Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone & Cowboy Country
From £2,025 pp
-
13 nights
-
Economy flights
-
Available May - October
Take a journey into the wild west on this memorable fly-drive that starts in the Mile High City of Denver, before travelling through the Black Hills of South Dakota to the jaw-dropping attractions of Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial. The journey continues through the wild-west towns of Deadwood and Cody to the epic national parks of Grand Teton and Yellowstone, before winding your way back to Denver via Wyoming’s cowboy country.
What's Included
- International flights departing from the UK in economy class.
- Accommodation for 12 nights
- 12 days intermediate car hire with fully inclusive insurance, unlimited mileage and taxes
Holiday Map
Explore our interactive map to discover your holiday route and key points of interest.
Start
Finish
Stops
Point of interest
Your day-to-day plan

Arrive in Denver
Fly into the ‘Mile High City’ of Denver and transfer by taxi or jump on the train from the airport to Union Station located in downtown Denver. Spend two nights in this walkable city, visiting historic Larimer Square, bustling 16th Street Mall lined with its array of shops and restaurants, or the vibrant Union Station area jammed packed with popular restaurants and microbreweries. Take a trip out to Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre, a stunning concert venue made of red rock which is also home to the Colorado Music Hall of Fame.

Denver to Cheyenne, 104 miles
Either pick up your car downtown or catch the train back to the airport and drive from there to hit the road for the short drive into Wyoming and the cowboy town of Cheyenne. A railroad town, Cheyenne also hosts Cheyenne Frontier Days, the world’s largest outdoor rodeo every July. Stroll around the charming downtown area, buy some cowboy boots and jeans in the popular Wrangler Store or take the short drive out to the Terry Bison Ranch to see horses and even feed bison.

Cheyenne to Rapid City, 289 miles
Travel north in to South Dakota, worthwhile stops include Fort Laramie, a key military post for the Americans in the 1800’s and Wind Cave National Park, to see bison and one of the longest cave systems in the world. Drive through the Black Hills of South Dakota to Rapid City, your base for the next three nights. A plethora of interesting attractions are within easy reach of Rapid City including Crazy Horse Memorial an enormous granite carving in production, honouring the Native American warrior, which will stand at four times the size of Mount Rushmore once completed, the scenic Needles Highway and Iron Mountain Road and unique rock formations in Custer State Park and one of the most universally known attractions of South Dakota – jaw dropping Mount Rushmore National Memorial - a 60ft high mountain carving of U.S. Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.

Rapid City to Sheridan, 283 miles
Head west today into Wyoming, stopping in historic Deadwood, to catch a fun shootout re-enactment and to visit the saloons where legendary Wild Bill Hickock used to hang out. Take US Highway 14A through spectacular Spearfish Canyon, featuring windy roads, pretty waterfalls, and towering limestone cliffs and then Highway 24 via Hulett to Devils Tower, a sacred Native American site and huge butte that was the filming location of the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Continue to the cowboy town of Sheridan for your overnight stay.

Sheridan to Cody, 147 miles
A scenic drive awaits today as we continue through the spectacular Bighorn Mountains to Cody via Highway 14. Travel on the upper or lower loop of Highway 14 passing deep canyons, waterfalls, and incredible scenic lookouts. Stay for two nights in the character filled town of Cody, visiting the Buffalo Bill Museum of the West that tells the interesting story of the geology of Yellowstone National Park and the well-known character Buffalo Bill or catch the staged cowboy shoot-outs outside the Irma Hotel.

Cody to West Yellowstone, 224 miles
Set off early today for an exciting few days exploring the phenomenon that is Yellowstone National Park. America’s first national park is simply incredible and is bursting with unique beauty and geology. Dramatic waterfalls, bison traffic jams, geysers spouting hot air high up into the sky, colourful mud pools and wildlife including bears and wolves await! Drive the Upper Loop to the white rock formations of Mammoth Hot Springs and the thundering falls of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. The park’s Lower Loop brings lots of colour at Grand Prismatic Spring, the vibrant blue and green colourful mud pots near to Lake Yellowstone and the impressive Old Faithful Geyser which erupts every 90 minutes. Overnight in West Yellowstone which sits right at the park’s west entrance.

West Yellowstone to Jackson, 117 miles
Time for further exploration of Yellowstone, visiting the attractions on the Lower Loop which takes you to the entrance of Grand Teton National Park. Be prepared to be wowed at Grand Teton National Park, and the jaw-dropping Teton mountain peaks that form part of the Rocky Mountains. Drive the 42-mile scenic loop past beautiful glacier-fed Jenny Lake, get out of your vehicle and hike to nearby waterfalls, spot animals in the popular wildlife lookout of Oxbow Bend and along the Snake River. Overnight in the nearby town of Jackson, filled with great restaurants, shopping, the popular Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, all whilst surrounded by magnificent mountain peaks.

Jackson to Rock Springs, 178 miles
Drive east into real cowboy country and the old western town of Dubois and through the Wind River Indian Reservation, home of the Shoshone and Arapahoe Native American Tribes. Stop at Fort Washakie, the burial site of Chief Washakie, the last leader of the Shoshone Tribe. Continue to Rock Springs, a popular stopover for early pioneers and bank robbers including Butch Cassidy who earned his nickname by working in the town’s local butcher’s stop.

Homeward bound
Soak up your last memories of cowboy country today for the approx. 350 miles drive back to Denver airport. Worthwhile stops include the town of Saratoga to relax in its many hot springs. Drop your car off at the airport and board your overnight flight back to the UK.
Related Itineraries
This holiday requires an ESTA for entry to the United States, for full details and to apply please see below:
Please note selected national parks in the USA require reservations for vehicles in order to enter the parks. Reservations are required in advance. This is in addition to purchasing a national park entrance ticket. Early booking is recommended.
Further information on the parks, where vehicle reservations are required and how to book can be found on:
USA National Parks