605-252-9100

Wildlife Tour of the Black Hills

Explore the Black Hills, Custer State Park, and Wind Cave with a Wildlife Biologist

Tour Capacity

4

Duration

8 Hours

Distance

150 Miles

Book Tour

Tour Details

Key Highlights
  • Wind Cave National Park
  • Custer State Park & The Wildlife Loop Road
  • Coolidge Lookout Tower
  • Needles Highway
  • Sylvan Lake
  • Cathedral Spires
  • Wildlife Biologist Guide
  • Admission and Entry Fees
  • Snacks & Goodies
  • Picnic Lunch
  • Bottled Water
  • Pick up & Drop off at your accommodations in Rapid City
  • Photos Taken By The Guide
  • Private Tour Exclusive to Your Group
  • Restrooms are available through this tour.
  • This tour is customizable to your comfort and ability level.
  • This tour is exclusive to your group. No other guests will be added.
  • Comfortable walking shoes or hiking boots
  • Weather-appropriate clothing (layers recommended)
  • Refillable water bottle
  • A sense of adventure!
  • Important

Our Wildlife Tour of the Black Hills often sells out well in advance. We strongly recommend booking as early as possible to secure your preferred date and avoid disappointment.

Tour Overview

Book Tour

Discover the Wild Side of the Black Hills with a Private Wildlife Biologist Guide

Escape the crowds and dive deep into the heart of South Dakota’s most iconic natural landscapes with this full-day Wildlife Tour of the Black Hills. Led by an expert wildlife biologist, this immersive journey through the Black Hills of South Dakota offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity to encounter native wildlife, explore scenic byways, and learn the untamed stories of this extraordinary region.

This private, all-inclusive tour takes you through Wind Cave National Park, Custer State Park, the famed Wildlife Loop Road, the awe-inspiring Needles Highway, and the serene beauty of Sylvan Lake—each destination selected for its ecological richness, natural beauty, and abundant wildlife.

What You'll Experience

  • Expert-Guided Wildlife Viewing
    Join a professional wildlife biologist who brings decades of knowledge and a passion for the ecosystem. Learn about animal behavior, tracking signs, and conservation efforts while traveling through habitats teeming with life. Your Wildlife Tour of the Black Hills focuses on the natural beauty rather than man-made marvels. 

  • Incredible Wildlife Sightings
    Keep your eyes peeled for American Bison, Bighorn Sheep, Pronghorn Antelope, Mountain Goats, Marmots, Badgers, Coyotes, and Prairie Dogs. Overhead, spot Bald Eagles, songbirds, and possibly a soaring Golden Eagle.

  • Scenic Drives with Breathtaking Vistas
    Travel along the Needles Highway, famous for its granite spires and tunnels, and wind your way through the Wildlife Loop Road, one of the best places in the U.S. to see large mammals in their natural habitat. Your Wildlife Tour of the Black Hills takes many of the backroads away from visitors and full of natural beauty. 

  • Wind Cave National Park
    Home to one of the world’s longest and most complex cave systems, this national park boasts rich prairie ecosystems, perfect for spotting bison herds and prairie dog colonies.

  • Custer State Park’s Hidden Corners
    Venture off the beaten path into South Dakota’s most famous state park, exploring landscapes where buffalo roam, lakes shimmer, and wildlife flourishes.

  • Picnic Lunch in the Wilderness
    Savor a thoughtfully prepared picnic lunch at a scenic stop, surrounded by fresh air, tall pines, and the distant sounds of nature. We provide everything—you just sit back and take it all in.

Reviews for My XO Adventures

wildlife tour of the black hills
wildlife tour of the black hills
Tracy Schupbach

Daniel picked us up at our place of stay and took us on a magical ride throughout the Black Hills and Badlands. Wonderful knowledge and history of the locations. I highly recommend the Badlands at the Golden hour. Aimee recommended that tour and WOW! Nothing I could write would do it justice. Daniel was the best. We came in the off season and it seemed we had the hills to ourselves. We saw so many things going the back roads with Daniel that we may never would have seen had we driven. The best tour we have ever taken.

wildlife tour of the black hills
B. Castetter

Tour guide Dan was awesome! He was very knowledgeable and did not rush us through, always willing to stop onlong the way if we seen anything interesting, like Hawks, Ram, Bison, Deer, Antelope, Prairie Dogs, Porcupine and a Badger! It was awesome with the evening golden light on the clay Badlands formations. Then when it got dark we enjoyed the night skys watching shooting stars, satellites and of course the milky way. Sitting in the provided zero G chairs provided comfort and a mind relaxing experience. Highly recommend this tour of the Badlands!

wildlife tour of the black hills
Carol Simone

Spent 3 days in South Dakota with Daniel as our guide. Each day was a new adventure which we really enjoyed. He was very prompt and extremely knowledgeable with South Dakota history and landmarks. He made sure we had plenty of time at each monument, we never felt rushed. We requested to stay later in the Badlands to see the stars and he accommodated us. We would recommend anyone looking for a guide in South Dakota to call XO Adventures.

Explore Your Wildlife Tour of the Black Hills

Wind Cave National Park

Explore one of the most unique national parks in the United States—both above and below ground.

Your Wildlife Tour of the Black Hills includes Wind Cave National Park, a stunning blend of prairie ecosystems, Ponderosa pine forests, and one of the world’s longest and most complex cave systems.

This park is an ecological treasure and a haven for South Dakota wildlife viewing, especially for those interested in American Bison, Prairie Dogs, and Pronghorn Antelope roaming the grasslands.

Your private guide, a professional wildlife biologist, brings deep insight into the park’s geology, biology, and cultural history.

