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15968
South Dakota

Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse & the Badlands With Your Grandchild

Enjoy a classic American adventure with your grandchild as you visit the epic monuments of the Black Hills, ride horses, dig for fossils, pan for gold, look for buffalo and much more!
Rating (5)
Program No. 15968RJ
Length
6 days
Starts at
1,699 / ADULT
899 / CHILD
South Dakota

Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse & the Badlands With Your Grandchild

Enjoy a classic American adventure with your grandchild as you visit the epic monuments of the Black Hills, ride horses, dig for fossils, pan for gold, look for buffalo and much more!
Length
6 days
Starts at
1,699 / ADULT
899 / CHILD
Program No. 15968 RJ

Your well-being is our #1 priority

To make your experience as safe as possible, we require all participants to be fully vaccinated. See our Safety Roadmap

Enroll with Confidence

We want your Road Scholar learning adventure to be something to look forward to—not worry about. Learn more

Prefer to enroll or inquire by phone? 800-454-5768
climate
Plan ahead.
What kind of weather can you expect? Take a look!
itinerary
Please Note:
The itinerary for this program is different on certain dates.
Age 8 - 11
ROOMING OPTION PRICING
The figures below indicate the rooming options available.
DATES
Jun 12 - Jun 17, 2022
Per Adult
1,699
Per Child
899
Select
Itinerary Note

This week's program will be geared towards children aged 8-11.

Jun 12 - Jun 17, 2022
1,699
/ Adult
899
/ Child
1,699
/ Adult
899
/ Child
2,199
/ Adult
899
/ Child
Select Date
Itinerary Note

This week's program will be geared towards children aged 8-11.

Jun 20 - Jun 25, 2022
Per Adult
1,699
Per Child
899
Select
Itinerary Note

This week's program will be geared towards children aged 8-11.

Jun 20 - Jun 25, 2022
1,699
/ Adult
899
/ Child
1,699
/ Adult
899
/ Child
2,199
/ Adult
899
/ Child
Select Date
Itinerary Note

This week's program will be geared towards children aged 8-11.

Jun 26 - Jul 1, 2022
Per Adult
1,699
Per Child
899
Select
Itinerary Note

This week's program will be geared towards children aged 8-11.

Jun 26 - Jul 1, 2022
1,699
/ Adult
899
/ Child
1,699
/ Adult
899
/ Child
2,199
/ Adult
899
/ Child
Select Date
Itinerary Note

This week's program will be geared towards children aged 8-11.

Jul 17 - Jul 22, 2022
Per Adult
1,699
Per Child
899
Select
Itinerary Note

This week's program will be geared towards children aged 8-11.

Jul 17 - Jul 22, 2022
1,699
/ Adult
899
/ Child
1,699
/ Adult
899
/ Child
2,199
/ Adult
899
/ Child
Select Date
Itinerary Note

This week's program will be geared towards children aged 8-11.

Age 11 - 13
ROOMING OPTION PRICING
The figures below indicate the rooming options available.
DATES
Jun 19 - Jun 24, 2022
Per Adult
1,699
Per Child
899
Select
Itinerary Note

This week's program will be geared towards children aged 11-13.

Jun 19 - Jun 24, 2022
1,699
/ Adult
899
/ Child
1,699
/ Adult
899
/ Child
2,199
/ Adult
899
/ Child
Select Date
Itinerary Note

This week's program will be geared towards children aged 11-13.

Jul 10 - Jul 15, 2022
Per Adult
1,699
Per Child
899
Select
Itinerary Note

This week's program will be geared towards children aged 11-13.

Jul 10 - Jul 15, 2022
1,699
/ Adult
899
/ Child
1,699
/ Adult
899
/ Child
2,199
/ Adult
899
/ Child
Select Date
Itinerary Note

This week's program will be geared towards children aged 11-13.

Jul 24 - Jul 29, 2022
Per Adult
1,699
Per Child
899
Select
Itinerary Note

This week's program will be geared towards children aged 11-13.

Jul 24 - Jul 29, 2022
1,699
/ Adult
899
/ Child
1,699
/ Adult
899
/ Child
2,199
/ Adult
899
/ Child
Select Date
Itinerary Note

This week's program will be geared towards children aged 11-13.

At a Glance

Did you know that most of the 400 men who carved out the presidential faces of Mount Rushmore were miners who came to the Black Hills looking for gold? Did you know that they used dynamite and jackhammers to carve the faces? And did you know that they had a pretty good amateur baseball team? Learn all about the history and significance of Mount Rushmore and the massive Crazy Horse Memorial on a trip with your grandkid to South Dakota! Go horseback riding, splash in a historic warm water spring, visit a mammoth sink hole and learn how to pan for gold. And at the end of a day of adventure, share stories around an open fire while you learn, laugh and create memories for both generations.
Activity Level
Keep the Pace
Walking up to 2 miles on uneven, hilly terrain. Optional 1-hour horseback trail ride. Ability to sit on wheeled sled with self-regulating speed. Walking through museums with seating available. The ability to get on and off a motor coach. Some standing during interpretive lessons. Elevations up to 5,200 feet.

