Yellowstone & Mount Rushmore

Day 1

A westward route through Pennsylvania's mountains, with stops for rest & lunch, will bring us to our lodging for the evening in Columbus, OH. Dinner will be at our leisure this evening.

Day 2

After breakfast at the hotel, we'll board the bus and continue our journey through Indiana & Illinois to the Mississippi River town of Davenport, IA, the location of our overnight lodging. Stops for rest & lunch will be made along the way and our escort will point out the highlights as we drive. Dinner will be at our leisure this evening.

Day 3

Following breakfast, we'll have a guided tour of the Amana Colonies of Iowa. This is a religious community that was settled in the 1850s by members of a religious sect from Germany, Switzerland, and France; the Amanas consist of seven closely united villages. We will tour various buildings to gain full appreciation for the Amana's communal way of life. Lunch will be included after our tour. Then, we're off to West Des Moines, IA, the location of our lodging for the evening. Dinner will be on our own.

Day 4

We'll enjoy breakfast at the hotel before we continue our travels. As we travel through Nebraska, we will gently rise toward the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Our route, paralleling the Platte River, will present the subtle change from farming to cattle country. There will be free time for lunch on our own before we visit The Archway in Kearney, NE. The Archway, which spans I-80 at exit 275, brings the story of America to life as you follow in the footsteps of the pioneers who followed the trails across Nebraska and helped build America. We will then continue to Gothenburg to visit the Pony Express Station, home to Pony Express memorabilia. Our lodging this evening will be in Ogallala, NE. Dinner will be at our leisure this evening.

Day 5

After breakfast, we will travel to our lodging for the night near the Continental Divide in Riverton, WY. We'll have an opportunity to see many interesting sights along the way. Our first stop will be near Bridgeport, NE for a photo opportunity of the Courthouse and Jail Rocks, which are erosional remnants of an ancient plateau that bisected the North Platte River. Chimney Rock National Historic Site will allow us the opportunity to feel the awe and curiosity the pioneers experienced when they saw the most famous landmark on their westward journey. After lunch on our own in Torrington, WY we will stop to view the Guernsey Ruts. At this site, the track is worn to a depth of five feet, creating some of the most spectacular ruts remaining along the entire length of the Oregon-California trail. Dinner will be on our own after checking-in to our overnight accommodations.

Day 6

Following breakfast, our drive will follow the Wind River Mountain Range and across the Continental Divide through Togwater Pass at an altitude of 9,658 feet enroute to our morning's highlight in Grand Teton National Park. We will have time for lunch and exploring the old western town of Jackson, WY on our own. After an orientation drive of the Teton's majestic landscape including lovely Jenny Lake, we will travel to our lodging for the next two nights in Yellowstone National Park. Dinner will be at our leisure.

Day 7

Enjoy breakfast on your own before a full day of sightseeing. Our sightseeing will begin with a tour of our largest and best-known national park - Yellowstone. The central portion of the park is a broad, volcanic plateau with an altitude of between 7,000 and 8,500 feet. Mountain ranges on almost every side rise 2,000 to 4,000 feet above the enclosed tableland. Yellowstone's most outstanding phenomena are its thousands of thermal spectacles comprising the world's largest geyser basins. Bursts of scalding water spurt high into the air from some geysers, while others bubble and spit in murky depths. There will be time for lunch on our own during today's touring. Dinner will be at our leisure.

Day 8

Breakfast will be on our own this morning. Today's sightseeing will include Sylvan Pass and Shoshone Canyon enroute to the western town of Cody, WY. There will be time for lunch on our own before our next attraction. This afternoon we will visit the Buffalo Bill Museum, plus you will have free time to stroll through town before we check-in to our lodging and enjoy a dinner and show at Cody Cattle Company.

Day 9

After breakfast at the hotel, we will continue our travels. Panoramic views of Shoshone and Bighorn Mountain will enhance our drive as we travel through towns called Greybull, Buffalo, and through Powder River Pass at an altitude of 9,666 feet. Stops will be made for photo opportunities & lunch on our own. A short visit to the Devils Tower will be made. Our lodging this evening will be in Deadwood, SD. This evening will be free to enjoy Deadwood at our leisure.

