Planning a Mount Rushmore Visit? Know the History First

Mount Rushmore National Memorial is the most visited site in South Dakota. It’d probably be even higher up on the list of most popular attractions in the United States if it were more convenient to visit.

For a little perspective, it has about double the visitors of nearby Badlands National Park, one of the most impressive natural wonders in the state.

Is Mount Rushmore really worth the visit, though, from the planning to the time it takes to navigate the crowds once you’re there?

I’d argue that you can’t really answer that question until you know about the history of this place, including the controversy over how Mount Rushmore came to be. From there, you can decide how to approach the site.

I know it informed how we felt about our trip quite a bit.

Is Mount Rushmore worth visiting?

Mount Rushmore is worth visiting if you’re already traveling to Rapid City or on a road trip through the Dakotas. It’s hard to say no to visiting one of the most iconic sites in the United States when it only costs a few dollars to park and check the thing out.

I wouldn’t travel hours to make it happen, though. This site does come with a lot of controversy, and it’s important to see this place with open eyes.

Driving the Black Hills area is fantastic, too, and worth your time whether you see Mount Rushmore or not.

You can see Mount Rushmore without paying. 

You can see Mount Rushmore without paying to enter the park. The monument and grounds are free to visit, so you can admire the iconic faces at no cost.

That said, some parking areas near the monument charge a fee, usually around $10-$20. This gives you access to convenient parking close to the viewpoints for photos and easy access to the walking areas.

I’ll get into the history in a minute, but if any of that gives you the ick, there are several viewpoints around the park itself that are free ways to see Mount Rushmore.

Visit the Mount Rushmore Profile View for a glimpse of George Washington’s profile or the Doane Robinson Tunnel for a peek-a-boo tunnel view. The profile view includes a fairly large parking lot where you can pull over safely for photos.

If you’re visiting other national parks on a road trip in the region, consider an annual America the Beautiful pass.

The tunnel is a little more precarious. We didn’t see anyone else in the small parking area but I can see how this could be dangerous with more traffic. It’s only one-way traffic through the tunnel. 

I ran in to take a photo inside the tunnel hoping there wouldn’t be any cars coming, something I’m not sure I’d recommend.

Why is Mount Rushmore important?

Fans of the site believe that the idea of paying homage to four popular presidents is why the place is so important. The sheer size of the memorial and those American vibes are what many visitors say is great about Mount Rushmore.

People are genuinely moved when they see this thing for the first time. Honestly, I was more like, “Well, there they are. Gah, it is HOT out here!”

The sculptor, Gutzon Borglum, personally chose to feature George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln as part of the project. 

He felt that they represented the most important events in the country’s history at the time of the monument’s creation.

My feelings are more mixed. Americans treasure the site as evidence of their patriotism and ingenuity. How it came to be, though, required a complete disregard for the Black Hills and sacred land once held by the Lakota people.

How do Native Americans feel about Mount Rushmore?

Some Native Americans feel that the story of Mount Rushmore is less a triumph of man but a story of the desecration of their sacred lands.

They feel the memorial is a slap in the face following years of legal battles to regain lands stolen by the U.S. government in the last century. 

Mount Rushmore isn’t just built on American Indian land. It’s built on land stolen from local tribes.

The Black Hills, the incredible scenery you’ll encounter while visiting Mount Rushmore, has long been home to tribes that included the Lakota, or the Teton Sioux.

This was land actually set aside for them by our government as part of the 1868 Treat of Fort Laramie.

Yep. We were bold enough to “give” land to people who were there before us.

Before Mount Rushmore, the Lakota called this place Tunkasila Sakpe Paha, or Six Grandfathers Mountain. It was a sacred place for Native people who came here to pray, as it was one of the most fertile areas in the region. They were grateful for this land.

The Fort Laramie deal only lasted until gold was found in the area. By 1877, the United States took the land back over to continue its prospecting efforts. 

In their defense, they didn’t know there was yellow gold in those Black Hills.

I’m being snarky, obviously. This wasn’t just theft. This was a fraud by the U.S. government. 

Note: The local tribes actually sued the U.S. government in 1920 for that very thing.

Those lawsuits continued for decades. In 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the U.S. government had messed up and should pay the Lakota a “whopping” $17.1 million. The Lakota refused the money.

They wanted the land returned to its rightful owners, but that hasn’t happened. Modern-day feelings by Native Americans are a complicated blend of loss, disappointment, and disdain.

Some want something that should be simpler: Acknowledgement that this was a project completed in bad faith. For them, this celebration of Western expansion and patriotism caused the displacement of their people.

READ MORE: Interested in the history of Native Americans in the U.S.? Check out my guide to Tahlequah, Oklahoma, the heart of the Cherokee Nation.

Should we have even put these four men on this high a pedestal, by the way? Theodore Roosevelt has said this about American Indians:

“I don’t go so far as to think that the only good Indians are the dead Indians, but I believe nine out of every 10 are and I shouldn’t like to inquire too closely into the case of the 10th.”

