The Full Real America, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming
21 Nights
United States
3
Fly Drive Holidays
Colorado||
South Dakota||
Montana||
North Dakota||
Wyoming
21 nights in the REAL America
Denver to Jackson
The diverse and intriguing American states of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming epitomise the REAL America. Year-round adventure, awe-inspiring
scenery, majestical mountains, shimmering lakes, expansive prairies and tumbling waterfalls await. Not to mention legendary history and heritage, real-life cowboys,
rodeos and ranches, American Indians, iconic National Parks and monuments, plus more wildlife than people. The REAL America has it all.
No REAL America adventure is complete without a visit to the world’s first national park. Yellowstone boasts the world’s most extensive area of geothermal activity,
harbouring more than 10,000 geysers, hot springs and mud pots; the most famous being Old Faithful. A mountain wildland, home to grizzly bears, wolves, and herds of
bison and elk, the park is the core of one of the last, nearly intact, natural ecosystems in the Earth’s temperate zone.
The REAL America is blessed with an unspoiled, natural beauty that beckons visitors from around the world. Take time to discover it yourself.
DAY 1 – Fly to Denver, Colorado
Overnight: Denver
DAY 2 – Denver, Colorado
Spend the day in Denver, with its outstanding collections of museums as well as excellent shopping in Cherry Creek Shopping Center and Larimer Square, tasty microbreweries and a restored section of Victorian Denver filled with quaint old buildings, gas lamps, courtyards and gardens. If you have time, head out to the Coors Brewery and legendary Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre. Overnight: Denver
DAY 3 – Denver to Cheyenne, Wyoming
Head north to Wyoming’s state capital of Cheyenne. Visit the Old West Museum to learn about the annual Frontier Days, one of the oldest annual rodeos in the country. Other options include the Cheyenne Depot and Depot Museum, the Wyoming State Capitol, the Big Boy Steam Engine and Downtown Cheyenne.
Overnight: Cheyenne
DAY 4 – Cheyenne to The Black Hills, South Dakota
Make your way to explore many attractions of South Dakota’s Black Hills. Stop in at Wind Cave National Park which contains the world's sixth longest cave with amazing boxwork, frostwork and popcorn formations. Visit Custer State Park, the second largest state park in the nation and home to 1,500 bison and granite outcroppings. Drive the 18 mile Wildlife Loop Road.
Overnight: Custer State Park
DAY 5 – The Black Hills of South Dakota
Mount Rushmore National Memorial - 60-foot-high mountain carving of U.S. Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. Crazy Horse Memorial – the massive granite carving honoring the Native American warrior will stand 563 feet high and 641 feet long when complete. Head to the Old West town of Deadwood where the legends of Wild Bill Hickock and Calamity Jane live on. Visit the Days of 76 Museum or try your luck at one of the town’s numerous gaming parlours.
Overnight: Deadwood, South Dakota
DAY 6 – Deadwood to Badlands National Park to Deadwood, South Dakota
Make your way east to Rapid City - home to museums including the Journey Museum and a newly-revamped downtown scene. Then head for Badlands National Park - a maze of buttes, canyons and gullies formed by millions of years of erosion. Stop in at the small gateway town of Wall to visit Wall Drug
Overnight: Badlands area, South Dakota
DAY 7 – Badlands to Bismarck, North Dakota
Depart for the twin cities of Bismarck-Mandan, North Dakota in the morning. Bismarck is the capital city of North Dakota and lies on the banks of the Missouri River that divides the city into Bismarck-Mandan. Go back in time at the newly renovated North Dakota Heritage Center, visit the Native American Earth Lodges in Mandan and walk in General George Armstrong Custer’s footsteps at Fort Abraham Lincoln.
Overnight: Bismarck, North Dakota
DAY 8 – Bismarck to Medora, North Dakota
Head west to Medora, diverting slightly south to admire the Enchanted Highway, a 32-mile stretch of paved county highway that features spectacular giant concrete and metal sculptures. In Medora takin in the nightly outdoor Medora Musical and Pitchfork Fondue dinner in the summer with the dynamic landscape of the North Dakotan Badlands as your backdrop.
Overnight: Medora, North Dakota
DAY 9 - Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota
Spend the day exploring Theodore Roosevelt National Park and North Dakota’s Badlands which have been shaped by millions of years of wind, rain, erosion, fire and the meandering Little Missouri River.
Overnight: Medora
DAY 10 – Medora to Billings, Montana (via Devils Tower)
Make your way south and into Wyoming to take in Devils Tower National Monument, America’s first national monument reaching 364 meters into the western sky. Then head to Montana and Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument which serves as a symbol for both sides – the U.S. Cavalry and Native American Indians, who fought on the banks of the Little Bighorn River.
