America’s Old West - Myths and Legends

Our trip begins and ends in Montana, known as “Big Sky Country,” with a start in Billings and a finish in Bozeman.  In between we visit the heart of the Old West, Wyoming, and Montana.  During our journey, we explore the myths and legends of the Old West – including larger-than-life explorers, cowboys, bandits, and Native Americans.  We will enjoy the stunning natural beauty of Yellowstone National Park, Devils Tower, and the majestic Rocky Mountains.  A special highlight is sure to be our cultural interactions with Native Americans on our visits with members of the Crow Nation.  We will also experience one of the oldest and largest Native American gatherings – the annual Crow Fair – with a Pow Wow and the largest tipi village in the world.

Day 1 Billings, Montana  8/20
Introductory meeting; Dinner
Welcome to Billings, Montana, with its blend of the historic Old West and burgeoning New West.  Our tour starts in the late afternoon with a get-acquainted meeting followed by an orientation walk of our neighborhood and dinner together in Billings’ historic downtown.
Northern Hotel – Billings, MT  (2 nights)

Day 2 Billings 8/21
Crow Fair; Pow Wow; Tipi village
This morning we head to the nearby Crow Nation reservation to experience the annual Crow Fair.  Events include a daily parade with Native Americans in historic regalia, a Pow Wow, and the largest collection of tipis in the world - usually over 1,000!  We’ll learn about Crow culture and tipi-life first-hand with visits and talks with members of the Crow Nation.  We return to Billings for the night.

Day 3 Buffalo, Wyoming 8/22
Lewis & Clark; Crow Fair; ‘Custer’s Last Stand’
Today starts with a visit to Pompeys Pillar National Monument highlighting the Lewis & Clark Expedition.  Then we pay a return visit to the Crow Nation reservation to attend additional Crow Fair events and to experience the Little Bighorn Battlefield, long known as ‘Custer’s Last Stand’.  In an interesting twist, a Crow Nation guide gives us a captivating Native American interpretation of this famous battle.  In the afternoon we head south to the quaint town of Buffalo, Wyoming.  After we check into our landmark hotel, the Occidental, we enjoy dinner together in their historic saloon.
Occidental Hotel – Buffalo, WY (2 nights)

Day 4 Buffalo 8/23
Ranches; Range wars; Ranch life
The area around Buffalo was at the center of America’s most famous range war pitting big ranchers, bandits, rustlers, and small ranchers against one another – the Johnson County War.  Today we explore the history of the range wars and ranching, and we learn what ranch life is like today.  Lunch included.  Your afternoon includes free time to explore the town of Buffalo.

Day 5 Casper, Wyoming 8/24
Devils Tower; Oregon Trail wagon ride
After breakfast, we head east as we travel to Devils Tower, a unique and memorable solidified magma tower rising a thousand feet above the landscape.  After time to enjoy the geology and the views, with a visit to one of the largest prairie dog towns remaining in the West, we continue on to Casper, WY, where we will experience ‘pioneer’ life with a wagon ride over the actual route of the Oregon Trail, complete with an evening campfire dinner.
Ramkota Hotel – Casper, Wyoming (1 night)

Day 6 Cody, Wyoming 8/25
National Historic Trails Museum; Fort Caspar frontier military post
Before we leave Casper, we visit the National Historic Trails Museum and Fort Caspar to learn about the lives and travails of the over 400,000 pioneers who traveled the nearby Oregon, Mormon, California, and Pony Express trails.  In the afternoon, we journey on to Cody, WY, the historic western town named after its most famous resident, Buffalo Bill Cody.
Chamberlin Inn - Cody, Wyoming  (2 nights)

Day 7 Cody 8/26
Buffalo Bill Center of the West; Chuck Wagon Dinner; Rodeo
Cody’s Buffalo Bill Center of the West is five museums in one and has been called the best museum about the West.  This morning we enjoy an orientation and then you are free to explore on your own.  Whether your interests lie with Buffalo Bill Cody and his life, Western art, firearms, the Plains Indians, or even geography and geology, this museum covers it all.  We meet up in the late afternoon for a ‘Chuck Wagon’ style dinner accompanied by Western music, and then attend a quintessential Western fixture: the Cody Nightly Rodeo.

Day 8 West Yellowstone, Montana 8/27
Yellowstone National Park
After breakfast we head further west and enter Yellowstone National Park, the world’s first national park.  The next days are spent exploring the wonders of this special region filled with the world’s greatest collection of geysers.  This morning we drive through the Hayden Valley with the Park’s best wildlife viewing opportunities.  Then we visit the area around the scenic Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, including spectacular Yellowstone Falls.  In the afternoon we visit the Norris Geyser Basin before heading to West Yellowstone and checking into our hotel.
Gray Wolf Inn - West Yellowstone, Montana  (2 nights)

Day 9 West Yellowstone 8/28
Wolves & Grizzlies; Old Faithful & Geysers
We capitalize on staying in West Yellowstone by visiting the town’s famous Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center first thing this morning.  This Center specializes in providing a home to problem grizzly bears and also hosts an active wolf pack.  We take advantage of the educational programs to learn more about these classic Western animals.  Later we re-enter Yellowstone Park and head to the Upper Geyser Basin and a visit to the most famous geyser, Old Faithful.  In addition to seeing Old Faithful erupt we hike through the extensive surrounding geyser basin to catch all the vents and geysers spewing steam.  Late in the afternoon we head back to our hotel in West Yellowstone.

Day 10 Bozeman, Montana 8/29
Dinosaurs; Final Dinner
After breakfast we head north.  Our final destination today is Bozeman, the high tech and outdoor adventure capital of Montana.  We have several fun experiences in store on the way, including a visit to the Museum of the Rockies, known for one of the best collections of dinosaur fossils and many examples of T-Rex.  We gather for a final dinner together in Bozeman this evening.
The LARK – Bozeman, MT  (1 night)

Day 11 Tour over 8/30
The tour is officially over after breakfast.  We will help with transfer arrangements to the airport for your flight home.

[Itinerary details and hotels are subject to change]

What’s Included:
10 night’s accommodation; All breakfasts, 5 dinners, 5 lunches; full time services of professional tour director, local guides; all tips for drivers, guides, tour leader, group meals; all transport; all entrances:  Crow Fair Pow Wow and tipi village, Pompeys Pillar National Monument, Little Bighorn Battlefield, Devils Tower, National Historic Trails Museum, Fort Caspar, Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody Rodeo, Yellowstone NP, Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center, Museum of the Rockies; all activities – orientation to Crow culture, Custer’s Last Stand guided tour, Ranchers & Range Wars excursion, orientation for Devils Tower, prairie dog town, Oregon Trail excursion and pioneer dinner, Cody chuck wagon dinner and western music entertainment, Hayden valley wildlife viewing, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Norris Geyser Basin, orientation for Old Faithful and Upper Geyser Basin; and more

Important Exceptions:
Tour participants are responsible for the cost of drinks, free-time sightseeing, meals not covered in the itinerary, expenditures of a personal nature and transportation to/from the tour; See our Terms and Conditions for important details regarding everything listed above.