• The Black Hills - With audio guides providing commentary based on GPS location, visitors can tailor their own itinerary along the tour routes to suit their interests and schedule.

Alternatively, trip planners offer suggestions for half, full, or multi-day itineraries.

Some of the many highlights include:

• Mount Rushmore National Memorial - This iconic memorial features the faces of four U.S. presidents carved into Mount Rushmore. While it is often seen in media, experiencing it in person reveals the true scale and depth of the sculpture.
• Custer State Park - Enjoy a leisurely drive through vast natural habitats of rolling prairie hills, open grasslands, and pine forests.

Though the drive is officially 18 miles long, plan to spend at least an hour, or more if you enjoy wildlife watching. Explore the side roads branching off the main route.

• Devils Tower National Monument - As the nation’s first National Monument, Devils Tower has long been a site of intrigue and spiritual significance for Native Americans. It gained pop culture fame in the 1970s as a key location in the sci-fi classic “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”
• Badlands National Park - Western South Dakota offers diverse landscapes, from the prairie grasslands and rock formations of Badlands National Park to the mountains, canyons, and forests of the Black Hills.
• Crazy Horse Memorial - In 1948, Sioux Chief Henry Standing Bear invited a Polish sculptor to create a monumental sculpture on Thunderhead Mountain, celebrating Sioux and other Northern Plains native groups through a depiction of Crazy Horse.
• Keystone - Once a mining boom town, Keystone is now the closest community to Mount Rushmore, offering hotels, restaurants, cafes, and stores for souvenirs.
• Rapid City - As the hub for the three best scenic drives in this part of South Dakota, Rapid City is an ideal base for accommodations and exploring this vibrant town.
• Sylvan Lake - Located along Route 87, Sylvan Lake is known as the Jewel of Custer State Park.

If time permits, spend about 45 minutes enjoying the easy 1.1-mile trail around the lake. The combination of grassy shores, still waters, and granite formations is truly picturesque.

For more adventurous hikers, this is also the starting point for the Black Elk Peak trail, a 7-mile loop ascending 1,100 feet to South Dakota’s highest point.

• Iron Mountain Road - The final 45-minute approach to Mount Rushmore follows the stunning Iron Mountain Road, featuring tunnels, pigtail bridges, superb lookouts, and 314 curves. It is a scenic delight!

The most magical moment is the view through the Scovel Tunnel, where the four presidential faces appear like a postcard.

• Bridal Veil Falls - This 60-foot, narrow, wispy waterfall is located beside the road in Spearfish Canyon, offering a perfect photo opportunity from the viewing platform.
• Deadwood - Known for its gold rush boom, Deadwood is one of the most famous wild-west towns, recognized for its colorful history and characters.
• Roughlock Falls State Nature Area - From the small ex-sawmill town of Savoy on Spearfish Canyon Road, Roughlock Falls is an easy and popular spot to visit, with an attractive waterfall accessible by boardwalk. Extend your visit with a 1-mile stream-side walking trail to the falls from Spearfish Lodge.
• Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway - This 19-mile stretch of road features stunning waterfalls and 1,000-foot high limestone walls.

The scenic drive connects Spearfish with Savoy and Cheyenne Crossing, following Spearfish Creek.

• Badlands Wall - During the drive through the Badlands, travelers pass through the Upper and Lower Prairie, separated by the Wall.
• Door Trail - The 3/4-mile Door Trail is popular, leading hikers along a boardwalk to a notch in the rock known as the Door. Beyond the Door, hikers can explore the remarkable rock formations of the Badlands. The shorter Window Trail is just 1/4 mile long.
• Fossil Exhibit Trail - This easy 0.25-mile boardwalk highlights fossils found throughout the park.

The park’s history includes conditions that preserved animal, plant, and insect life forms in silt or mud, providing a glimpse into the past. Fossil discoveries continue today.

