Mount Rushmore National Memorial

Just a perfect aspect of Americana. Pretty close to the geographic center of the country, but at the same time very far from any great urban areas. A fantastic spot for a creation of this magnitude, an emblem of American ingenuity, technical proficiency, and, last, but certainly not least, a display of four of the most mountainous men in history.
Of course you can’t keep an edifice like this a secret for very long, but the National Parks Department did a nice job of routing you through natural badlands terrain after you get that first distant viewing at the entrance. After a moderate hike, there you are right beneath the sculpture. You can only marvel at the intricate work required to create something of this scale that would show so well from a distance as well as right under the nose’s of the four giants above you.
After some contemplation, it’s back to the trail as it winds its way through more badlands topography with the occasional explicatory display to allow you to catch up on history and your breath.
For many, Mt. Rushmore is famous because of the climactic scene in North by Northwest. And just so you can be relieved of any notion that that was a plaster Mt. Rushmore on a Hollywood soundstage, there is a sign on one of the roads in marking one of the spots Hitchcock and crew filmed on location.
The Master always took America’s monuments to be worth celebrating in his films. We, as citizens, should be no less reverential of their power to reflect the imagination and industry that built the greatness of this country.

FACE MOUNTAIN! YAY!
Seriously, though. It’s an American Landmark. It’s on a freaking quarter. If you’re here, you gotta see it.
We’ve actually been back numerous times. The sunset lighting of the mountain is not to be missed. (You can grab a beer inside and take it out to sit and watch the sunset and the mountain lights up!) I seem to remember patriotic music… or was that just the Moose Drool beers that I had?
The trails around the mountain are easy but fun, and the views are spectacular. Don’t skip it.

Geez, how could you not give Mt Rushmore a ⁵⁄₅. Only $ 11 for parking, AWESOME experience. Believe me, it’s worth the drive. Makes you proud to be an American, and that’s a good thing.

I was very impressed by Mount Rushmore. Due to lack of research I expected this just to be some carved heads in the side of a mountain that we would see from the road. This was much more.
It was only about an hour roundtrip from I-​90 to check this spot out. I would recommend the detour because it was worth it. The drive up the mountains was scenic and much more lovely than I expected. Upon arrival we were easily able to find parking in the lot and it was a quick walk to the visitor center. I loved the walkway to the visitor’s center with the flags of all the states. Very nice entrance.
It’s hard to explain how massive and impressive the monument is until you are here to view it. It was great to see it in person and with all of the beautiful mountain scenery around it. I just wish we had been able to hike the area since it was so pretty.
The gift shop was pretty large. They had plenty of Mount Rushmore merchandise as well as local goods.

An amazing site to see in person. Not sure what else to say. see ot if able to do so.

We attended an evening show. As far as I’m concerned, the evening event is a must see. You will get the history of this place from one of the rangers. The lights shining on the faces carved into the mountain at night really takes your breath away. All vets are called to the stage at the end of the presentation & they introduce themselves, branch of service, and where they are from.

Amazing National Park and a must-​see for any family visiting the area (they built the memorial to encourage people to visit South Dakota). Rich with American History it clearly embodies the American mindset of the early twentieth century: «We can conquer anything, even Nature.»
Very easy to get to and extremely accessible: you basically just park and walk right up to the main viewing area. Even the first half of the Presidential Trail is wheelchair friendly (the last portion has stairs).

We stopped by Mount Rushmore during a rainy sunset, on our way from Pennsylvania to California. When the lights hit the fog, it completely obscured the faces of the presidents. This provided much entertainment, but was maybe not the experience most people expect? However, we were not charged for parking (likely, because the experience is not as most people expect).
A somewhat enjoyable must-​see, but not worth designing an entire trip around. Maybe the Badlands or Deadwood?

George Washington. Thomas Jefferson. Theodore Roosevelt. Abraham Lincoln.
I’ve wanted to see Mount Rushmore since I was a kid after watching the movie Richie Rich. It’s really a brilliant sculpture in the vision of one man. A perfectionist, luckily, who executed the project with care. The intention was to make ¾ of the presidents’ bodies… But he started the project an older man and died just before completion, leaving the finishing touches to his son (also his student) and he ended up wrapping up the project because… He didn’t have the same vision, dedication n conviction his dad had. Plus lack of funding, I’m sure.
There’s a trail that led to the monument’s museum and also to see the sculptures from many different angles for more interesting photography. There’s a model of a vault that was built behind Lincoln’s head to store n preserve important documents related to this country’s history… But was never finished.
So interesting n awe-​inspiring.

