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Legends of the American West
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Length
9 Days
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Quality
This indicates the overall quality of the tour operator's products. A low rating does not mean it is not good - it just means that it does not include as much, or perhaps is of a more standard quality than the higher quality tours. For example, a 3 star quality rating means that it is a more standard/economical tour, while 5 stars is a very luxurious tour that often includes a lot of amenities. -
Starts in
Rapid City (South Dakota)
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Ends in
Moran (Wyoming)
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Available Tour Start Dates
MAY 22, 2027 to SEP 18, 2027
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Activity Level
No Rating Provided
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Style
Fully-Guided
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Language
English
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Guaranteed Date(s)
Yes means that there is at least one tour date that the vendor guarantees will occur. No means that there is not at least one tour date that the vendor guarantees will occur, which usually means that the vendor wants a certain amount of reservations on each tour in order for each one to occur. Of course, the terms and conditions of the vendor do allow for the vendor to cancel guaranteed tour dates for certain reasons (for example, a natural disaster).No
From
Pricing listed is per person, based on double occupancy, and is the least expensive price for at least one departure date of this tour. Price is for the tour only. Additional items, including but not limited to, airfare (unless noted otherwise), travel insurance, and more, are additional.
$6,990.00
Overview
The West is larger than life, vast in its myths, its landscapes, historical figures, and monuments... and this 9-day journey takes you to the heart and soul of it.
Small groups, averaging 24 Tauck guests, travel from the grand designs of Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial, to the imaginative masterpiece of nature known as Grand Teton National Park, and the wonders deep inside Yellowstone National Park… Visit a ranch, where you'll experience life as a Wyoming cowboy… go in search of Buffalo Bill and the West of the imagination in Cody... go rafting on the Snake River... and step back in time at Mormon Row inside Grand Teton National Park. Stay inside-the-park at sought-after lodges at Yellowstone's Old Faithful Inn and Grand Teton's Jackson Lake Lodge.
Visited During Tour
Buffalo (Wyoming) | Cody (Wyoming) | Crazy Horse Memorial (South Dakota) | Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming) | Moran (Wyoming) | Rapid City (South Dakota) | Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)
Dates, Offers & Prices
Tour Itinerary
More Details
Dates, Offers & Prices
The following are Legends of the American West tour dates available from Tauck. Select a bonus offer graphic to view its details, including its terms.
Tour Itinerary
Tauck Tour Code JH2027
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Day
1Welcome to Rapid City
Tour begins: 6:00 PM, The Rushmore Hotel & Suites. A transfer is included from Rapid City Airport to The Rushmore Hotel & Suites in downtown Rapid City, gateway to the Black Hills. This is where the antelope roam… along with bighorn sheep, elk, mountain lions, feral burros, and one of the last great herds of bison. Join us this evening for a welcome reception and dinner at your hotel, located just 30 minutes from Mount Rushmore National Memorial.
- Meals Included:
- Dinner
Accommodations: The Rushmore Hotel & Suites -
Day
2Mount Rushmore & Crazy Horse
Begin the day with a private, guided Buffalo Safari in a touring vehicle in South Dakota's Custer State Park – home to a herd of approximately 1,500 bison! Then, majestic landscapes await you on a scenic drive in the Black Hills, where rock formations feature granite spires called "needles" that cut a jagged skyline. In the 1920s a state official got the idea to draw tourism to the area by carving images of famous Dakotans on them – which eventually led to the creation of Mount Rushmore. But first... in 1948, in response to Mount Rushmore, an Oglala Lakota elder commissioned sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski to carve a memorial to the warrior Crazy Horse on the face of Thunderhead Mountain, to show "that we have heroes too." At the gigantic Crazy Horse Memorial – expected to dwarf Mount Rushmore when completed, but still a work in progress carried on by Ziolkowski's family – you'll see the sculptor's dramatic model of Crazy Horse astride his war pony; visit the onsite museum and cultural center, dedicated to Native American heritage, art and traditions; and have lunch. Next, some 17 miles away, arrive at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, which evolved after sculptor Gutzon Borglum dismissed the original "local heroes" idea for a far grander project: national figures on the face of the granite mountain. Borglum's masterpiece (known as The Shrine of Democracy) greets you on arrival at the mountain, and no matter how often you've seen it in photographs, the towering relief of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln on the white rockface above you is breathtaking in person. In fact, the presidential faces were carved (without permission) on a mountain known to the Lakota Sioux as The Six Grandfathers… which in turn inspired the Crazy Horse project in response. Return to your hotel and spend the evening as you please in Rapid City.
