll take several hours to journey through this magnificent park. Our day will end in Sterling, Colorado about 2.5 hours once we leave the park.
6:00 pm- Estimated arrival to Sterling, Colorado. Hotel: Best Western Sundowner ~
Friday, July 20 - Day 9 Travel Day to Omaha. Nebraska
6:00 am - 7:00 am - Breakfast prior to our early morning departure.
Begin our journey homeward through northeast Colorado along 76 to I-80. We'll travel the entire width from the west to the east of Nebraska before ending our day's journey in Omaha. Stops will be made as the day progresses. Set your seats back and enjoy the company of fellow travelers.
5:00 pm- Estimated arrival to Omaha, Nebraska. Our hotel is the Regency Lodge~
Saturday, July 21 - Day 10 Homeward Bound
6:00 am - 7:00 am - Breakfast.
We're off bright and early this morning, traveling North along #29 to Sioux Falls and then northeast on #23 to St Cloud/ Sartell area. We'll arrive home around 3:30 pm to Sartell; 3:45 pm to Rice; 6:30 pm to Duluth; 8:00-8:45 pm to the Iron Range Cities and 9:30 pm to Grand Rapids. We hope you left a little room in your luggage for all the wonderful memories
you'll have made.
6:00 am - 7:00 am - Breakfast
Depart Colorado Springs today, traveling north along I-25 to I-40 to Granby. We'll enter into the park from the southwest to Grand Lake. Rocky Mountain National Park is 415 square miles that encompass and protect spectacular mountain environments. With elevations ranging from 8,000 feet in the wet, grassy valleys to 14,259 feet at the weather-ravaged top of Longs Peak, visitors will feel like they're on top of the world— literally. The park contains 359 miles of trails, 150 lakes, 450 miles of streams, and several small glaciers and permanent snowfields are found in the high mountain cirques. We'll travel along the famous Trail Ridge Road, the highest continuous paved road in the U.S. It'll take several hours to journey through this magnificent park. Our day will end in Sterling, Colorado about 2.5 hours once we leave the park.
6:00 pm- Estimated arrival to Sterling, Colorado. Hotel: Best Western Sundowner ~
Friday, July 20 - Day 9 Travel Day to Omaha. Nebraska
6:00 am - 7:00 am - Breakfast prior to our early morning departure.
Begin our journey homeward through northeast Colorado along 76 to I-80. We'll travel the entire width from the west to the east of Nebraska before ending our day's journey in Omaha. Stops will be made as the day progresses. Set your seats back and enjoy the company of fellow travelers.
5:00 pm- Estimated arrival to Omaha, Nebraska. Our hotel is the Regency Lodge~
Saturday, July 21 - Day 10 Homeward Bound
6:00 am - 7:00 am - Breakfast.
We're off bright and early this morning, traveling North along #29 to Sioux Falls and then northeast on #23 to St Cloud/ Sartell area. We'll arrive home around 3:30 pm to Sartell; 3:45 pm to Rice; 6:30 pm to Duluth; 8:00-8:45 pm to the Iron Range Cities and 9:30 pm to Grand Rapids. We hope you left a little room in your luggage for all the wonderful memories
you'll have made.