Mount Rushmore & Black Hills: Full Day Tour with Two Meals & Show

Four Presidents, Two Scenic Tunnels, and a Chuckwagon Supper in One Day

You start with a full cowboy breakfast at Fort Hays, then spend the morning at Mount Rushmore in the best light, drive two scenic highways with tunnels that frame the monument, lunch on buffalo stew inside Custer State Park, tour Crazy Horse Memorial, and finish with a chuckwagon supper and live music show back at the lodge. Everything (meals, entry fees, transport, and the show) is included, and the bus departs at 9am sharp.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time at each

1. Mount Rushmore National Memorial1h · entry included
2. Iron Mountain Road1h · entry included
3. Needles Highway1h · entry included

Mount Rushmore and Black Hills tour

• Check in and get breakfast
• Depart for Mount Rushmore
• Explore Mount Rushmore
• Drive Iron Mountain Road
• Lunch at Game Lodge
• Drive Needles Highway
• Rest stop at Sylvan Lake
• Visit Crazy Horse Memorial
• Chuckwagon supper and live show

The Experience

The granite faces are already catching the morning light when the bus pulls up to Mount Rushmore, and you've got just over an hour to walk the grounds at your own pace. That timing matters: Gutzon Borglum carved this memorial facing east on purpose, so the stone catches the sun best before noon. You'll see why he chose that angle. After Mount Rushmore, the route takes you down Iron Mountain Road, a 17-mile ribbon of asphalt that winds through tunnels carved so tight the bus barely fits, each one framing the monument perfectly as you drive through. It's the kind of thing you can't replicate from a car rental.

Lunch lands you inside Custer State Park at the Game Lodge, the same building where President Calvin Coolidge spent his summers. The buffalo stew is the thing people remember: rich, slow-cooked, nothing fancy but exactly what tastes right after a morning of walking. Then comes the Needles Highway, a 14-mile drive through granite spires and pine forest so dense it feels like the landscape is closing in around you. The Needles Eye Tunnel is the payoff: the bus squeezes through with inches to spare on each side, and every passenger leans toward the windows. You'll spend about an hour at Crazy Horse Memorial afterward, the mountain carving still in progress after decades of work, then head back to Fort Hays for the evening show.

The Chuckwagon Supper and Live Music Show wraps the day: a Branson-style variety show with songs for all ages, the kind of entertainment that feels like part of the Black Hills experience itself. Mount Rushmore Tours has been running this route since 1973, and it's now second-generation family-owned, which means the pacing and the stops are built on fifty years of knowing what works. The all-you-can-eat cowboy breakfast in the morning sets the tone, and the two meals plus entry fees to all three major sites are already in the price.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup (check-in at Fort Hays between 7:30–7:45am), an all-you-can-eat cowboy breakfast, entry fees to Mount Rushmore National Memorial, a 17-mile drive along Iron Mountain Road with three framed tunnels, lunch at Custer State Park's Game Lodge, a 14-mile scenic drive on Needles Highway with the Needles Eye Tunnel, about an hour at Crazy Horse Memorial, a chuckwagon supper, and a live variety music show in the evening. The air-conditioned bus includes an on-board restroom and a rest stop at Sylvan Lake with coffee.

Days and timesNo departures until 19 May 2027

Ages13 to 65 years · Seniors (66+) · 5 to 12 years · 2 to 4 years · Under 2

Meeting point and pickupNo pickup · ends where it startsMeeting point, per the operator: “The tour starts at Fort Hays Chuckwagon with checkin from 7:45-8:00am. Checkin is 45 mins before the bus departure to give you enough time to explore Fort Hays.…”

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 16 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Mount Rushmore Tours

Is this one for you?Pick this tour if you want to see Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and the Black Hills' main scenic drives in one day without renting a car or planning stops yourself: the fixed itinerary and included meals mean you show up and the day unfolds.

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Top questions

Can children come?

5 to 12 years; 2 to 4 years; under 2.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24h before the start.

What time does the tour start and end?

Check-in is 7:30–7:45am at Fort Hays Headquarters for breakfast. The bus departs at 9am. The tour ends back at Fort Hays after the evening chuckwagon show.

Are entry fees included?

Yes. Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park, and Crazy Horse Memorial entry fees are all included in the tour price.

How many meals are included?

Two: an all-you-can-eat cowboy breakfast in the morning and a chuckwagon supper in the evening. Lunch at the Game Lodge inside Custer State Park is also included.

How long do you spend at Mount Rushmore?

A little over an hour to walk around at your own pace.

What is the Needles Eye Tunnel?

A tunnel carved through granite on the Needles Highway where the bus passes through with only inches to spare on each side.

How long is the total tour?

The full day runs from early morning breakfast through the evening show, typically ending in the late evening.

Are service animals allowed?

Yes, service animals are allowed on the tour.

Is there a restroom on the bus?

Yes, the bus has a restroom on board.

Who operates this tour company?

Mount Rushmore Tours, a family-owned company founded in 1973 and second-generation operated since 2023. They are the longest-running local tour operator in the Black Hills.