America's Greatest Treasures with Rapid City Start (8855)

9 days from Rapid City to Salt Lake City

2027 Tour Details

Go west for adventure on this affordable vacation through South Dakota, Wyoming, and Utah. Follow in the footsteps of frontier legends such as Calamity Jane, Wild Bill Hickok, and Buffalo Bill Cody while exploring some of the American West's most celebrated landscapes and historic landmarks.

Travel through South Dakota’s Black Hills to visit Mount Rushmore National Memorial, where the granite faces of four U.S. presidents are carved into the mountainside. Also visit Crazy Horse Memorial, an ongoing mountain carving honoring the Lakota leader, and learn more about Native American history and culture at the Indian Museum of North America.

Continue to Cody, Wyoming, the frontier town founded by Buffalo Bill in 1896, before exploring Yellowstone National Park, the world's first national park. Watch Old Faithful erupt, see colorful geothermal features, and keep an eye out for bison, elk, moose, bears, and other wildlife. Travel through Grand Teton National Park, where jagged mountain peaks rise above glacier-fed lakes, and spend time in the western town of Jackson, with the opportunity to join an optional scenic float trip on the Snake River.

From historic frontier towns and legendary landmarks to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, this affordable vacation showcases the history, wildlife, and unforgettable landscapes of the American West.

The world is within reach with everything you need for perfectly affordable touring. Cosmos includes hand-selected accommodations, guided sightseeing, and seamless transportation between destinations—with value-minded travel lovers in mind. Explore with expert Cosmos Tour Directors and Local Guides, and private, first-class, air-conditioned motorcoach with free Wi-Fi (where available).

Your Tour Includes:
• Guided sightseeing in Yellowstone National Park, including Old Faithful and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
• Guided sightseeing in Grand Teton National Park, including glacier-fed Jenny Lake
• Visit to Mount Rushmore National Memorial to see the monumental granite carvings of four U.S. presidents
• Visit to Crazy Horse Memorial, an ongoing mountain carving honoring the Lakota leader, with time to explore the Indian Museum of North America
• Orientation tour of Salt Lake City, including Temple Square, the Utah State Capitol, and other city highlights

Dates & Prices Book Online
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America's Greatest Treasures with Rapid City Start map
National Park Tours – National Park Foundation

 Photo Highlights

 Meals

 Meals & Itinerary

4 Breakfasts


Notes:

• This vacation visits national parks and other remote locations where facilities may not have air-conditioning, televisions, and other amenities you would expect from Cosmos hotels.

• For early departures, routes and areas visited in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks are subject to weather and/or road conditions.

• Maximum elevation on tour: 9,033 ft.

 Itinerary

Day 1 RAPID CITY

Welcome to Rapid City, the gateway to South Dakota’s Black Hills. Your Tour Director is on hand from 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. to answer any questions.

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Day 2 RAPID CITY–CRAZY HORSE–MOUNT RUSHMORE–DEADWOOD

Visit Crazy Horse Memorial, a monument-in-progress carved into a mountain to honor the Lakota leader, Chief Crazy Horse. Have time to view the collection of art and artifacts that reflect the diverse histories and cultures of over 300 Native Nations at the Indian Museum of North America.

Drive through South Dakota’s Black Hills, once part of the Great Sioux Nation’s ancestral homeland, to see the sculpted granite faces of Mount Rushmore, honoring Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt.

Continue to Deadwood, a once lawless frontier town that boomed during the 1876 Black Hills Gold Rush, where outlaw Jack McCall shot Wild Bill Hickok during a poker game.

Stay overnight and discover Deadwood’s Wild West ways as you walk in the footsteps of legends like Calamity Jane and Seth Bullock.

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BreakfastContinental Breakfast

Day 3 DEADWOOD–CODY

This morning, head through Wyoming’s high country, where open-range cattle barons and homesteaders clashed during the range wars of the 1890s.

Drive past Sheridan and ascend into the alpine landscapes of the Bighorn Mountains, passing the site of the Battle of Tongue River. Overnight in Cody, founded by Buffalo Bill Cody and known as the eastern gateway to Yellowstone National Park.

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Day 4 CODY–YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK–WEST YELLOWSTONE

Continue through Shoshone National Forest to Yellowstone National Park, the world’s first national park. Discover colorful hot springs, powerful geysers, alpine rivers, lush forests, dramatic canyons, and abundant wildlife.

Travel along the Grand Loop Road to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone for views of the Lower Falls. Keep an eye out for herds of bison, elk, and other wildlife that call the park home. Spend the next two nights in West Yellowstone.

NOTES:
Routing and areas visited in Yellowstone National Park are always subject to favorable weather, gate access, and road conditions; therefore, routings may be adjusted.

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Day 5 WEST YELLOWSTONE. DAY EXCURSION TO YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

Today, explore more of America’s first national park with visits to colorful geyser basins, bubbling mud paint pots, and the famous Old Faithful geyser, known for its remarkably predictable eruptions that can shoot steaming water up to 185 feet in the air!

Along with its mountain scenery and geothermal wonders, Yellowstone is one of the world’s premier wildlife preserves and home to 67 species of mammals including bison, wolves, and bears, as well as more than 300 species of birds.