A must see, even if your kids may be bored. If you are anywhere near here, this a place you have to stop at. It’s pretty much just part of Americana. While it is not the most exciting of places, it is a pretty incredible creation to see. While you are there, it is worth walking around and exploring the history of how it was made. Not a whole lot more to say as everyone knows what this place is about. Cool please to see in person, and a beautiful drive through the Black Hills to get there.

I loved seeing Mount Rushmore! My husband and I are on a cross country road trip and made a point to see the mountain. Many people had warned us that it was underwhelming, but I didn’t care… when else would I get to see it?! And I’m so glad we did because it was amazing! I thought it was awesome — not underwhelming at all. It was jaw dropping to see it and realize that people blasted and carved this mountain in the 1930s! Definitely a work of art and worth seeing at least once in your life!
It’s $ 11/​car to park but then free to walk up the trails to get close to the mountain. There are a few gift shops up there as well. We went on Sunday in late August and it wasn’t very crowded. We missed seeing the mountain at night but I have heard that it is beautiful!

Mesmerizing, amazing, patriotic and just fantastic. Absolutely look at the sculpture from the presidential Trail, you will see different vantage points of all the presidents.
Also, from the presidential trail, you will be much closer to the statues and to the memorial than anywhere else. It is totally worth hiking the trail which will take you about 45 minutes.
There is a wonderful gift shop and pretty good concession stands along the way. The restrooms are plentiful and clean. I was a little nervous because we came here while I was visiting Denver, a 5 ½ hour drive each way. I was wondering if it was worth it. It is!
This monument is just incredible and makes you feel proud to be an American. What a beautiful place to visit and a beautiful setting! Make sure to do the presidential trail.

Mount Rushmore was pretty awesome to see in person. I was never a lover of history class in school, but as an adult I love seeing things in person we learned about in history. We did not spend that much time here, maybe 30 minutes, but the walk up to the view was pretty cool. I don’t think I would need to go back unless with people who have not seen it, that or the night time view might be pretty cool. But definitely worth a view in a lifetime!
Also, sidenote — my dad has the senior citizen free national Park pass, I believe this might have been one of the parks that charge for parking and not entry fee.

Mount Rushmore should be on everyone’s bucket list. It’s America at it’s finest — a few of our great presidents carved into a mountain.
We saw the monument from a distance several times before we actually went into the park and my opinion is that seeing it from far away just isn’t enough. You really should go in an do the nature trail that takes you close to the mountain. It’s a whole different experience seeing it close-​up and from so many different angles.
We arrived early on a Sunday. We went along the main entrance path and took a left to take the trail up to the faces. This trail is a big loop so you can go left or right, but starting to the left worked well enough for us.
On our way around the loop we stopped at the sculptor’s studio and then took the nature trail back up to the visitor’s center at the front of the park. That was the route recommended by my guide book, and it worked out well. =)
We picked up some great souvenirs from the gift shop. It is a huge gift shop with some pretty neat stuff. They had a table set up outside the shop with $ 5 shirts and hats, I really regret not stocking up on gifts there. I didn’t find a deal that good anywhere else.

A National Monument and A Place of American Pride.
I am very happy to see such an amazing engineering feat and all the work that went in to making such a tribute to four of the best presidents that shaped America.
Yes it costs to park at the monument, but it’s good for the year and well worth the investment in keeping the monument so everyone can enjoy it.
I recommend stopping if you are in the area and taking some time to think about what it took to make this a sacred American Treasure. I feel truly blessed to be able to experience this and see it up close.

This was on my ‘bucket list’ for a while and I am so glad I was able to experience it! I definitely was not let down!
The cost was reasonable, $ 11 per car, and free to get in.
In addition to the monument, the museums were just as impressive. I highly recommend watching the making of the Mount Rushmore in the lower museum and touring the sculpting museums.
Next time I will spend more time taking the Presidential hike!

Absolutely a must see! If it’s not on your bucket list, add it right now.
The parking is $ 11 for a car, but it’s free to get in. There are so many things to see (besides the monument), and read. You could easily spend a few hours here.
They also have a gift shop, ice cream shop, and a place to eat.