- Meals Included:
- Breakfast
- Lunch
Accommodations: The Rushmore Hotel & Suites -
Day
3How to be a cowboy... a day at a ranch
Depart this morning for a journey to the T-A Ranch in Buffalo, Wyoming. The T-A is a steeped in cowboy history and lore, the site of a pitched battle in the famous Johnson County War of 1892, which pit rival ranchers and their hired hands against each other for control of the range… a dispute that eventually required the intervention of the US Cavalry. Get an authentic taste of cowboy life as you meet a horse-whisperer and gain insights into the rugged spirit of the open plains. Continue on to the Ranch at UCross, the next stop on your Wyoming trip, for an overnight stay.
- Meals Included:
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Accommodations: The Ranch at Ucross -
Day
4Cody, Buffalo Bill & the rodeo
Head out for Cody this morning, traveling through some fantastic scenery in Bighorn National Forest – a landscape that's ever-changing, of alpine meadows, waterfalls, glacier-carved valleys and mountain ranges. Continue on to Cody (a high point of your Wyoming trip), named for the larger-than-life western showman, William F. Cody (Buffalo Bill): buffalo hunter, army scout, Wild West Show entrepreneur, and tireless inventor of tall tales. Explore his legend at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, a complex of five museums that will immerse you in American Western culture and mythology: galleries of art and artifacts (including works by famous artists like Remington and Wyeth), ephemera and historic objects, a firearms museum, and a center dedicated to the traditions, values, and histories of Northern Plains tribes, including the Lakota, Cheyenne, Pawnee and Arapaho. Carry the spirit of the West with you to your overnight stay in town, where this evening you'll attend the world-famous Cody Nite Rodeo (seasonal, June through August), a fixture here since 1938.
- Meals Included:
- Breakfast
- Dinner
Accommodations: BEST WESTERN PREMIER Ivy Inn and Suites -
Day
5Yellowstone National Park and Mammoth Hot Springs
Travel to Yellowstone National Park this morning, where you'll spend two nights in two different parts of the park – America's first national park – described by filmmakers Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan as "America's best idea." You'll view special film vignettes by the filmmakers throughout this trip, providing you with behind-the-scenes insights into the visionaries and explorers who shaped the West. Following some touring within the park, arrive at the recently renovated Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel; dine à la carte this evening, and enjoy some time at leisure.
- Meals Included:
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Accommodations: Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and Cabins -
Day
6Yellowstone's Grand Canyon & geysers
This morning, take a guided tour of some of Yellowstone's 10,000 geothermal wonders including hot springs, waterfalls, fumaroles and mudpots. Stand in awe at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, carved by the Yellowstone River, plunging over a thousand feet with miles of breathtaking gorges and torrential waterfalls. Arrive at the Old Faithful Inn for lunch and an overnight stay; a national landmark built in 1904, the log and wood-shingle inn is a rustic work of art, featuring a towering lobby and a massive stone fireplace. This afternoon, it's all about exploring the Upper Geyser Basin – one of the largest concentrations of geysers in the world – and Old Faithful, only steps from your door. Seeing Old Faithful Geyser, the famous clockwork geyser that launches a steaming jet of water 145 feet skyward every 90 minutes, in person is... awesome.
- Meals Included:
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Accommodations: Old Faithful Inn -
Day
7The Tetons, Jackson & Mormon Row
Your Wyoming trip takes you through awe-inspiring scenes of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park. Continue to the town of Jackson, once a magnet for fur trappers and now a trendy attraction in a vista of natural beauty with the ever-present Tetons for a backdrop. After exploring the town on your own (there are some great places for lunch), visit Grand Teton National Park's Mormon Row Historic District, whose preservation is being supported by a major grant from Tauck. A homesteaders' settlement dating back to 1890 located in an undeveloped area of the park, Mormon Row is home to a number of weathered historic structures – including the iconic T.A. Moulton barn, an unofficial symbol of the park – that (along with their dramatic Teton Range backdrop) attract photographers from around the world, and convey the sense that you've traveled back in time. Arrive at the Jackson Lake Lodge for a two-night stay. Historic in so many contexts, the lodge features an amazing lobby where windows 60 feet high provide stunning panoramic views the breathtaking Teton Range; "breathtaking" is definitely the right description as first views usually elicit a gasp – they are among the most picturesque, photographed mountains in the world.