Mount Rushmore is still a protest site today on big days for American patriotism. Come on July 4 and you may see demonstrators gathered to remind the American faithful that they’re standing on stolen land.

More History on the Construction of Mount Rushmore

By the 1880s, the area was awash in settlers looking to strike it rich. That’s about the time Charles Rushmore, a New York business and attorney, came into town to get his hands on a tin mine. 

There are a few stories about how Mount Rushmore came to be named after him, but apparently, he shook the right hands and greased the right wheels. 

From there, development in South Dakota focused on catering not only to prospectors but tourists interested in road trip destinations. 

They came to see the imposing Black Hills and the mysterious Wind Cave National Park. They delighted in the winding roads that showed off the region’s impressive granite formations.

That wasn’t enough for state historian Doane Robinson.

Ol’ Doane wanted something bigger and better. He reached out to sculptor John Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum, more colloquially known as Gutzon Borglum, for something that would rival Borglum’s Georgia “masterpiece.” 

If you’ve ever seen Stone Mountain, a memorial to the Confederacy near Atlanta, Georgia, he started that one before Mount Rushmore. He was able to finish the Robert E. Lee portion before kicking off work on Mount Rushmore.

He didn’t leave that project willingly, though. He was fired by the Stone Mountain Memorial Association in 1925 for being offensive and kind of braggy. This is super rich considering he got involved with the state’s chapter of the Ku Klux Klan while there. 

The local KKK wasn’t just predictably racist. They were an important donor for the construction of Stone Mountain.

Anyway, he was too braggy for these people and they let him go, so he was free when Doane came calling with his new project.

For the next 16 years, Borglum worked on a carving that would never be totally finished. He initially wanted to do more than just faces, but apparently, he was too braggy to realize he’d run out of room carving to the presidents’ waists. 

He built a secret nook behind the faces for various artifacts, instead. He liked secrets.

Fun fact: If you’ve seen National Treasure: Book of Secrets, you’ve probably already speculated about what else is in that vault.  

Borglum died before even finishing the vision for the four faces, but the project was determined finished in 1941 anyway. 

How long should you spend at Mount Rushmore?

There is enough to do at Mount Rushmore to fill about an hour, and once you’ve seen it once you’ve likely seen it enough for a lifetime. (Brian got to see it twice, as his first trip was as a kid without me.)

Things to Do at Mount Rushmore

On that one visit, here are a few things you can do on a visit to Mount Rushmore.

Take a guided tour.

Honestly, the site is compact enough that you’ll get the gist on a self-guided tour. If you see a cute ranger and want to get in on that, pop by the Information Center for times upon arrival.

You can also choose from a few self-guided tour options if you want a little more information as you explore. Audio and multimedia tour guides are available at the Information Center as well, but there are rental fees associated with both.

The multimedia tour guide comes with images and video, naturally.

Walk the Avenue of Flags.

You’ll see this as soon as you enter the site. Find your state and snap a pic. If you’re not from the United States, why are you here? I’m mostly kidding, but seriously. There are so many other things to see. Have you been to Pequod’s?

Snap your pics on the Grand View Terrace.

If you arrive before 9am, you’ll have your first unobstructed view of Mount Rushmore from here. The platform is at the end of the Avenue of Flags. Down below, you’ll see some seating for special programming.

We were lucky enough to have a spot to ourselves for photos, if only for a minute. Arrive early in the morning if you’d like to enjoy the same.

Visit the Lincoln Borglum Visitor Center.

Learn more about the construction of the monument and the sculptor at the Lincoln Borglum Visitor Center. The space is named after James Lincoln de la Mother Borglum, the son of Gutzon Borglum.

The younger Borglum is named after his dad’s favorite president. He was also a sculptor who did some light work overseeing the completion of the memorial after his father’s death.

He didn’t add much to it but earned naming rights of the visitor’s center regardless. This is likely due to his work as the park’s first superintendent in 1941 for the three years that followed.

There’s a video playing here that we skipped because we assumed it’d be more of the same. If I’m wrong, I’m sorry.

Walk the Presidential Trail.

This 0.6-mile paved path is described as strenuous by the National Park Service because you’ll have quite a few steps to navigate along the way. There are a number of scenic stops for you to rest at, though, so I found it pretty breezy.

Note: This is a good reminder to make sure you’re bringing along plenty of water on visits to this place. It can get very hot here, and there isn’t a ton of shade.

While you’re on your walkabout, watch for wildlife. We saw a few deer along the way, munching on some grass, ambivalent to the tourists snapping photos.

See the Sculptor’s Studio.

You’ll see the entrance to this small building as you walk the Presidential Trail. It’ll give you a sense of the scope of the project before it was downgraded to faces only.

If you like little chats, the park service runs 15-minute Sculptors Studio Talks here quite often in the summer months. You’ll learn about the different tools and techniques used to make this thing happen, including demonstrations.