The drive up here is awesome. Such a nice scenic drive, especially if you are coming up on a sunny day. The cost of entry per standard vehicle is $ 11 which allows you re-​entry in the same vehicle for the remainder of the year.
Being an international visitor, I don’t know much about the history or reasoning behind this massive sculpture (something I will most likely Google tonight), however it is a pretty amazing site. We came out on a Sunday afternoon, where there was plenty of car parking spots available.
I probably would never return, however I am glad that I have made a visit to here, and can scrub yet another destination from my bucket list.
PS. Would highly recommend visiting the town of Keystone SD on the way up or down the mountain. Very cute little town where you can buy all sorts of little trinkets.

This is a fantastic national monument. Fantastic in what it is and how its organized for you to see it. You get to Rapid City, which is really a large city, not just a town devoted to the monument. So that’s nice.
The road to here is well maintained and also a reasonable size, so traffic moves along. The scenery is amazing all around.
You do have to pay along the way. But once in, you can walk pretty close and have a great view, and you can take the hike in much closer. There are probably tons of people here all the time, but I was there on a super nice not too hot summer day, and even though I was early it was packed.
A little history —
Mt Rushmore is named after a NY lawyer in the 1800’s. Then in the early 1900’s the idea to increase tourism in the area came, and carving started in 1927. Yep, 1927. And then it took 14 years. But no one died along the way, not because of a workplace accident anyway.
Doane Robinson was the man that thought of the whole idea. He hired Gutzon Borglum to oversee the actual carving. The sculptures are 60 feet high and are of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln. Each of these presidents had played a role in preserving the Republic and continuing to grow its overall territory. In 1933 it became part of the national Park System.
They have continued to improve the infrastructure around the whole area ever since. And they have added the Crazy Horse Monument down the road a way. There’s plenty to do once you get to the area and tons of super family friendly hotels as well.
Come for a few days, get to things early in the day and spend the afternoons hiking somewhere or taking a nap. Many of the monuments have light shows at night. You may want to go see those too. None of this is cheap, but if you research beforehand you can get these «three day passes» to all the sites in the area or various other things like that.
1650

An ICONIC memorial of The U.S. of A. that is a GLORIOUS site to see!!! Considered a Modern Marvel and found on lists of «Wonders of The World,» this certainly is the main reason most would visit The Black Hills of South Dakota. First question that pops into my mind, «Why the name, Rushmore?» Turns out there’s no amazing story that attached the name to this rock formation. It was simply named after Charles E. Rushmore, a NYC attorney who visited the area few times in the late 1800s for legal reasons. Lucky guy! It’s about 40 minutes straight drive from Rapid City Regional Airport. Once you pass the city of Keystone, you’ll start to see The Presidents, whose faces are about 60 ft tall, inside a mile away. There’s even a historic marker along 244 Hwy honoring Gutzon Borglum with a brief sculpture synopsis AND a view of The Mount, probably a quarter mile away FROM THE entrance. It’s a photo op there to avoid the parking fee ($ 11, good for 1 year for THAT SPECIFIC vehicle, all proceeds go to park maintenance). The faces are small from that distance, which isn’t good enough for me after traveling all this way, so in we went, yay! Grounds are well taken care of and the Rangers are easily approachable. Once you’re in, The Mount is about a ¼ mile away AT THE Grand View Terrace. You can even get closer (about ¹⁄₈ mile away) with a jaunt on the President’s Trail. Only partly accessible at the time we visited, due to construction on the West side. There is a warning that it is a strenuous walk with 450 stairs to take but there are many places to rest. The current closest trail point to The Faces is a distance of 0.6 miles from the Grand View Terrace and it took my pack of 5 to complete the loop with pics in about 40 minutes. Pictures seem to make it appear farther than it is. Best times to see it is when the Sun’s rays bathe it from morning to early afternoon. There is evening lighting from 7:30pm — 9pm during offseason months. The Junior Ranger program is available here, which is A GREAT WAY to REALLY enhance the young’uns experience and earn a cool badge, at no extra charge! It took a good 2 hours for my young squires to complete the booklet.
We visited during the month of April (offseason) and there are a few differences in accessibility compared to the summer blaze. The Sculptor Studio is closed for the winter so no photo ops with the scale model Mr. Borglum used to shape the mountain. No Park Ranger tours given, as well. LOTS of places in Keystone and Hill City are closed, like ghost town conditions. So Rapid City is the closest thing for city life. The weather patterns are volatile! We spent 4 days in the area and each day had a different weather pattern: day 1– cloudy but visible, d2– DENSE fog with NO visibility, d3– snowfall with black ice on trail, d4-​sunny & full access. So anyone trying for a hit & run, call ahead for conditions.
Just so you know, part of The President’s Trail is closed until middle of May 2015 for creation of a new & improved youth center. Enjoy Unilocalsters! We DEFINITELY did :)

