Talk to Your Guide: (605) 252-9100
Talk to Your Guide: (605) 252-9100
A full day on the quiet side of the Black Hills. Waterfalls and limestone walls in Spearfish Canyon, the open prairie views from Bear Butte, and the lesser-known trails in between — walked at your pace, with an optional picnic lunch in a place most visitors never find.
The Spearfish Canyon and Bear Butte hiking tour is a full-day private guided hiking tour in the northern Black Hills. It combines the waterfalls and forested walls of Spearfish Canyon with the prairie horizon of Bear Butte, connected by back roads and trails that most visitors drive straight past.
It is built for people who want to walk in the Black Hills without committing to a summit push or a crowded trailhead.
Most Black Hills hiking tours point you at the busiest trail and the biggest name. This one does the opposite.
We take the back roads. The hikes we choose are quieter, gentler and, in our opinion, more beautiful than the ones on the front of the brochure — places where you can hear water and wind instead of a parking lot.
Every hike on this tour is chosen to be manageable for able-bodied guests of any age. Nothing is a race. If you want to stop and look at something for twenty minutes, that is the tour working correctly.
Your guide carries a professional camera the whole day. The photographs are yours afterwards, at no cost, with nothing to buy and no watermark.
Able-bodied travellers of any age who want to actually walk in the Black Hills rather than look at it through a window — and who would rather have a quiet trail than a famous one.
Guests looking for a strenuous summit hike or technical terrain, and anyone who needs a wheelchair-accessible route. Please call us before booking if you have mobility concerns — we would rather tell you honestly whether this is the right day for you.
We start in the canyon, when the light is still low and the trails are close to empty.
Spearfish Canyon is a limestone gorge cut by water, walled by spruce and birch, and threaded with waterfalls. The walking here is gentle and shaded. Depending on the season and on what you want from the day, this may include Roughlock Falls, Spearfish Falls, or a quieter stretch of trail your guide knows.
This is the part of the day where the Black Hills stop being scenery and start being a place you are standing in.
A fresh picnic-style meal is available for $20 per person and we highly recommend it. We stop somewhere with a view, unpack a proper picnic and sit down, which beats losing an hour of your day waiting at a restaurant. Drinks are included throughout the day whether you add the meal or not.
Tell us in advance about any dietary needs and we will build the lunch around them.
In the afternoon we move out of the hills to Bear Butte, where the landscape changes completely — forest gives way to open prairie, and the horizon runs uninterrupted for a very long way.
Bear Butte is a laccolith standing alone above the plains, and the walk here is about perspective: the Black Hills behind you, the prairie ahead, and a sense of the scale of the country that is difficult to get anywhere else.
Bear Butte — Mato Paha to the Lakota, Noahȧ-vose to the Cheyenne — is a sacred site and an active place of worship for many Northern Plains nations. People come here to pray. You may see prayer cloths and tobacco ties tied to trees along the trail.
We treat it accordingly. Your guide will explain what you are looking at and how to be a respectful visitor before we set out: stay on the trail, leave offerings untouched, keep noise down, and ask before photographing anything that looks ceremonial.
Occasionally the trail closes for ceremony. If that happens on your date we will tell you and adjust the day — that is not a disappointment, it is the site being used for exactly what it is for.
If this part of the day matters to you, our Indigenous history and cultural perspectives guide is worth reading before you travel.
You want to hike, but you do not want to plan it. Trailheads, permits, park admissions, timing and weather are all handled. You walk.
You do not know which trails are worth your one free day. We do this every week. The trails on this tour are the ones we would take our own families to.
You are travelling with a mixed group. Different ages and different fitness levels usually mean somebody has a bad day. These hikes are chosen so that does not happen.
You want photographs you are actually in. Most people come home with pictures of scenery and none of themselves. Your guide photographs your day and gives you the images free.
The Black Hills have a handful of famous hikes, and in July they can feel like a queue.
The northern hills are quieter, greener and, for most of the summer, several degrees cooler. Spearfish Canyon holds water when the rest of the region is dry, which is why the waterfalls are here and why the forest looks different from the pine you see further south.
Bear Butte gives you the opposite view — the edge of the hills from the outside, standing on the prairie looking back.
Putting the two together in one day is the point of this tour. You see the Black Hills from inside and from outside, and the contrast is what people remember.
Pickup from other cities is available on request for an additional charge — just ask when you book.
Your guide will be one of the named, certified guides on our Meet Your Guides page, and if you want to know which one leads your date, ask us before you book and we will answer with a name.
