Sign-ups will officially open on June 28th at 9 PDT/ 11 CDT/ 12 EDT. Activities without signup limits are available now. Need help? The Summit Handbook and our pick a hike guide are helpful resources! Email [email protected] with additional questions or message us in Sched!
Session availability is subject to change due to weather, availability, and interest. Classes with fewer than 5 participants are subject to cancellation.
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Explore the famous Custer State Park Wildlife Loop in an open-air jeep with a Custer State Park guide. A 1.5 - 2 private, guided adventure deep into the park to see free-roaming bison, pronghorn, elk, deer, the truly adorable prairie dogs, and begging burros. A much more intimate experience than one can do on their own, with exclusive use of private trails, and guides not only locating the wildlife but also imparting historical and educational facts.
We will start our day at the Mammoth Site, a unique, active paleontological dig site and museum featuring the world’s largest concentration of mammoth remains, with a guided tour. From there, we will visit Wind Cave National Park for a cave tour. Wind Cave is known for its rare boxwork formations, cave popcorn, and flowstone. Our final stop will be the Wind Cave NP visitors center to learn about the unique geology and cultural significance of the area's Native American tribes.
Natural Entrance Cave Tour- ⅔ mile, moderate trail. Paths are uneven, and the 300 stairs can be slippery, steep, and dimly lit.
Danny McMurphy is a lifelong resident of Sullivan, Missouri, where he has raised 4 children, two sons and two daughters, and has 4 grandchildren. He and his wife, Linda, have been married for 56 years. He retired from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – St. Louis District in 2009... Read More →
Explore the famous Custer State Park Wildlife Loop in an open-air jeep with a Custer State Park guide. A 1.5 - 2 private, guided adventure deep into the park to see free-roaming bison, pronghorn, elk, deer, the truly adorable prairie dogs, and begging burros. A much more intimate experience than one can do on their own, with exclusive use of private trails, and guides not only locating the wildlife but also imparting historical and educational facts.
Guided Scenic Tour 1.5 hours Discovered in 1900, Jewel Cave has over 200 miles of surveyed limestone passages. It is famous for its calcite crystals that sparkled like “jewels” by the light of their lanterns, gypsum formations, and extensive limestone formations. Cave temperature is 49 degrees, and fully enclosed footwear is required (absolutely no openings); no bags of any kind are allowed on the cave tour.
Danny McMurphy is a lifelong resident of Sullivan, Missouri, where he has raised 4 children, two sons and two daughters, and has 4 grandchildren. He and his wife, Linda, have been married for 56 years. He retired from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – St. Louis District in 2009... Read More →
The Crazy Horse Memorial site includes the colossal mountain carving and a 40,000 square foot Welcome Center. You will be free to explore at your own pace. The Welcome Center includes theaters, the Native American Museum, and the Native American Educational & Cultural Center. You may choose to purchase a bus ride to the base of the mountain for $5.
Betty Trummel is retired from a 35-year career of elementary teaching and 10 years as an adjunct professor at the university level. She's taught at over 40 Summits since 1983 and loves to reach out to learners of all ages to teach about the natural world and create a sense of wonder... Read More →
Opened in 2022, the Custer State Park Bison Center has quickly become a must-see destination for visitors of all ages. This facility tells the full story of the park’s iconic bison herd through a broad array of engaging, interpretive, and hands-on displays. In addition to the indoor exhibits, ranger-led bison corral tours provide an invaluable up-close look at herd management and the ranching infrastructure that supports it. On these guided tours, staff explain the layout and function of holding pens, sorting chutes, and other handling facilities, show how feeding and water systems are organized, and discuss the practical aspects of population and range management. The tours are designed to demystify the day-to-day operations involved in maintaining a healthy, sustainable herd and to answer visitor questions about animal care, seasonal movements, and park stewardship.
Monday’s session will include adults and the Junior Naturalists for a lively, educational experience. On Monday, the adults on the tour will get the opportunity to sort the "Junior Naturalist Bison" through the holding pens. After the bison are sorted, they will head out, and the adults will finish the tour.
This one-hour tour is our least strenuous tour. It is a wonderful sample of Wind Cave. Small amounts of all of the beautiful cave formations - boxwork, cave popcorn, and flowstone - are seen along this 1/4 mile tour. The tour is designed for people with limited time or abilities. It enters and leaves the cave by elevator with 150 steps along the tour route.
Duration: 1 hour Distance: 1/4 mile (1/2 kilometer) Total stairs: 150 Difficulty: Moderate; stairs can be steep, slippery and dimly lit. Bending and stooping required. Description: See boxwork, frostwork, flowstone and cave popcorn along this route.
"...[We] wonder if it will be possible to so describe those wonderful scenes as to represent with even a limited degree of fairness or justice the awe-inspiring grandeur of the entire trip, or the perfection of fragile loveliness formed and preserved as by special miracles in the Garden of Eden..." - Edward C Horn, Mazes and Marvels, 1898
Explore the famous Custer State Park Wildlife Loop in an open-air jeep with a Custer State Park guide. A 1.5 - 2 private, guided adventure deep into the park to see free-roaming bison, pronghorn, elk, deer, the truly adorable prairie dogs, and begging burros. A much more intimate experience than one can do on their own, with exclusive use of private trails, and guides not only locating the wildlife but also imparting historical and educational facts.