Wer kennt den Film nicht: Der unsichtbare Dritte (Originaltitel North by Northwest) US– amerikanischer Spielfilm, 1959 von Alfred Hitchcock.
Wer in der Gegend ist, sollte unbedingt hinfahren — South Dakoata hat nicht soviele Alternativen :-)
Eintritt bzw. Einfahrt bezahlt man mit dem Auto (Amerika eben !).
Es gibt ein Museum zur Geschichte und das legendäre Restaurant, wo Eva Marie Saint (als Eve Kendall) den Verfolger erschießt.

Es ist ein Traum war geworden und zwar einmal hier zu stehen und dieses leider unvollendete Werk mit eigenen Augen zu sehen.
Die ganze Aufbereitung hier gibt auf viele Fragen eine Antwort. So wusste ich nicht, dass hinter den Köpfen noch eine Halle entstehen sollte. Und vieles andere noch.

Das «Mount Rushmore National Memorial» befindet sich in den Black Hills von South Dakota.
Der nächste Ort ist Keystone ca. 20 Meilen von Rapid City der zweitgrössten Stadt in South Dakota entfernt.
Zur Geschichte …
Ursprünglich gehörte das Land den Lakote Indianern, allerdings wurde es durch die amerikanische Regierung enteignet.
Seinen Namen hat der «Mount Rushmore» von einem New Yorker Anwalt bekommen, der sich damals auf einer Reise in der Gegend befand. Welche Gedanken er mit dem Namen verbunden hat ist allerdings nicht überliefert. Evtl. war die Bewältigung des Geländes sehr mühsam.
Die ca. 18 m hohen Köpfe der 4 Präsidenten wurden zwischen 1927 und 1941 von John Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum (1867 — 1941) in den Fels gehauen, gesprengt und gemeisselt. Die Schutthalde am Fuss der Präsidentenköpfe stammt von den Herstellungsarbeiten.
Borglum wählte die Präsidenten wegen ihrer Bedeutung in den ersten 150 Jahren der USA.
Die Reihenfolge der Präsidenten — gesehen von links nach rechts …
1. George Washington wurde 1930 als erster Kopf fertiggestellt, er war der erste Präsident der USA und führte die Staaten durch den Unabhängigkeitskrieg gegen Großbritannien.
2. Thomas Jefferson (Fertigstellung 1936) war 3. Präsident der USA und Autor der Unabhängigkeitserklärung.
3. Theodore Roosevelt (Fertigstellung 1939), 26. Präsident, war massgeblich beteiligt an der Realisierung des Panamakanals in einer Phase starker wirtschaftlicher Entwicklung zu Beginn des 20 Jahrhunderts.
4. Abraham Lincoln (Fertigstellung 1937) führte die Staaten als 16. Präsident durch den Bürgerkrieg.
John Borglum konnte sein Werk nicht vollenden, er starb bei den Arbeiten an seinem Werk 1941. Nach seinem Tod setzte zwar sein Sohn Lincoln Borglum die Arbeiten fort, diese mussten aber aus Geldmangel nach wenigen Monaten eingestellt werden. Ursprünglich sollten neben den Köpfen der Präsidenten Flächen mit Inschriften enstehen, die auch aus grösserer Entfernung lesbar gewesen wären. Die Idee wurde aber aus Geldmangel verworfen. Viele Jahre versuchte die Familie des Künstlers den Traum Borglums doch noch zu erfüllen. Erst 1998 wurden die Arbeiten endgültig beendet, die Kosten beliefen sich auf knapp 1 Mio. Dollar.
Im Boden des Eingangsbereichs wurde eine Titankassette, mit den Texten historischer Dokumente auf 16 Emailschildern, in den Boden eingelassen und mit einer Granitplatte verschlossen.
Den Eingangsbereich säumen eindrucksvoll die Landesflaggen der US — Bundesstaaten.
In den Sommermonaten gibt es am Abend (ca. 21 Uhr) eine unglaublich beindruckende «Lighting Ceremony».
Fazit: Ich denke jeder, der schon am «Mount Rushmore» war, der wird mir zustimmen … die Bilder täuschen !
Die Präsidentenköpfe sind «nur» !! 18 m !! hoch … :) Auch ich war im ersten Moment erstaunt, denn ich hatte sie mir grösser vorgestellt. Dennoch hat mich die Geschichte über die Entstehung sehr interessiert und ich habe den Besuch nicht bereut !

