Cowboy Country
Stories by Ken Burns & Tauck Bridges Family Tours
The Cowboy Country with Salt Lake City tour is a captivating 9 day luxury Tauck Bridges Family Travel opportunity to giddyup. Travel through South Dakota, Wyoming and Utah. Visit Mormon Row Historic District, Buffalo Bill Center of the West, the Crazy Horse Memorial and Mount Rushmore National Memorial, get a taste of Wyoming ranch life among other highlights.
8 Days • fr. $5,390
Tour Includes
- EXPERIENCE life on the ranch
- WHOOP IT UP at a rodeo
- EXPLORE treasures of the National Park Service
- LEARN stories of the people who shaped the Wild, Wild West
- LOOK FOR for beaver, elk, bison and more
- STAY just steps from Old Faithful
- RAFT down the Snake River
- SAMPLE cowboy life with horseback riding, roping demos, horse whisperer, cookhouse lunch and campfires on a real ranch
- DISCOVER the man-made artistry of Mount Rushmore
- MARVEL at the natural majesty of Grand Teton National Park
- SEE the iconic iconic T.A. Moulton barn with the dramatic Teton Range as a backdrop
- CHECK OUT American Indian artwork and artifacts on display at Grand Teton National Park's Colter Bay Visitor Center
- LOCALLY GUIDED WALK explores Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park
- SEE some of the 10,000 hot springs within Yellowstone, as well as bubbling pools of mud and volcanic calderas
- WITNESS mighty Old Faithful shoot its plume of steam high into the air
- ATTEND nationally famous Cody Nite Rodeo – a fixture since 1938
- VIEW the work in progress at the Crazy Horse Memorial on the face of Thunderhead Mountain
- Airport transfers upon arrival and departure as detailed
- All customary gratuities for hotel and restaurant staff and local guides are included.
Not Included
- The customary gratuities for the Tauck Director and local drivers are not included. We ask that gratuities be extended on a voluntary, individual basis and not as a group.
- All items of a personal nature (room service, beverages, telephone charges, laundry, dry cleaning, special food requests, etc.) and meals not specified on the tour itinerary are not included and must be paid by the client.
- Airline excess luggage charges, vaccinations, visa fees and services, airport arrival and departure taxes, individual airport transfers (when applicable), and other optional or incidental extras are not included.
- All rates exclude airfare unless expressly noted.
Meal Inclusions
Hotel Details
- The Grand America Hotel in Salt lake City, Utah (1 night)
- Jackson Lake Lodge in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming (2 nights)
- Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming (2 nights)
- Holiday Inn® Cody at Buffalo Bill Village in Cody, Wyoming (1 night)
- Option 1 - The Ranch at Ucross in Ucross, Wyoming OR Option 2 - Holiday Inn® Sheridan in Sheridan, Wyoming (1 night)
- Holiday Inn® Sheridan in Sheridan, Wyoming (1 night)
- K Bar S Lodge in Keystone, South Dakota (1 night)
Day 1
Welcome to Jackson & Grand Teton Nat'l Park Location Information Description
Jackson Hole, United States
Your Tauck Bridges Wyoming family vacation begins at 5:45 PM at the Jackson Lake Lodge. A transfer is included from Jackson Hole Airport to Jackson Lake Lodge in the heart of Grand Teton National Park. Meet the new friends who will share this Cowboy Country adventure with your family at our welcome reception and dinner.
JACKSON LAKE LODGE
Day 2
Snake River raft trip, Mormon Row & Jackson Location Information Description
Snake River, United States
Marvel at the mountain majesty of Grand Teton National Park before setting off on a rafting adventure* down the Snake River. Along the way, your guide will help you spot the beavers, eagles, elks and other animals that live in the park.
Location Information Description
Jackson Hole, United States
After lunch at your choice of restaurants at the lodge, head to the park's Mormon Row Historic District, whose preservation is being supported by a grant from Tauck. A homesteaders’ settlement dating back to 1890 located in an undeveloped area of the park, Mormon Row is home to a number of weathered historic structures – including the iconic T.A. Moulton barn, an unofficial symbol of the park – with the dramatic Teton Range as a backdrop. You'll feel like you’ve traveled back in time at the site, which attracts photographers from around the world... so have your camera ready!
This afternoon, travel to the historic (and trendy) Western town of Jackson to explore as you wish, or check out some of the fun things to do back at Jackson Lake Lodge. Spend the evening as you please.
Breakfast, Lunch
JACKSON LAKE LODGE
Day 3
On to Yellowstone, the world's first national park Location Information Description
Yellowstone N.P., United States
You may want to check out the American Indian artwork and artifacts on display at Grand Teton National Park's Colter Bay Visitor Center before traveling on this morning to Yellowstone National Park, established in 1872 as America's (and the world's) first national park – where your historic "home away from home" for the next two nights, the Old Faithful Inn, is just steps away from the famous Old Faithful Geyser, shooting up to 184 feet in the air approximately every 90 minutes! Keep an eye out for Yellowstone's diverse wildlife as you explore some of the features of the park – whose geologic wonders include two-thirds of all the geysers in the world – with your family as you please. Have dinner at your classic inside-the-park lodge at your leisure tonight.
Breakfast, Dinner
OLD FAITHFUL INN
Day 4
Mud pots & more on a perfect day in Yellowstone Location Information Description
Yellowstone N.P., United States
Wake up to a world of amazing natural wonders in Yellowstone National Park and spend the day sightseeing in the park with local experts from The Institute of the Yellowstone Association, who share information about the park and its abundant wildlife as you explore; Yellowstone protects threatened or endangered species including the gray wolf, whooping crane, lynx, grizzly bear and bald eagle.