Tipping is part of how your guide is paid, so if they gave you a good day, a tip is expected rather than a bonus.
Our clients love experiencing the best tours with us.
★★★★★2 months agoAn unparalleled experience for wildlife professionals and enthusiasts alike!
My son and I, both biologists, recently joined Logan for the Wildlife Biologist’s Field Expedition in the Badlands and outer prairie lands of South Dakota. To put it simply, we had an amazing time.
This tour is truly one-of-a-kind; it is the only one in the region that provides such deep access to both the Badlands and the surrounding prairie ecosystems. What really set this experience apart was how Logan customized the entire day to match our specific interests. It was immediately evident that Logan isn’t just a guide—he has genuine, extensive field experience in tracking and working with wildlife, and his knowledge of both biology and local history is top-notch.
The logistics were perfect. We traveled comfortably in his roomy, air-conditioned van, which allowed us to navigate between optimal wildlife viewing locations with ease. He even provided extra sets of high-quality binoculars, which were a great touch. Throughout the trip, he took professional-grade photos of the wildlife and shared them with us, providing a fantastic memento of the day.
We had incredible sightings, including prairie dogs, burrowing owls, bison, a bald eagle, several pronghorns, and mule deer. If you are a wildlife enthusiast looking for a professional, expert-led expedition, I cannot recommend Logan’s tour enough.
★★★★★4 months agoIf you are reading the reviews, trying to decide who you would like to hire for your tour, HIRE XO ADVENTURES!! Stop looking! We had the pleasure of having Daniel give us the tour of Badlands and all attractions in the Black Hills. The company went out of their way to make sure we had the best possible visit to South Dakota, and Daniel was simply the best tour guide and person. He made sure we had the perfect photo opportunities, food, water, he even had extra coats in case we were cold. Daniel also made sure we had the BEST views and were able to see the most amazing sites, whether they were part of the tour or not. My trip was photography based, and being a photographer himself, he knew exactly where to put me for the best photography opportunities at the perfect times of day for optimum sun exposure. He's also extremely knowledgeable on all things South Dakota and the Lakota Tribes and he taught us SO much while we were in his care. I am eternally grateful to XO and Daniel for making this trip a solid core memory for my 17 year old grandson, who was accomanying me. By the end of our two day tour we not only had a new friend, but Daniel felt like family and we were truly sad to say goodbye (or as he says, "See you down the road"). You will NOT be disappointed in using XO Adventures! Book them NOW!!
★★★★★2 weeks agoI can’t recommend this company and its wonderful guides enough. The experience from beginning to end was seamless and stress free. Having never been to this part of the country, we booked back to back days to make sure we got the chance to really see/experience all that this beautiful land had to offer and to learn more about the Lakota. The tour guides were knowledgeable, friendly, helpful and fun! If you’re lucky enough to get a Dan - there are two and we had both, you’ll have an amazing tour. The tour was not a scripted presentation - it was a thoughtful, customized and engaging experience that exceeded our expectations! Dan brought in a Native American educator named Jake who joined us for the trip and shared with us his perspective. Don’t think twice about booking with My XO Adventures, an awesome adventure awaits you!
★★★★★a month agoBadlands Wildlife and Sunset Tour with My XO Adventures was one of the highlights of our trip to South Dakota. Everything was seamless and personable. Aimee was very helpful in booking our tour, coordinating pickup time while taking into account possible rain showers, and ordering our boxed lunches. Our tour guide, Dan, was amazing. You can tell Dan genuinely loves what he does. He shared many interesting stories about the area's history, geology, wildlife and hidden gems. We made a quick stop at Wall Drug Store and we never felt rushed. Dan knew exactly where to stop for the most breathtaking views and to find all kinds of wildlife. We even enjoyed a lightening show.
Thank you Dan, and the team at My XO Adventures, for creating such a special memory for our family!
★★★★★2 months agoMy husband and I enjoyed TWO tours (Wildlife Biologist’s Field Expedition: The Badlands Uncovered & Spirit of the West: Devil’s Tower & Spearfish Canyon) with our guide Logan who was unbelievably knowledgable and made conversation so easy! Logan made our first experience in South Dakota & Wyoming so memorable and special. Logan tailored to all our interests and assisted us with making choices that suited our curiosity. Logan did a great job communicating with us prior to our tour, which eased all my stress. During the tour Logan was so invested in giving us the best experience possible, it was evident Logan takes pride in the job he does! I absolutely recommend these tours, in fact, I wish I could have Logan as a guide for every tour going forward. Thank you Logan for an absolutely incredible experience! You made our trip out here extra special.