Overnight: Billings, Montana
DAY 11 – Billings to Helena, Montana
Explore downtown Billings before heading west toward Livingston and Bozeman. Visit the Museum of the Rockies, home to one of the largest collections of dinosaur fossils, as you pass through. On arrival in Helena, stroll around the pleasant blocks of Last Chance Gulch, pop into the impressive State Capitol Building or view the fine collection in the Holter Museum of Art.
Overnight: Helena, Montana
DAY 12 – Helena to Glacier National Park, Montana
Take a boat tour through the Gates of the Mountains, a dramatic stretch of the Missouri River, with 1,200ft cliffs on either side. Then make your way to the spectacular Glacier National Park, to explore glacial-scoured valleys, towering peaks, tumbling waterfalls, verdant forests and wildflower-strewn meadows. Keep an eye out for grizzly bears, elk, mountain goats and bighorn sheep. Drive the magnificent 85km Going-To-The-Sun-Road and hike some of the 1,126km of trails.
Overnight: Whitefish, Montana
DAY 13 – Glacier National Park
Continue your exploration of Glacier National Park.
Overnight: Whitefish, Montana
DAY 14 – Whitefish to Butte
As you head south, admire the crystal clear waters of Flathead Lake and stop in at the artsy town of Missoula to visit the Smoke Jumper Visitor Center which tells the story of how elite, highly trained firefighters fight forest fires in remote areas throughout the country. Take a scenic drive to Philipsburg, one of the ‘Prettiest Painted Places in America’ to mine for authentic Montana sapphires!
Overnight: Butte, Montana
DAY 15 – Butte to West Yellowstone
Explore the historical downtown of Butte before continuing south to the Old West mining towns of Virginia City and Nevada City which have been restored to reflect the boom days when settlers and miners migrated to Montana in the late 1800s. Spend the afternoon exploring the historic shops, theatres and houses and depart for West Yellowstone.
Overnight: West Yellowstone, Montana
DAY 16 – Yellowstone National Park
An early start is required for the nation’s first national park, Yellowstone - best known for the geysers, hot springs and mud pots that make the park one of the most active geothermal areas on the planet. The awe-inspiring landscape covers 2,000,000 acres with over 10,000 thermal features and hundreds of animal species. Popular sites include Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone Lake, Old Faithful, Lamar and Hayden Valleys and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone with its inspirational view of Lower Falls.
Overnight: Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
DAY 17 – Yellowstone National Park
Continue your exploration of Yellowstone
Overnight: Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
DAY 18 – Yellowstone to Cody, Wyoming
From the north east entrance of Yellowstone take a scenic drive on the spectacular 68-mile Beartooth Scenic Highway, often regarded as the most beautiful drive in America, briefly back into Montana. Continue onto the mountain resort of Red Lodge, before travelling across state borders into Wyoming toward Buffalo Bill’s Cody. Lose yourself in the expansive Buffalo Bill Center of the West, a complex of five thematic museums, visit the Old Trail Town, view the live shootout performances in front of the Irma Hotel, and take in the daily Summer Cody Nite Rodeo.
Overnight: Cody, Wyoming
DAY 19 – Cody to Riverton, Wyoming
From Cody make your way south to Thermopolis (Greek for "Hot City), the world’s largest mineral hot springs. The community has two large hot spring complexes, the Star Plunge and Teepee, as well as a free public bathhouse. Temperatures range from cool to 41° C (106° F) – choose from a relaxing soak or enjoy the water slides. Take the Wind River Canyon Scenic Byway, through spectacular rock walls rising 2,500 vertical feet, and some of the oldest rock formations in the world which date back to the Precambrian period (more than 2.9 billion years ago).
Overnight: Riverton
DAY 20 – Riverton to Jackson, Wyoming
As you make your way to Jackson, make a stop in Dubois, nestled in a picturesque valley between the Absaroka and Wind River mountain ranges - the rustic log buildings lining the main street look much as they did when the town was first settled in the late 1800's. ‘Cosmopolitan western’ Jackson features wooden sidewalks, elk antler arches and shops that range from the chic to the traditional; saddle up at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar or visit the world-famous Silver Dollar Bar.
Overnight: Jackson, Wyoming
DAY 21 – Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Grand Teton National Park is dominated by the Tetons, a 40-mile mountain range that is part of the famed Rocky Mountains. Spend the day exploring the park – drive the 42-mile Scenic Loop, visit Grand Teton National Park Visitors Center, or take the Aerial Tram. Enjoy a hike or wildlife safari, take a boat trip on one of the lakes and visit the town of Jackson. Overnight: Jackson Wyoming
DAY 22
Return flight from Jackson Hole to Ireland
DAY 23
Arrive Home
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