Have a picnic lunch, and see some of the 10,000 hot springs within the park, as well as bubbling pools of mud and volcanic calderas; and, a short distance from your lodge, make sure you reserve some family time to watch mighty Old Faithful shoot its plume of steam high into the air just about every hour and a half – a highlight of any Wyoming family vacation! After a day that is truly a celebration of the West’s natural beauty, enjoy dinner at leisure back at the lodge.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
OLD FAITHFUL INN
Day 5
All about Buffalo Bill's West & rodeo fun in Cody Location Information Description
Cody, United States
Say goodbye to Yellowstone and continue your Wyoming vacation to the historic town of Cody, Wyoming, founded in part by the famous "Buffalo Bill" Cody, from whom the town got its name. Glimpse the history and culture of the heyday of the American West at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, whose five acclaimed, connected museums each tell a different side of the story – focusing on the Plains Indians, Western art, historic firearms, the region's natural history, and the life and career of "Buffalo Bill" Cody himself. Have a western-style dinner and then thrill to bucking broncos, steer wrestlers, calf ropers and barrel riders and more at the nationally famous Cody Nite Rodeo – a fixture since 1938 here in Cody, often called the "rodeo capital of the world."
Breakfast, Dinner
HOLIDAY INN® CODY AT BUFFALO BILL VILLAGE
Day 6
A big helping of cowboy life down on the ranch Location Information Description
Buffalo, United States
Journey through Wyoming's Bighorn Mountains today, past deep canyons, vast grasslands, and blankets of wildflowers en route to one of the highlights of your Wyoming vacation – a double dose of Western ranch life that your family will love! First, feel the spirit of Cowboy Country during an authentic ranch experience – including a cookhouse lunch and an opportunity for a horseback ride*, or a horse whisperer or a roping demonstration – at the T-A Guest Ranch in Buffalo, Wyoming. A real working cattle ranch, the T-A Ranch was the site of a famous siege and shootout during the infamous "Johnson County War" in 1892; you can still see the old gunshot holes in the ranch's original horse barn! Later, continue on to an overnight and dinner at your leisure at yet another real Wyoming ranch – the Ranch at Ucross – topping the night off with an old-fashioned campfire complete with stories and s'mores!
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
THE RANCH AT UCROSS
Day 7
Black Hills giants – Crazy Horse & Mt. Rushmore Location Information Description
Custer, United States
Depart the Ranch at Ucross and Wyoming and head for the Black Hills of South Dakota. Look up in wonder at the Crazy Horse Memorial, where you'll view the work in progress as artisans carve the likeness of the famous Lakota warrior out of the mountain. Begun in 1948 after an Oglala Lakota elder commissioned sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski to create the memorial on the face of Thunderhead Mountain to show “that we have heroes too,” the independently funded project is now carried on by members of the late sculptor's family; when completed, it will be the largest rock sculpture in the world. At the project's visitor's center – which includes the former Ziolkowski family home – you'll explore exhibits that speak to the diverse histories and cultures of America’s native peoples, and learn more about this unique family project.
Location Information Description
Keystone, United States
Then it's on Mount Rushmore National Monument, where you’ll be welcomed by the colossal granite heads of four US presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Lincoln. The sculptures were the work of Danish-American Gutzon Borglum and his son, a 14-year project begun in 1927. From here, you’ll head to the K Bar S Lodge for an overnight stay and this evening’s farewell reception and dinner to celebrate a week of authentic western magic in Cowboy Country.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
K BAR S LODGE
Day 8
Journey Home Location Information Description
Rapid City, United States
Tour ends: Rapid City. Fly home anytime; a transfer is included from K Bar S Lodge to Rapid City Regional Airport. Allow a minimum of two hours for flight check-in.
Breakfast
Important information:
Important Information
Cancellation Policy
- 60 days or more before departure: $350.00 per person
- 59-8 days before departure: $600.00 per person
- 7-1 days before departure: $900.00 per person
- On departure day and later: 100% of total price
- Any changes or cancellations to airline reservations made through Tauck either before or after departure are subject to the cancellation / change policies of the individual airlines. In n some instances these cancellation / change fees may be up to 100% of the ticket price.
- Cancellation fees may also apply to any additional services, including extra night accommodations, independently supplied services, and optional excursions reserved prior to, during, and after the tour. If flight changes, including, but not limited to, flight cancellations or name changes, are requested after full land and air deposits are received, revision fees, change fees, or airline cancellation fees will apply.
- All cancellations must be received in writing prior to tour departure. The cancellation policy will apply according to the date that the cancellation notification is received. The MINIMUM cancellation penalty is the deposit amount.
- The purchase to trip cancellation insurance is strongly recommended.
Terms and Conditions
- Land only “from price” is per person based on two people sharing a room together and does not include airfare unless expressly stated.
- All prices are in US Dollars.
- A $350 non-refundable, non-transferable, per-person, per-vacation deposit is required to reserve space for you. Payment of the deposit indicates you have read and accepted all Terms & Conditions. Your booking is not confirmed until the deposit payment is processed and you receive a confirmation invoice.
- Final payment is due 75 days prior to departure. Within the final payment date, payment in full is required at time of booking to reserve space. Reservations (land, cruise, and air) are canceled if final payment is not received by the due date.
- Additional deposits or payments are required for international air added to the start and/or end of your vacation.