We didn’t stay for this but I do wish I learned what that swing hanging from the ceiling was for after making a crass joke about said swing.

See Mount Rushmore at night.

I haven’t done this, but the Evening Lighting Ceremony is the preferred way for many visitors to see Mount Rushmore. Timing varies throughout the year, so check the park service calendar if you’re interested.

Get an ice cream cone.

If you want to grab a classic vanilla cone at Memorial Team Ice Cream, you’ll need to arrive later than I’d recommend. There’s another option that I didn’t know about before our visit, though.

Apparently, Carvers’ Café is open mornings and serves the same stuff, so I’m feeling some FOMO over this now. Is there anything better than breakfast ice cream?

Fun fact: The ice cream here is inspired by the recipe Thomas Jefferson apparently enjoyed. That’s the main draw here.

Things to Do Near Mount Rushmore

If you’re feeling some guilt over what you learned here and want to visit Crazy Horse Memorial to assuage that guilt, don’t.

This privately owned monument sits incomplete after over 75 years despite raising around $10 million in funds from tourists and private donors each year.

That’s sketchy. It’s also expensive to visit, built on sacred land, and named after an important figure who famously hated attention.

With more time, there are plenty of things to do near Mount Rushmore that are way less offensive:

• Bop around downtown Rapid City and find your favorite president among the bronze sculptures.
• Hike Rapid City’s Petrified Forest Trail.
• Drive the Wildlife Loop Road at Custer State Park.
• Admire the dramatic landscapes of Badlands National Park.
• Find your favorite hike in the Black Hills National Forest.
• Tour a cave at Wind Cave National Park.
• See an active excavation site at The Mammoth Site.
• Make the trip into Wyoming for Devils Tower National Monument.
• Visit a Cold War-era facility at the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site.

READ MORE: Deadwood isn’t on here because I found it so inauthentic. You can get the details in my review of the tourist trap.

When to Visit Mount Rushmore

The best time of year to visit Mount Rushmore is the late spring and early fall when the crowds are thinner and you still have access to all of the programming at the site.

That said, we visited in June expecting throngs of people and it didn’t happen. Just arrive early in the morning and you should be fine.

The best time of day to visit Mount Rushmore for the best experience is before 9am if it’s early June and before 8am in July or August. The rest of the year is a little looser when it comes to crowds.

If you’re here for the Evening Lighting Ceremony, the best time to visit Mount Rushmore is well before sunset to get a nice viewing spot.

Where to Stay Near Mount Rushmore

We took a short drive from Rapid City to Keystone for our morning at Mount Rushmore. If you’re short on time or want to sleep in, there are places to stay in Keystone for max efficiency. You’ll save money by traveling outside of peak summer months.

I like the looks of the Roosevelt Inn Mount Rushmore thanks to the Teddy Roosevelt quotes serving as decor. If you want to brag after your stay, you can see George Washington from the K Bar S Lodge. His profile is visible from the main lodge’s deck.

Browse the map below for Keystone hotels and apartment-style accommodations:

Visit Mount Rushmore if you’re already there.

By “already here,” I mean you’re already visiting Rapid City or Keystone, the town Mount Rushmore is located in.

That’s what brought us to the site. We were in Rapid City for a week ticking off another U.S. state for me and exploring national parks in the Dakotas. I don’t think it’s worth a cross-country road trip, despite scores of people doing that very thing.

It was wrong to carve Mount Rushmore from a legal and ethical standpoint. This wasn’t our land to carve. The more important question now is what we do with that information moving forward.

I would love to see the National Park Service embrace the Native history of these lands over a focus on the monument’s construction and its problematic sculptor. In my opinion, the national parks have a duty to educate us on the lands we’re visiting.

The only thing approaching that kind of education is limited to the Lakota, Nakota, and Dakota Heritage Village at the site in the summer months. The “heritage village” was closed during our visit, but apparently, this is how you learn about the sacred land here.

It shouldn’t be that hard.

I won’t speak for the Lakota people, but I think a more honest portrayal of this place would go a long way toward healing the wounds associated with this site. People visit Mount Rushmore, stare up at these heads, and leave all, “Wow, that was cool.”

They don’t know the history. They just know they like a big head of George Washington.

Visiting neighboring states on a longer road trip? Check out these posts:

• Visiting Cheyenne? Use This Guide
• A Detailed Guide to Colorado Springs
• Take a Trip to Fairplay, the Real South Park
• See Petrified Stumps at Florrisant Fossil Beds
• Trip Planning a Weekend in Fargo, North Dakota

More guides to the Midwest if you’re headed that way:

• Why Visit Door County on Wisconsin Trips
• Winter Things to Do on Trips to Chicago
• Love Paleontology? See the Devonian Fossil Gorge
• Top Things to Do on Iowa City Weekends
• A Detailed Guide to the Best of Milwaukee

Want to see more?