There are several ways to get to Mount Rushmore. The most common route is to continue south on Route 16 from Rapid City to Keystone. But if this is your first visit, you might want to approach this monument via the very scenic Iron Mountain Road from Custer State Park. This road was designed to provide framed views of Mount Rushmore through a series of tunnels. This route, however, is closed in winter, and the narrow tunnels make it impractical for large RVs. The Iron Mountain Road is part of the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway and will be discussed in more detail later.

Keystone is definitely a tourist place, but there are a few photographic opportunities here to consider. You might want some alternate views of Mount Rushmore after you have photographic the classic shots. You can take a helicopter ride to photograph the famous faces from a higher view. You can also take an aerial tramway to an adjacent mountain where you can also photograph the monument. If you are an antique railroad buff you might want to take the Black Hills Central Railroad. This 1880 vintage train travels through the forests of the Black Hills 20 miles between Keystone and Hill City. You can board at either end.

Plan to be there early for the best photography. The carvings on Mount Rushmore face south and are best photographed at sunrise and in the morning. During the late spring and early summer, Roosevelt may be shaded part of the morning by Lincoln. In the afternoon, Washington casts his shadow over Roosevelt. Autumn and winter months bring better lighting to the front. The other problem is that it is nice to have a blue sky and possibly some interesting clouds to contrast with the rocks. Overcast lighting is nice but the whole scene then becomes just gray. The monument is floodlit at night. From Memorial Day through Labor Day the lights are turned on from 9:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. They are turned on from 8:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. the rest of the year.

It is difficult to really get a unique picture of Mount Rushmore. Most photographs are from the viewing terrace of the closely cropped four heads or the wide-angle shot framed by the flags along the Avenue of the Flags. You might try something different like photographing a reflection of the monument in the glass panes of the gift shop. The new half-mile plank walkway of the Presidential Trail takes you up to the talus slope right below the heads where you can now get some unique views. Some were covered under the Keystone attractions. You can also take farther views from along the Iron Mountain Road (especially framed by the tunnels), and there is a profile view of Washington from Route 244 west of the monument.

Return to Region Listing

Return to Home page