Mt. Rushmore

This is a special place. We had heard mixed reviews, but we were blown away by the grounds, sculpture, and even the easy parking for RVs.

Rating:

5 cold beers from the fridge on a hot day by the pool. This is a uniquely 'Merican place is a must-see in person.

The 4th of July weekend was coming up and Randy Randerson (American hero) and Barbra Jean Jo Barbara (a true patriot) were feeling patriotic and wanted to celebrate "Fireworks Day" with 'Merican style. Mount Rushmore seemed like the obvious trip.

We had heard mixed reviews on this national monument but wanted to see it with our own two eyes...well, four eyes between the two of us, and its two each, not like three on one and one on the other, anyway we wanted to see it for ourselves.

We packed the RV and off we went to the black hills of South Dakota. From the time we rounded the bend and could see the faces carved into the stone, we were impressed. The parking for RVs was easy and close to the entrance. As we walked into the mall we could see the faces framed by the walkway lined with flags. It is a beautiful location and they have done a nice job framing the sculpture. This was a busy weekend but we can't tell you if this is normal or if it was this busy due to the holiday.

We were told that Mount Rushmore wasn't as massive as you would expect but we don't agree. These are faces carved into the side if a mountain. The detail is quite impressive and this monument should be on any tour of America must-see list. South Dakota is absolutely beautiful.

There are well groomed trails that take you around the property and to the base of the statues and back for an up close view. As evening sets in the bottom of the mountain is in the shade and we found it to be a very pleasant night. Take the extra time to check these trails out. There are a lot of photo ops and you can really get a sense of the size of these when you are standing just under them.

There is an amphitheater and gift shop, as well as a museum. There are balconies at the amphitheater that make a great place to get a selfie with the faces of the mountains.

Tips:

There is RV parking, getting there early might be a good idea because there were a lot of rigs and the parking looked limited unless there was parking we couldn't see.

We had a hard time finding any recommendations on roads to get to Mount Rushmore in an RV. So many blogs, forums, and websites seemed to warn of windy, steep roads and low overpasses. We were pleased to find you can take I-90 to 16A to Mount Rushmore with no issues. Ignore google maps and keep on 16A, it is a truck route and we had no trouble in our 40 ft long and 13 ft tall motorhome.