Explore the Custer State Park via a driving loop tour of the two famous highways. Needles Highway is a spectacular 14-mile scenic drive famous for its winding switchbacks, dramatic granite spires, and narrow tunnels. Iron Mountain Road is a 17-mile scenic byway. It is a masterpiece of rustic engineering featuring curves, switchbacks, pigtail bridges, and 3 granite tunnels that perfectly frame Mount Rushmore in the distance. Both roads feature spectacular scenic overlooks.
Explore the famous Custer State Park Wildlife Loop in an open-air jeep with a Custer State Park guide. A 1.5 - 2 private, guided adventure deep into the park to see free-roaming bison, pronghorn, elk, deer, the truly adorable prairie dogs, and begging burros. A much more intimate experience than one can do on their own, with exclusive use of private trails, and guides not only locating the wildlife but also imparting historical and educational facts.
We will do a deep dive into Mt Rushmore National Memorial, visit the museum, see the movie, walk the walk of presidents, and visit the sculptor’s studio. We will eat our picnic lunch at Mt Rushmore, be sure to bring some money to indulge in the Thomas Jefferson Ice Cream - handmade ice cream utilizing Thomas Jefferson’s original recipe, which has received rave reviews from everyone we have met! Next, we will take the short drive to Keystone, South Dakota, for a guided tour of the Big Thunder Gold Mine, a historic gold mine discovered in 1892. This mine has a fascinating history on a fully accessible tour.
A lot of walking, mostly flat with some stairs, canes, walking poles, and other mobility aids are allowed.
Danny McMurphy is a lifelong resident of Sullivan, Missouri, where he has raised 4 children, two sons and two daughters, and has 4 grandchildren. He and his wife, Linda, have been married for 56 years. He retired from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – St. Louis District in 2009... Read More →
Opened in 2022, the Custer State Park Bison Center has quickly become a must-see destination for visitors of all ages. This facility tells the full story of the park’s iconic bison herd through a broad array of engaging, interpretive, and hands-on displays. In addition to the indoor exhibits, ranger-led bison corral tours provide an invaluable up-close look at herd management and the ranching infrastructure that supports it. On these guided tours, staff explain the layout and function of holding pens, sorting chutes, and other handling facilities, show how feeding and water systems are organized, and discuss the practical aspects of population and range management. The tours are designed to demystify the day-to-day operations involved in maintaining a healthy, sustainable herd and to answer visitor questions about animal care, seasonal movements, and park stewardship.
Explore the famous Custer State Park Wildlife Loop in an open-air jeep with a Custer State Park guide. A 1.5 - 2 private, guided adventure deep into the park to see free-roaming bison, pronghorn, elk, deer, the truly adorable prairie dogs, and begging burros. A much more intimate experience than one can do on their own, with exclusive use of private trails, and guides not only locating the wildlife but also imparting historical and educational facts.
Join us for a full-day tour of the unique sites south of Custer State Park. We will start our day at the Mammoth Site with a guided tour of a unique and active paleontological dig site and museum with the world’s largest concentration of mammoth remains. From there, we will drive six minutes to the highly rated Pioneer Museum. Housed in a 1893 schoolhouse, the museum hosts 25 exhibit areas with artifacts, local art, and period clothing. We will walk across the street to the cool, shady Centennial Park along the riverfront to enjoy our picnic lunch. Our last stop will be at the Windcave National Park Visitors Center to learn about the unique geology and cultural significance of the area, Native American tribes, and the features of Wind Cave, both underground in its unique cave system and the grasslands above.
Betty Trummel is retired from a 35-year career of elementary teaching and 10 years as an adjunct professor at the university level. She's taught at over 40 Summits since 1983 and loves to reach out to learners of all ages to teach about the natural world and create a sense of wonder... Read More →
Thursday August 6, 2026 8:00am - 3:30pm MDT Arts & Culture Van 1Transportation Area
The Crazy Horse Memorial site includes the colossal mountain carving and a 40,000 square foot Welcome Center. You will be free to explore at your own pace. The Welcome Center includes theaters, the Native American Museum, and the Native American Educational & Cultural Center. You may choose to purchase a bus ride to the base of the mountain for $5.
Opened in 2022, the Custer State Park Bison Center has quickly become a must-see destination for visitors of all ages. This facility tells the full story of the park’s iconic bison herd through a broad array of engaging, interpretive, and hands-on displays. In addition to the indoor exhibits, ranger-led bison corral tours provide an invaluable up-close look at herd management and the ranching infrastructure that supports it. On these guided tours, staff explain the layout and function of holding pens, sorting chutes, and other handling facilities, show how feeding and water systems are organized, and discuss the practical aspects of population and range management. The tours are designed to demystify the day-to-day operations involved in maintaining a healthy, sustainable herd and to answer visitor questions about animal care, seasonal movements, and park stewardship.
Monday’s session will include adults and the Junior Naturalists for a lively, educational experience. On Monday, the adults on the tour will get the opportunity to sort the "Junior Naturalist Bison" through the holding pens. After the bison are sorted, they will head out, and the adults will finish the tour.
Join us for a guided tour of the Big Thunder Gold Mine, a historic gold mine discovered in 1892. This mine has a unique and fascinating history with a fully accessible 1-hour tour. The tour concludes with a small mining museum.