- Meals Included:
- Breakfast
- Dinner
Accommodations: Jackson Lake Lodge -
Day
8A float trip on the Snake River
Immerse yourself in the valleys of the Tetons on a guided float trip* down the Snake River inside Grand Teton National Park, through miles of stunning river landscapes that lie in the shadow of the mountains – always in the furtive company of deer, elk, moose and bald eagles ashore. Spend the rest of the day at the lodge, enjoying the many amenities and activities (including some at additional cost, such as horseback riding*). This evening, your Wyoming trip marks the last roundup with a farewell reception and dinner at the lodge.
- Meals Included:
- Breakfast
- Dinner
Accommodations: Jackson Lake Lodge -
Day
9Journey Home
Tour ends: Jackson. Fly home anytime. A transfer is included from the Jackson Lake Lodge to Jackson Hole Airport (approximately 35 - 45 minutes). You should allow at least two hours for check-in.
- Meals Included:
- Breakfast
More Details
Tauck is informing us of the following additional details regarding their Legends of the American West tour:
Tauck Values
The following is being included by Tauck on this tour:
- TAUCK EXCLUSIVE - Insider stories about the national parks during filmed narratives by Ken Burns & Dayton Duncan
- Small groups averaging 24 Tauck guests
- Private guided Buffalo Safari in a touring vehicle in Custer State Park
- In historic Cody, attend a performance of the world-famous Cody Nite Rodeo (Jun - Aug)
- A firsthand look at life as a cowboy at the historic TA Ranch in Wyoming
Pricing listed above for tours is per person, in US Dollars, and is based on double occupancy. Pricing may change for other occupancy types. Pricing is based on the last time the vendor electronically sent us pricing data, which varies by vendor (usually occurs overnight or multiple times throughout each day).
Pricing and availability are subject to change and must be confirmed by one of our travel advisors, who can contact the vendor to do so. Intra-vacation air (also referred to as internal air) is usually based on economy class seating (do not assume otherwise, unless explicity noted otherwise) and may be 100% non-refundable at time of final payment. Air quotes (including intra-vacation airfare) may be subject to change until final payment has been received by the vendor. Flight confirmation may be based on availability. Air reservations may not be able to be confirmed until a passport copy is received by the vendor. The following charges are not included in the vacation price unless otherwise noted: airfare to and from the start of your vacation; airline baggage fees including checked and/or excess baggage fees; Federal inspection fees for the Federal U.S. Customs and Immigrations; International Air Transportation tax; agricultural tax; other per person taxes imposed by government entities; airport taxes and fees, including the September 11th Security fee, passenger facility charges, Federal domestic flight segment fees, and U.S. and international arrival and departure and other government-imposed fees added by the airline and applicable at time of booking; port taxes; passports; visas and vaccinations; tips to your Cruise Director, Local Host, driver, Local Guides, and/or ship's crew; gratuities on ferries, trains, and cruise ships; laundry; telephone; minibar; alcohol, beverages, and food outside of the contracted menu as presented at a hotel or restaurant or onboard your vessel (these extra items will be billed to you before leaving the hotel, ship, or restaurant); airport transfers on non-qualifying flights; optional excursions; additional activities and excursions purchased online; porterage at airports and train stations; Travel Protection; and all other items of a personal nature. Itinerary details are provided by the vendor. Vendors may reserve the right to change itineraries, even on existing reservations. There may be instances where the name of a tour contains a tour length in it, but where there is a version of the tour that is a different number of days in length. You can check the true length of a tour by referring to the length value listed in association with that tour. Destination images displayed on this web page, some which are supplied by the related vendor and some which are not, are intended to simply give a general representation of the region of the world being visited during the tour. Such images are not necessarily of the exact areas being visited during the tour. Hotel details (including, but not limited to: rating/class, descriptions, images, amenities and addresses) are provided by Tauck. Hotel amenities may be communicated in shorthand by Tauck (for example, if "Laundry" is listed that may only mean that the hotel has an optional fee-based service that would allow for your laundry to be done by their staff). We reserve the right to correct errors.