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Breakfast Breakfast

Day 6 WEST YELLOWSTONE–GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK–JACKSON

Head south into magnificent Grand Teton National Park, where the jagged Teton Range rises abruptly above the valley floor. Its 13,770-foot-high Grand Teton peak is snowcapped for much of the year.

Visit glacier-fed Jenny Lake before ending the day in the Wild West town of Jackson. This evening, consider an optional barbecue cookout and Wild West show. You’ll be driven by a horse-drawn covered wagon and immerse yourself in the Old West atmosphere as you travel into Cache Creek Canyon for a BBQ dinner and live Western music.

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Breakfast Breakfast

Day 7 JACKSON

Enjoy time to relax in Jackson or choose an optional 8-mile scenic float trip on the Snake River between Grand Teton National Park and Bridger-Teton National Forest. Drift past nesting areas for bald eagles, ospreys, and other native birds, with opportunities to spot additional wildlife along the riverbanks.

The afternoon is free to explore historic downtown Jackson with the Grand Teton Range rising in the distance.

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BreakfastContinental Breakfast

Day 8 JACKSON–SALT LAKE CITY

Today, travel to Salt Lake City, Utah’s capital. Set between the Wasatch Mountains and the Great Salt Lake, the city is the headquarters of the Mormon religion and where Brigham Young is said to have declared to his followers, “This is the place.”

An included sightseeing tour features Temple Square, the Utah State Capitol Building, and downtown Salt Lake City. This evening, celebrate your western adventure by joining your fellow travel companions for an optional farewell dinner at a local restaurant.

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BreakfastContinental Breakfast

Day 9 SALT LAKE CITY

Your vacation ends this morning. You may choose to extend your vacation with extra nights and explore Salt Lake City further.

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Breakfast Breakfast

 Tour Director

With COSMOS, there’s no better way to get to know your destination than through the eyes of a Tour Director. We’d like you to meet one of our Tour Directors, who average over a decade of experience and are representative of the type of expert that will be with you on your vacation.

STEVE OSTEN

Escorting tours for more than 20 years

“My interest in the national parks began as a child on summer vacations in Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. In college, I studied Botany, Ichthyology, Mammology, and Ornithology, and I began working in Yellowstone as a summer seasonal guide years ago. I have also worked in Sequoia, the Everglades, and Alaska as a naturalist guide. Whether it's beachcombing in Florida, birding in the Everglades, or hiking in the Tetons, as long as I'm in nature, I'm where I want to be.”

Tour Director - STEVE OSTEN

 Accommodations

 Optional Excursions

No matter what you’re into: food, wine, history, art, music or anything else, we give you the freedom to personalize your vacation with optional excursions that speak to your interests.

When you book your excursions with us, you can be assured that every optional excursion that we offer coordinates with the free time that you'll have in your destination, so you'll never have conflicts between included and optional activities. Our team of travel experts carefully selects each optional excursion that we offer to ensure that you receive the highest quality at a great value. Our tried-and-true partners have a finger on the pulse of the city in which they operate so they deliver the very best experiences. We offer experiences you cannot create on your own and because you’re booking with us, we coordinate all your transportation and timing needs.

The following optional excursions are examples only for this vacation. These may or may not be offered, and availability is subject to days of operation and seasonality. Please select a departure date to view optional excursions and pricing for a specific date (due to currency fluctuation, pricing shown is subject to change until purchased). Optional excursions are available for purchase on our MyCosmos site 90 days prior to the tour start date.

Price Ranges

$ ($50 USD and under)
$$ ($51 - $100 USD)
$$$ ($101 - $150 USD)
$$$$ (Over $150)


Deadwood
Yellowstone National Park
Jackson
Salt Lake City

Deadwood

Historic Deadwood

Historic Deadwood

Discover the unique history of this once lawless gold camp as your local guide recounts local facts, lore and more, all the while introducing you to some of the Deadwood's most colorful characters!

Price Range: $

Yellowstone National Park

Buffalo Bill Center of the West

Buffalo Bill Center of the West

Visit the Buffalo Bill Center of The West, a comprehensive museum of historic weapons, cowboy folklore, and Western art, where William Cody's legend rides on as a symbol of the unbridled possibilities of the early American West.

Price Range: $

Jackson

Chuckwagon Supper & Show

Chuckwagon Supper & Show

Hop aboard a horse-drawn covered wagon and immerse yourself in the Old West atmosphere as you travel into Cache Creek Canyon for a delicious BBQ chuckwagon supper and toe-tapping musical entertainment!

Price Range: $$

Snake River Float

Snake River Float

Experience the beauty and geology of the Snake River on this fun and scenic 3-hour float trip between Grand Teton National Park and Bridger Teton National Forest.

Price Range: $$$

Salt Lake City

Savor Salt Lake

Savor Salt Lake

Enjoy an evening with your fellow travelers having dinner at a local steak house restaurant.

Price Range: $$



The "Starting at" or listed price is based on the lowest price available to book. Price is per passenger based on double occupancy and does not include International airfare; additional fees/charges are not included. If a price is crossed out, the new price includes a limited time promotional offer(s) – please review current promotions or deals for additional information. Some tours require intra-vacation flights (and in some cases intra-vacation segments must be purchased from Cosmos).