Allgemeines zum National Memorial
The National Memorial protects a mountain in the Black Hills from which the stylized heads of the then most important four U.S. presidents were carved.
Number of visitors
Best time to visit: This place is beautiful all year round.
Our visits:
So far 2 visits: August 1994, June 2017
Entrance fees and opening hours
- Free of charge, but parking costs $10.
- Covered by the Anual Pass*
- Open 24 hours a day, all year round. You can always visit the Memorial, but the Visitor Center and the Museum have defined opening hours. These can be found on the official homepage.
*The Anual Pass is so to speak the "flat rate" for all Parks managed by the National Park Service. The pass costs a one-time fee of $80 and can be purchased at the entrance to each National Park, National Monument, etc. The pass is valid for 13 months.
Mount Rushmore NM
Description: The mountain in the Black Hills from which the Memorial was hewn and blasted is named for Charles Rushmore, who held gold mining rights for the entire area. Since it has always been a sacred mountain to the Lakota, one can well imagine how the idea of a monument carved out of the stone resonated with the Lakota. However, since the monument was supposed to help the region to prosper, the project was pushed through against all resistance. The sculptures were designed by Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum. He also supervised the construction. However, he did not live to see the completion of the Memorial. He died in 1941 a few months before his work was completed. His son finished the work for him. During the 14 years of construction, over 400 workers were involved in the project. The Memorial was completed in 1941 and depicts the most important U.S. presidents up to that time, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.
If you want to stretch your feet a bit, you can do so on the Presidential Trail. The trail is about a mile long and climbs about 40 meters in altitude. You get a little closer to the presidential heads and can admire them from other perspectives on the circuit.
In addition to the memorial, there is also a museum and a cinema where you can learn all about the project. Every evening during the summer months there is also an Evening Lightning Ceremony. This is a very patriotic event where among other things all present veterans are honored.
Our rating: As a USA fan, you simply have to visit Mount Rushmore. It is just a special place. The achievement to carve these four over 18m high heads out of the rock in such detail is extraordinary. We also liked the museum and the movie about the creation of the monument. The place is very touristy and mostly crowded, but it's worth coming here.
