Mount Rushmore and Custer State Park (164)

Our next stop, and my favorite of the trip, was Mount Rushmore, located in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

As I entered the visitors area, lined on each side by state flags, the sheer size and scope of the project hit me. If standing, there would be four 450 foot giants in front of me.

Next, a sense of patriotism filled me. In front of me, carved in the mountain, were four great American presidents:

• George Washington, Father of the Nation
• Thomas Jefferson, the Expansionist
• Theodore Roosevelt, Protector of the Working Man
• Abraham Lincoln, Preserver of the Union

Others there may have felt the same way, as there was a solemn atmosphere as people gazed at the statues.

Another way to enjoy Mount Rushmore is a walk around the base, through the trees and rocks.

You will be treated to a variety of perspectives and views of Mount Rushmore on the walk.

A special view is at the artists cabin. Though not the original building, a smaller one was built during construction so the artist, Gutzon Borglum, could view the model and the statue at the same time.

I was struck at the emotion he was able to convey in the eyes of the presidents. Borglum devised the method for recreating the model on the mountain, and hired many local mine workers, retraining them for the task. The project was finished by his son in 14 years for about $1,000,000. That is an amazing feat.

Mount Rushmore is amazing in the daytime, but I highly recommend attending the evening lighting ceremony.

A National Park Ranger lead the ceremony, sharing the significance of the monument, and ended with an invitation to veterans in the audience to join on stage for the flag ceremony. Everyone cheered the veterans as the ranger concluded by saying “Thank you for your service”.

Just outside the park is the Washington Profile turnout. True to it name, you get a unique view of Washington. Well worth the stop.

However, Iron Mountain Road in Custer State Park is one of the best ways to view Mount Rushmore. It was planned to optimize views of the monument, but also includes several narrow tunnels.

I saw a few large pickups on the road, though some may have a scratch or two to commemorate the road trip.

I mean it looks narrow even for this Hyundai.

We enjoyed stopping at almost every turn to admire the surroundings.

The Needle is a spectacular rock formation.

Cathedral Spires was the inspiration for Mount Rushmore. In 1923, South Dakota State Historian Doane Robinson and his family stopped because the Model-T Ford he was driving overheated. He sent son Will down to a stream with a canvas water sack to get water for the car.
Doane looked up and envisioned a westerner like Jim Bridger, Kit Carson or Red Cloud carved into the spires. Doane saw this inspiration as a unique way of drawing people to the state and to the beauty of the Black Hills. One year later he toured the area with sculptor Gutzon Borglum, who found the rock was not suitable for carving. However,
they found suitable granite at a nearby mountain, and work began on Mount Rushmore in 1927.

This is my favorite view, as the tunnel perfectly frames the monument.

On the other side of the park, the buffalo roam.

This herd decided to create a bison jam as they crossed the road.

It was fun, and a little scary, getting this close to a full-grown bison.

I focused on Mount Rushmore and Custer State Park in this post, but there are many sites and activities to keep you and your family busy for days.

We stayed at the Mount Rushmore KOA, just 3 miles from the monument. The park has everything — a store, restaurant, ice cream shop,

Horse rides, Chuck-wagon BBQ,

And UTV rentals. This was fun, with miles and miles of trails close to the park.

Three miles away is the historic town of Hill City, with lots of shops and restaurants. Our favorite was the Alpine Inn.

Also nearby is the Crazy Horse Memorial, the amazing George S. Mickelson bike trail, Wind Caves National Park, and Jewel Caves National Monument. Jewel Caves is really worth a stop, as it’s one of the largest caves in the world and has yet to be fully explored. Add the surrounding areas from Deadwood to the north, Rapid City and the Badlands to the East, and there is more than enough to see and do on a single trip.

We had 5 nights in Mount Rushmore, but we needed twice that. Too soon, we had to say good-bye to family and South Dakota, and head to Colorado and back to the Rocky Mountains!

Al & Deb

Rocky Mountain National Park (165)