Day 10

Following breakfast, our day will begin with a trip down Historic Main Street in Deadwood, where a legend of the west, Wild Bill Hickok, was shot and killed. You will hear about Deadwood's beginnings, the founding of the town, where it got its name, and Custer's expedition through the hills which led to the gold rush that started it all. A stop at Mt. Moriah Cemetery will allow a visit to the gravesite of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane and a view of Deadwood from 300 feet above! Next, we will visit magnificent Mount Rushmore where the heads of our four greatest Presidents - Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt - loom off the face of a 600-foot granite mountain. Enjoy lunch on your own during our visit to Mount Rushmore. We'll also visit the Chief Crazy Horse Carving which will be the largest statue in the world when completed. Later we will visit Custer State Park which is the habitat for one of the world's largest free-roaming bison herds. A Jeep Tour of the park and a buffalo dinner will also be enjoyed before we check-in to our Custer, SD lodging.

Day 11

Between the White and Cheyenne Rivers is Badlands National Park. This land has been so ruthlessly ravaged by wind and water that it has become picturesque. The Badlands are a wonderland of bizarre, colorful spires and pinnacles, massive buttes, and deep gorges. We will also make a stop in Wall, SD where you may visit the unusual and well-known Wall Drug Store and enjoy lunch on your own. Tonight's lodging and an included dinner will be in Oacoma, SD. Dinner will be included at a local restaurant.

Day 12

This morning we will visit the Corn Palace. It is unique because of its Moorish architecture and the use of corn and grasses to decorate portions of the exterior and interior. Minnesota farmland will lead the way as we travel to our overnight accommodations in Rochester, MN. Stops will be made for rest & lunch enroute. Dinner will be at our leisure this evening after check-in.

Day 13

After breakfast, we'll enjoy a guided tour of the Plummer House. Lunch will be on our own enroute to Wisconsin where we'll embark on a scenic cruise on the Upper Dells. It's here that the river has cut a channel through the soft sandstone to a depth of 150 feet. Our lodging this evening will be in Wisconsin Dells. Dinner will be at our leisure this evening.

Day 14

After a continental breakfast at the hotel, we'll depart for today's highlight…a tour of The House on the Rock. This multi-level home stands atop a chimney-like rock 450 feet above the Wyoming Valley. The house is an architectural wonderland with several pools of running water, six massive fireplaces, and one entire wall of windows jutting out over the valley below. There are even trees that grow through the middle of the house! A lunch stop will be made enroute to our next destination, Alsip, IL. Dinner will be at our leisure after checking-in to our overnight accommodations.

Day 15

We'll enjoy breakfast before we travel through the Indiana and Ohio countryside that will lead us to our lodging for the evening in Columbus, OH. Stops for rest & lunch will be made along the way. Dinner is on our own this evening.

Day 16

After one last breakfast, we'll depart for home. With stops for rest & lunch, arrival home is scheduled for early evening.

Please note

Our intention is to run each tour as originally planned and published. However, if deemed necessary to do so, Perkiomen Tours reserves the right to make changes to tour components, schedules or itineraries without prior notification.

Tips for Perkiomen motorcoach drivers and tour escorts are not included in the price of this tour. We feel that these gratuities should be extended on an individual basis and dictated by the level of service provided.

Motorcoach seating is assigned at the time of reservation but cannot be guaranteed. Although we do our best to keep each traveler in the seat assigned at the time of reservation, there are times that it is necessary to move seat locations. Please be sure to verify your final seat number(s) with your driver at the time of boarding. Historically, daily seat rotation was practiced on most multi-day tours. We have suspended this practice for a period of time. Seat rotation will be explained by your driver or tour escort if reinstated.

Perkiomen Tours recommends that you consider purchasing Travel Insurance for your tour. Travel Insurance is purchased directly by you from a third-party of your choice. One option is Travel Safe Insurance. You can purchase insurance directly from Travel Safe through our website. www.perkiomentours.com.

To fully participate in this tour may require extended amounts of walking. There may be steps, inclines, uneven surfaces or extended periods of standing. Participants with physical limitation should take this into consideration.

CB=Continental Breakfast, B=Full Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner