The Only Full Day - Jeep Bison Safari - W/ Lakeside Picnic Lunch
Rapid City, USA
- 6 hours 15 minutes (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Explore Custer State Park on an all-day, small-group Jeep tour. After a convenient pickup from your Rapid City hotel, cruise scenic Iron Mountain Road and marvel at hundreds of bison on a 19-mile safari. Ascend Mt. Coolidge and get amazing views of Mt. Rushmore and the Black Hills. You won't have to bring food with you as a picnic lunch is included in the tour price.
- Explore Custer State Park and Iron Mountain Road on an open-top Jeep tour
- Travel with a guide and a small group for a personalized experience
- See bison, buffaloes, and views of Mt. Rushmore
- Enjoy convenient hotel pickup and drop-off, and a picnic lunch included
What's Included
- Bottled water
- Snacks
- Special Treats for feeding Begging Burros
- LunchNew - Lakeside Picnic Lunch (subs-salads-chips-cookies)
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to your preferred meeting point, or request pickup.
Start time.8:00 am
Itinerary
1
Custer State Park Visitor Center
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
2
Wildlife Loop Road
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
3
Mount Coolidge Fire Lookout Tower
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
4
Stockade Lake
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
5
Needle Eye Tunnel
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
6
Sylvan Lake
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
7
Iron Mountain Road
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Most travelers can participate
- Layered clothing, jacket, sun screen, sunglasses and a hat are recommended
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- All-Season Tours Available
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 14 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.3
based on 37 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Just sn awesome day! Nicole (and Nancy who was in training). Nicole knew all the sights to show us that I'm sure other your companies do not.
Loved the badlands and iron mountain road and all the bison, prairie dogs, etc that Nicole showed us! Nicole with all her knowledge made our day!!
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Hi Janet—The Hills are an amazing place! There is so much variety here, including a lot of hidden gems that people rarely know about. I'm glad you enjoyed your tour with Nancy. Thank you for your review. Be Well - Rich
Our tour guide, Nicole, did an amazing job of narrating our tour and providing an incredible wealth of background information regarding South Dakota, the National Parks, the State Parks, and attractions in the area. Not to mention her wealth of knowledge on the local wildlife indigenous to the area. We learned a lot of information we wouldn't have otherwise picked up, and having someone else do the driving was great for me, as I usually am behind the wheel. Having the freedom to look around and take in the natural beauty of the area without keeping my eyes on the road was a big plus for me. On top of that, some roads were very busy with bikers as we did our tour at the beginning of Sturgis Bike Week. Nicole handled the additional traffic on the roads like a pro!
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Howdy John - I'm pleased you enjoyed your Bison Safari tour with Nicole. I will make sure I pass along your comments. The Bison Safari is the only full day Jeep tour of Custer Park and we go to everything worth visiting, including some not well known. Thanks for taking time to review. Be Well - Rich
My husband and I enjoyed a full-day Jeep Bison Safari that included a picnic lunch with our guide Paula. Paula made conversation so easy! The tour company did a great job communicating with us prior to our tour, which eased all my stress. During the tour Paula was so invested in giving us the best experience possible, it was evident Paula takes pride in the job she does! I absolutely recommend this tour if you want to see bison and unforgettable sights. Thank you Paula for an absolutely incredible experience! You made our trip extraordinary!
This is a great experience! Highly recommend! very informative of the area. Lots of information about Custer State park and the surrounding areas. Our Driver, Charley, is a plethora of information. He called us the night before confirming our tour and what kind of sandwiches we would like, He picked us up from our hotel. Lunch is included--he had waters and water flavoring/cheese and grapes/low sodium chips along with regular chips/granola bars/chocolate treats/and pickles to go with our sandwiches. Can you imagine eating pickles in the jeep watching buffalo roam all around you??? Anyway, Charley really made this trip enjoyable for us. He also recommended local food and other places to visit. He took his time showing us all of the sites. Along with bathroom stops-asking along the way if we needed to stop!!
Highly recommend this Jeep tour and ask for Charley!! He is the best Guide.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
HI Karen - I'm glad you enjoyed your tour with Charlie . . . he is a hoot. He's a local that is a history buff and loves sharing with his guests. He is also a great cook and loves bringing his own picnic items to be enjoyed. Thank you so much for taking time to review. Be Well - Rich
Our guide, Cheryl Lee, was outstanding. Very knowledgeable and entertaining. We saw so much in this 8 hour adventure. Custer State Park, lots of wildlife (bison, praire dogs, deer, donkeys, antelope), beautiful scenery. We covered so many things you'll want to see in the Black Hills. Wonderful excursion.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Hello Anthony - I'm glad you enjoyed your Jeep Safari tour with Cheryl. Custer State Park is the largest state park in the US and its bison herd numbers are second only to Yellowstone. Thanks for you review. Be Well - Rich
The tour guide was friendly and provided great insight into the history of the area. Highly recommended
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Hi Karey - I'm glad you enjoyed your Jeep Bison tour. Custer State Park is the largest state park in the US with over 1400 bison and more wildlife. Thanks for your review. Be Well - Rich
I can’t say enough good things about the tour company and our experience. The owner/manager worked with us to reschedule our date and gave us so many other sightseeing ideas that made our vacation spectacular. Our guide, TJ, was great. Would definitely recommend!