Ich kann für dieses «Ding» keine Begeisterung aufbringen.
Wie Bernd (
) schon sagt, man ist von der Grösse voll enttäuscht. Es wird auf Bildern oder in Videos immer so inszeniert als handle es sich um ein riiiesen Monument. Immer ist es in einer solchen Perspektive aufgenommen, dass man meint es müsse bestimmt zwischen 30 und 50 Metern gross sein (der Teil der Skulptur), besonders im Vergleich mit den tannen davor, die in Wirklichkeit wohl Bonzai-​Tannen sind.
Natürlich ist dies eine Meisterleistung, aber es gibt wahrhaftig Schöneres und Lobenswereteres von Menschenhand erschaffen, siehe Petra/​Jordanien, Pyramiden in Afrika und Amerika, Stonhehenge, Osterinseln …
Mich stört der Aufbau des Ganzen, mit dem «Amphitheater» unten vor; es sieht richtig aus wie eine Vergötterungsstätte, an der man sich hinsetzen soll, und die Statuen anbeten.
Wir haben es auf der «Durchreise» besucht, also keinen Umweg gemacht; den hätten wir auch sowieso nicht gemacht, und ich kann auch keinem empfehlen hierfür eine weite Strecke zu hinterlegen.
Die angegebene Adresse dieser Location finde ich übrigens auch eigenartig ^^

Der Mount Rushmore ist ein Berg in den Black Hills, South Dakota, USA. Die Bergkette verdankt ihren Namen dem New Yorker Anwalt Charles Rushmore, der ursprünglich die Goldschürfrechte für das Gebiet erworben hatte.
Das Mount Rushmore National Memorial ist eine Gedenkstätte, die aus monumentalen Porträtköpfen der vier bedeutendsten und symbolträchtigsten US-​Präsidenten besteht. Jedes Porträt ist etwa 18 Meter hoch hoch. Dargestellt sind die Präsidenten George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt und Abraham Lincoln. Vor dem Denkmal sind Ausschnitte aus berühmten Reden der vier Präsidenten auf Schrifttafeln zu lesen. Das Mount-​Rushmore-​Nationaldenkmal wird auch als Shrine of Democracy (Heiligenschrein der Demokratie) bezeichnet. Die Indianer sehen dieses Denkmal allerdings als eine Entweihung der ihnen heilgen Berge der Black Hills an.
Gebaut wurde dieses Monument von John Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum zwischen 1927 und 1941, dabei wurde er unterstützt von etwa 400 Arbeitern. Gutzon verstarb kurz vor der Fertigstellung des Bauwerkes, welches von seinem Sohn letzendlich vollendet wurde.
Das Mount-​Rushmore-​Nationaldenkmal wird auch als Shrine of Democracy bezeichnet, zeigte uns aber nicht sein schönstes Gesicht (blauer Himmel) sondern Regen, was dazu führte, dass die Präsidenten, zumindest teilweise, so aussahen, als ob sie weinten.

A National Memorial — so steht es im Reiseführer.
Zuerst von der relativ kleinen Höhe enttäuscht, entpuppte sich Mount Rushmore als interessante Stätte für angewandtes Marketing: auf der Suche nach touristischen Sehenswürdigkeiten beschloss der Bundesstaat South Dakota einfach sich sein eigenes zu bauen: 4 Präsidenten verewigt im Stein.
Um Mount Rushmore zu erreichen, müssen Sie die Stadt Keystone hinter sich lassen. Auf einer breiten Straße bergauf erkennt man sehr schnell Mt. Rushmore und vor allem die vier Präsidentengesichter. Nach Entrichtung der Parkgebühr trennen nur wenige Stufen, aber ein rund 15 minütlicher Fußweg vom eigentlichen Felsen. Auf dem Weg dorthin gehen Sie an allen Fahnen der Bundesstaaten und einigen Souvenir-​Shops vorbei. Danach befindet man sich auf einer Art Tribüné und kann ungetrübt auf den Fels blicken.
Jede 30 Minuten startet ein geführter Rundgang, der die historische Entstehung und die Bauabschnitte erklärt — natürlich nur in Englisch ;-). Das ist auch die einzige Möglichkeit, den Gesichtern näher zu kommen, da das Verlassen der offiziellen Wege mit einer nicht unangenehmen Geldstrafe belegt ist. Mit diesem Hinweis beginnt der Rundgang!