Above ground, we explore rolling prairies teeming with life, including the park’s iconic bison herds, while below ground lies the legendary Wind Cave, known for its rare boxwork formations, found nowhere else in such abundance.

Wildlife Loop Road, Custer State Park: America’s Hidden Safari

Drive through the heart of the action on one of the best wildlife viewing roads in the country.

Tucked within Custer State Park, the Wildlife Loop Road offers an extraordinary chance to witness South Dakota’s iconic animals in their natural habitat.

This 18-mile scenic route cuts through wide-open grasslands and rolling hills, a landscape ideally suited for spotting herds of American Bison, White-tailed Deer, Wild Turkeys, and begging burros up close.

But this isn’t just a drive-by photo op. With your private biologist guide, you’ll learn about the behavior, ecology, and seasonal patterns of the park’s wildlife.

Using professional binoculars provided on the tour, we’ll safely observe bison rutting behavior, identify raptors in flight, and seek out elusive animals like badgers, coyotes, and Bighorn Sheep. Our Wildlife Tour of the Black Hills is full of surprises. 

Our Promise

We don’t just show you the sights—we connect you to the stories that make them unforgettable. Focusing on responsible tourism and respecting the land’s rich heritage, we ensure your journey is meaningful and memorable. Your Wildlife Tour of the Black Hills creates wide eyes and open minds. 

Book Tour

Needles Highway: Granite Cathedrals and Timeless Beauty

Experience the legendary drive that defines the Black Hills’ rugged charm.

Part of the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway, the Needles Highway (SD-87) is one of America’s most scenic and exhilarating drives.

This 14-mile stretch cuts through sharp granite spires, narrow tunnels, and dense pine forests, creating a breathtaking backdrop for photography, wildlife watching, and soul-stirring moments.

Your guide will navigate the infamous Needle’s Eye Tunnel, and stop at carefully selected overlooks and pullouts. You’ll learn how these granite formations were shaped over millions of years and how the landscape influences the local ecology and animal migrations.

Mountain Goats, mule deer, and raptors are commonly spotted along the Wildlife Tour of the Black Hills, and hidden meadows often come alive with wildflowers and songbirds in spring and summer.

Book Tour

Sylvan Lake: A Crown Jewel of the Black Hills

Unwind beside the most picturesque lake in the Black Hills, framed by towering granite boulders.

Often called the “Crown Jewel of Custer State Park,” Sylvan Lake is a serene and photogenic stop on your Wildlife Tour of the Black Hills.

This alpine-style lake is ringed by massive granite rock formations, clear waters, and hiking trails that offer quiet solitude and stunning views. It’s also a frequent filming location, including scenes from National Treasure 2.

Your wildlife biologist guide will share insights into the lake’s role in local hydrology, fish populations, and its cultural significance to the region.

Depending on your interests and mobility, we can walk part of the Sylvan Lake Shore Trail, find a quiet spot for wildlife watching, or simply take time for photography and reflection.

This is also one of the top places to look for Mountain Goats, waterfowl, and rare songbirds during your wildlife tour of the Black Hills. 

Cathedral Spires

Step into a landscape carved by time and revered for its raw, vertical majesty.

Rising like ancient stone guardians from the Ponderosa pine forest, the Cathedral Spires of Custer State Park are among the most iconic and photographed rock formations in South Dakota.

These towering granite pinnacles, formed over 2.5 billion years ago, are a climber’s paradise and a sacred landscape to many Indigenous cultures.

On your Wildlife Tour of the Black Hills, you’ll experience the Cathedral Spires Scenic Overlook, one of the most dramatic and panoramic viewpoints in the Needles region.

Your guide—a professional wildlife biologist and naturalist—will illuminate how these massive stone columns formed through tectonic uplift, erosion, and glaciation.

Learn how the spires influence microclimates, attract raptors like Peregrine Falcons, and serve as natural nesting habitats for songbirds and mountain mammals.

Needles Highway provides plenty of photography, bird watching, and geological education opportunities.

Book Tour

Coolidge Lookout Tower: A 360-Degree Window into the Wild

Gaze across the vast expanse your Wildlife Tour of the Black Hills from one of its highest and most historic vantage points.

Perched at over 6,000 feet above sea level, Coolidge Lookout Tower offers breathtaking panoramic views of Custer State Park, the Needles, Black Elk Peak, and beyond.

Originally constructed during the New Deal era for fire detection, the tower now serves as a scenic overlook and a window into the region’s ecological and cultural story.

This stop on your Wildlife and Wilderness Private Tour offers a unique opportunity to understand forest management, fire ecology, and the geological forces that shaped the Black Hills.

Your wildlife biologist guide will point out prominent landmarks in the distance and explain how this once-active fire lookout helped protect one of South Dakota’s most biodiverse environments.

Coolidge Tower is also a fantastic location for spotting raptors, songbirds, and even mountain goats along the rocky outcrops. On clear days, views can stretch more than 50 miles across the Black Hills National Forest, offering a moment of reflection amid the wild.

Book Tour

Explore More Tours

Click on a tour below for more information & booking.

Black Hills Parks and Monuments Tour

The Big Badlands and Mount Rushmore Adventure Tour

Mount Rushmore Illumination Tour

Badlands, Black Hills and Bravehearts Multi-Day Vacation

Badlands National Park Sunset and Night Sky

Badlands Sunset

and Golden Hour Tour

Badlands National Park Tour

The Big Badlands and Mount Rushmore Adventure Tour

Winter Wonderland Tour of The Badlands

Badlands, Black Hills and Bravehearts Multi-Day Vacation

Devils Tower, Spearfish Canyon And Deadwood Adventure

Black Hills Parks and Monuments Tour

Badlands, Black Hills and Bravehearts Multi-Day Vacation

Winter Wonderland Tour of The Black Hills