Best of all, you’ll…

  • Take a chair lift up to a ridge for a special view of Mount Rushmore and feel the wind in your hair as you zip back down on the Alpine slide!
  • Saddle up for a Western trail ride, and discover ancient fossils and lunar-like deposits in the Badlands.
  • Experience Custer State Park’s “wildlife loop” in search of buffalo, pronghorns, begging burrows and big horn sheep.

General Notes

Program is for grandchildren ages 8-11 or 11-13, depending on the date. For a comparable family adventure for all generations, check out "Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse & the Badlands With Your Family" (#4752).
Featured Expert
All Experts
Profile Image
Robert Gerald Yellowhawk
Robert Gerald Yellowhawk is a native South Dakotan, born in Rapid City. His goal as a youth was to graduate from high school, and now he is a sophomore at Oglala Lakota College in Rapid City, majoring in business administration. A participant as a sixth-grader in the Ateyapi Program, he is now a fulltime mentor helping youths understand traditional Native American dance, values, regalia, ceremonies and the Lakota language. Robert worked two summers at Crazy Horse Memorial.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Profile Image of Robert Yellowhawk
Robert Gerald Yellowhawk View biography
Robert Gerald Yellowhawk is a native South Dakotan, born in Rapid City. His goal as a youth was to graduate from high school, and now he is a sophomore at Oglala Lakota College in Rapid City, majoring in business administration. A participant as a sixth-grader in the Ateyapi Program, he is now a fulltime mentor helping youths understand traditional Native American dance, values, regalia, ceremonies and the Lakota language. Robert worked two summers at Crazy Horse Memorial.
Profile Image of Donna Fisher
Donna Fisher View biography
Donna loves the Mountain West. Roping dairy calves and riding sawhorses, she pretended to be a cowgirl as she grew up on a Minnesota farm. She fell in love with the Black Hills on her honeymoon, she says. Donna spent 13 years in school libraries and 12 years as a classroom teacher of English and journalism. She was named both South Dakota English Teacher of the Year and South Dakota Librarian of the Year during her career. Her love for regional writers led to editing the first South Dakota Literary Map and web site plus a trunk full of other projects including a summer as a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow. Now retired, she serves on the interpretation and continuity team at the Journey Museum, and helps to lead the membership and marketing committee. In 2007, she was chief researcher and co-director of an exhibit on Black Hills pioneer artist Grace French. Donna looks forward to sharing her love for the Black Hills with Road Scholar lifelong learners!
Profile Image of Erin Woods
Erin Woods View biography
Erin Woods is an elementary teacher in the Rapid City School District. With a keen interest in Mount Rushmore history, she enthusiastically relates how Mount Rushmore was carved and how the architects and carvers were able to keep the head of George Washington in proportion to Lincoln, Jefferson and Roosevelt. Erin has a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, with an emphasis in math and educational technology.
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
A Boy Called Slow
by Joseph Bruchoc
Joseph Bruchac presents a wonderful children’s book about the life of the great Sioux chief Sitting Bull.The historical Indian tale reassures young boys that success comes through effort and not through birth. Wonderfully told and illustrated in true storybook style.
Moon of Popping Trees
by Rex Alan Smith
The Massacre at Wounded Knee was the last major battle between whites and Native Americans.With parallels to concerns some have of today’s news reports, you’ll see that this massacre was largely a result of overblown news reports of the danger of the Native American Ghost Dance. Even more startling is the revelation in this book that the Ghost Dance had its origin in the Christian resurrection story. This book spans fifty years of the life and struggles of Native Americans as they try to maintain their lifestyle in the face of America’s westward expansion.
Pioneer Days in the Black Hills
by John S. McClintock
A rough-and-tumble account of the early days of Deadwood and the Dakota Territory written by early day pioneer John S.McClintock. He provides material on the gold rush, skirmishes with Indians, exploits of road agents and outlaws, and appearances of celebrities such as Wild Bill Hickok and Deadwood Dick.
A Wilder in the West
by William Anderson
One woman’s valiant account of homesteading alone on the prairies near DeSmet, Dakota Territory in the 1880’s. Another wonderful book by William Anderson in his “Laura Ingalls Wilder Family Series.”
Who Carved the Mountain? The Story of Mount Rushmore
by Jean L.S. Patrick
Honorable Mention in the 2006 Independent Publisher Awards in Children’s Books (7 & over). Using historical facts and rollicking rhythm, author Jean L.S. Patrick reveals how and why George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt were chosen. Rich illustrations by Renée Graef make the unique history of Mount Rushmore come alive for children.
The Carving of Mount Rushmore
by Rex Alan Smith
This entertaining and very readable book tells the fascinating stories of the people of Mt. Rushmore. Included are first person accounts of not only the carvers, the politicians and Borglum, but an almost unbelievable host of others who became part of the tumult and triumph that make this history read like a novel. If you’re only going to read one book about Rushmore, this is the one.





Important registration tip:
If you want to attend the live lecture, please do not wait until the last minute to enroll.
If you enroll after a lecture is complete, we’ll send you a recording of the event.