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Howdy Bridget - Custer State Park is the largest State Park in the US and if has an abundance of things to see and do. I'm glad you enjoyed your Jeep tour with TJ and that you had an opportunity to see even more of the Hills. Thanks for your review. Be Well - Rich
After having traveled for 5 days to get to South Dakota it was great having someone else do the driving and knew where to go. Our guide Mike was friendly, informative and picked up on what we wanted to see or learn about. Rich was very communicative beforehand in making sure we knew where and when to meet.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Howdy Sandra - I'm happy you enjoyed your time at Custer State Park. It's the countries largest State Park, 110 square miles and has the second largest public herd of bison 1,400. Thanks for taking time to review! Be Well - Rich
I didn't get to go on this trip because your company didn't communicate with the people running the excursion. I had to get ahold of them and they took care of the situation. I will never use this site again 😒
Most of the 'What to Expect' advertised at the Viator Glass-Top Mercedes Tour (Spearfish/Deadwood) website were NOT provided. We did not go to Moonshine Gulch Saloon; the advertised 2-hour visit to Deadwood took only 45 minutes; the Bridal Veil Falls advertised 10 min visit took only 1 min (bus briefly stopped for a quick view and we did not even leave the bus); the 10 min Nemo tour was only a direct drive through town with no stops. We were extremely disappointed. We would not have booked the tour if we had known the tour was much different from what is advertised.
Response from Host, Jun 2023
Hello Mr Euler -
I'm sorry you didn't enjoy your tour with us. And I want to apologize for not providing the tour you expected.
This springs wet weather forced us to drop the Moonshine Gulch stop. The roads became to rough for the Glass Top Sprinter to drive there.
We added the Chapel in the Hills to replace the Saloon. The problem is that I failed to update the change on TripAdvisor at that time.
Once again my apologies. Be Well - Rich
My husband and I had a great time. Charlie was a fabulous tour guide. He was very accommodating and showed us some beautiful scenery.
Response from Host, Sep 2022
Hi Rachel -
I'm happy you enjoyed your tour with Charlie. He is a South Dakotan and has been exploring the Black Hills for many years. He knows a lot of out of the way places many do not get to see. Thanks for your review. Be Well- Rich
Was told that Jeep would be ready to go Thursday morning. We got there and battery in Jeep was completely dead. Had to wait 2 hours before starting our tour while new battery was brought in for Jeep. On the plus side, Mike, our tour guide was excellent. You should appreciate his professionalism when he had to deal with a problem that the owner should have taken care of prior to tour.
Response from Host, Jan 2020
Hi Susana -
Thanks for taking time for your review. Sorry about the battery. I'm glad you enjoyed your touring with Mike.
Be Well - Rich
We had Mike as our tour guide and had an incredible experience. He picked us up on time in the open air Jeep and my 14 year old, myself, and the 80 year old grandparents were all quite comfortable. Mike provided great education on what we were seeing and the history of the area which held everyone's interest for the duration of the day. Too many great stops on the tour to list. So thankful we didn't try and do this on our own - it would not have been near the memorable occasion that we have now. Thank you Mike!
Response from Host, Jan 2020
Hello dhnt2 -
I'm happy you and your family enjoyed your Jeep tour with Mike. He was new with us in 2019 but did a great job!
FYI we will be adding 2020 Jeep Gladiator's to our 2020 season. They have two front rows with great seats, cold AC and convertible top view . . . the rear seating is more rustice much like our "Buff" Jeep Wrangler . . . more open and offers great panoramic views. Thank your for your review! Be Well - Rich
Did not have us listed so our tour was delayed. After talking with the office they completely took care of the problem. Great tour. Saw more than I expected. Guide was excellent! Highly recommend.
Response from Host, Jul 2019
Sorry that your tour was delayed but I'm very happy you enjoyed your time in Custer State Park. I hope you have a chance to return and see more of the Hills.
Be Well - Rich
Thank you Jeff & Mike for a great tour of Black Hills, Mounty Rushmore, Crazy Horse & soo much more! You gave great narration & tales of the area, showed us some really beautiful areas we had not seen. Loved seeing the many Bison & the begging burros & the tunnels thru the hills.
Touring in the jeep was truly the way to go as driver is unable to see as much when driving on our own!
Thank you Jeff & Mike & Custer Jeep Safari!
Response from Host, Jun 2019
Hi Cindy -
I'm very happy you enjoyed your Jeep Safari. Custer State Park is the largest state park in the country and offers so much to see. I'll pass along you kind comments to Jeff and Mike. Hope you can return someday to see the rest of the Hills. Be Well - Rich
I had done extensive research prior to our trip. Guides commentary often conflicted with facts that I had read. Guide didn't bring food to feed the
Response from Host, Jan 2020
Hi Scaryann . . .
"Custer Park Safari Jeep Tour" is not one of our tours.
That tour is a shorter tour provided at the State Game Lodge in Custer State Park.
Our tours are 5+ hour tours that go to all the places in the Park. Our tour is called "Bison Jeep Safari Tour". We bring along 'treats' to feed the begging burros and provide a picnic lunch for our guests at one of the lakes.
Sorry you had a bad day. Be Well - Rich
Our trip we reserved was to include a open modified jeep and libations..
The ride was a 10 passenger van Dodge with an open top and no libations for the adults.
We had fun overall and the family we were paired with was nice and we actually became friends with.
The price of our tour was $700 for our 4, I think we feel we weren’t sure we got our moneys worth.
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$379.05
per personWas $399.00(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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