• Minuteman Missile National Historic Site - For a change of theme in the Badlands, visitors can explore a significant Cold War location. The Minuteman Missile Visitor Center serves as a museum and offers tours of decommissioned nuclear missile silos and control centers.
• Yellow Mounds Overlook - One of the best views in Badlands National Park, this overlook reveals classic buttes and erosion.

The unique coloring of the mounds ranges from yellow and beige to pink, originating as black ocean mud that weathered into this striking yellow display.

• Wind Cave National Park - These two cave systems are incredible and should not be missed if time allows.

Both locations require side trips off the Black Hills Loop tour route. The commentary will guide visitors on where to turn off and how to visit. Simply return to the tour route when finished.

• Toll free phone, chat and email support
• Pre-download and tour offline
• In-app, web and PDF trip planners
• Location-based stories, tips & directions that autoplay
• Buy once, use forever with free updates
• GuideAlong (GyPSy Guide) Audio Tour with 535+ Points
• App-based self-guided experience, no in-person guide needed
• Flexible routes with suggested itineraries or create your own

• Entry Fees, National Park Passes, Reservations

Download GuideAlong’s audio tour for Black Hills, Badlands, Mount Rushmore, & Custer State Park to discover a delightful blend of renowned landmarks and stunning natural scenery, highlighted by one of America’s most iconic monuments. Experience Mount Rushmore up close, exchange the Badlands’ grasslands and rugged buttes for the lush peaks of the Black Hills, observe wildlife in Custer State Park, and immerse yourself in Old West tales in Deadwood.

If you have additional time, Devils Tower is an excellent extra stop just over the Wyoming border. Now featuring brand new stories on the walking trail around Mount Rushmore!

Enjoy the flexibility to explore offline at your own pace; spend more time at places that captivate you, and skip those that don’t.

✅ Stories, tips, and directions play automatically based on your location
✅ Travel at your own pace
✅ Tours function offline using GPS, no cell service or WiFi required
✅ Suggested itineraries for half, full, or multi-day use
✅ Purchase once, use indefinitely! No expiration, includes free updates

• How to Access: After booking you’ll receive an email and text with instructions (search “Download Audio Tour”). Click the link in the email/text to sign in with your preferred Apple or Google account and redeem your voucher code ahead of time.
• Download The GuideAlong App: Download the free app over WiFi or cellular data and sign in with the same Apple or Google account.
• Download The Tour: Download the tour in the GuideAlong app under ‘My Tours’ over WiFi or cellular data.
• Start The Tour: Open the tour in the GuideAlong app to preview the start locations, tour route and trip planner, or start the tour.
• Location-Based Stories: Audio commentary plays automatically as you drive using your phone’s GPS chip. Wherever you are and whichever direction you’re going, you’ll hear the best stories and tips.
• Flexible Travel Date: Tours are a one-time purchase with no expiry or date/time limit. If your plans change to a different day, there’s no need to change your travel date.
• Tour at Your Leisure: With GuideAlong, you control the pace. Start, stop, and resume the tour any day, anytime, adapting it to your schedule.
• Driving Tours: Group Savings: One purchase covers everyone in the vehicle, making it a cost-effective way to explore.
• Works Offline: No internet or cell service is required once the audio tour is downloaded to your phone, so you can relax and tour offline.
• Bring A Charger: Pack a USB/C car charger for charging and easy sound connectivity, and make sure your device is fully charged.
• Technical Support: The GuideAlong support team is available daily by toll-free phone, online chat, and email.
• Vehicle Restrictions on the Black Hills Loop Drive: Height restrictions apply along the Black Hills Loop Drive, as large RVs cannot fit through the tunnels on Needles Highway and Iron Mountain Road. If possible, drive a regular vehicle, or if towing, detach and leave your trailer behind.
• The app’s audio will play through your car’s Apple CarPlay and Android Auto display, while the app’s map will display on your phone. You can connect your phone to the car via Bluetooth to listen to the commentary through the car stereo.

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.