Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills

No reviews yetMountain range South Dakota, United States

The Avenue of Flags leads visitors toward the Grand View Terrace below the sculpture, Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills, South Dakota

Work on the Crazy Horse Memorial began in 1948, and the completed face was dedicated in 1998, Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills, South Dakota

The Needles Eye Tunnel squeezes the Needles Highway through a gap in the granite spires, Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills, South Dakota

Sylvan Lake sits at the northern end of the Needles Highway inside Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills, South Dakota

About Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills

The Black Hills rise from the plains of western South Dakota as an island of pine-covered mountains, granite spires and clear lakes. Sacred to the Lakota and other Plains nations, the hills were the scene of a gold rush in the 1870s that led to conflict and broken treaties. Today the area combines national monuments, state parks, caves and small towns that draw road-trippers through the summer.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial, with the faces of four presidents carved into granite, is the region's best-known sight and is especially striking in early morning light. The Crazy Horse Memorial, a privately funded mountain carving still in progress, honors the Lakota leader and includes a cultural center. Keystone and Hill City serve as convenient bases. Custer State Park holds some of the finest scenery, with the twisting Needles Highway passing through granite tunnels and rock spires, Sylvan Lake surrounded by boulders, and trails up Black Elk Peak, the highest point in the state. Bison, pronghorn and burros are common on the Wildlife Loop Road.

Iron Mountain Road, with its pigtail bridges and tunnels framing Rushmore, is a classic drive. Wind Cave National Park and Jewel Cave offer underground tours. Rapid City is the main gateway, while Spearfish Canyon in the northern hills is lovely in autumn.

Best seasonLate spring through early fall is best, when scenic roads are open and wildlife is active.

Ideal stayFour days allows Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Custer State Park, a cave tour and Spearfish Canyon.

ArrivingRapid City Regional Airport is the main gateway, and Interstate 90 runs along the northern edge of the hills.

WiserMap travel guideMount Rushmore and Black Hills South Dakota Needles HighwayPlan a Black Hills trip: Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, the Needles Highway, Custer State Park bison, Wind Cave, Deadwood and Spearfish Canyon waterfalls.Read the guide

Top 12 Experiences in Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills

Landmarks 2

Mount Rushmore faces and the Presidential Trail

The 60-foot granite faces of Washington, Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Lincoln, carved between 1927 and 1941. Walk the Avenue...

Crazy Horse mountain carving and Indian Museum

A huge mountain carving of the Lakota leader Crazy Horse, in progress since 1948 and still being worked on today. The completed fa...

Towns 3

Keystone and Hill City

Two small towns near Mount Rushmore. Keystone is a busy tourist town with shops and restaurants close to the monument, while Hill...

Downtown Rapid City and the City of Presidents

The largest city in the Black Hills, with a walkable downtown where life-size bronze statues of U.S. presidents stand on street co...

Historic Deadwood

A gold rush town founded in 1876 and now a National Historic Landmark, with restored brick buildings, saloons and casinos along Ma...

Scenic Drives 3

Needles Highway

A twisting 14-mile road through Custer State Park past tall granite spires, narrow one-lane tunnels and the Needles Eye formation....

Iron Mountain Road

A winding road between Custer State Park and Keystone with pigtail bridges that loop over themselves and rock tunnels that frame v...

Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway

A 20-mile drive through a deep limestone canyon in the northern Black Hills, passing Bridal Veil Falls, Spearfish Falls and Roughl...

Hikes 1

Sylvan Lake and Black Elk Peak

Sylvan Lake is a clear mountain lake ringed by granite boulders, with an easy one-mile loop path around the shore. Nearby trailhea...

Wildlife 1

Wildlife Loop Road

An 18-mile road through the rolling grasslands of Custer State Park, home to a large free-roaming bison herd as well as pronghorn,...

Nature 1

Wind Cave National Park and Jewel Cave

Two national park sites in the southern Black Hills that protect some of the longest caves in the world. Wind Cave is known for ra...

Museums 1

The Mammoth Site in Hot Springs

An active paleontological dig inside a building in Hot Springs, where more than 60 mammoths have been found in an ancient sinkhole...

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