Tips for Taking Your Kids to Mount Rushmore

You’ve seen the pictures and you know all about the iconic Mount Rushmore National Memorial located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, but have you taken your family to visit here yet? If not, planning to bring your family to this attraction could be a trip to remember! This was one of the greatest places we visited along our RV trip across America.

Here are some tips to help you when planning your visit to Mount Rushmore.

• Plan to come as soon as the Memorial opens at 8:00 am. We got some amazing photos in front of the memorial before the crowds arrived. The lighting on the Monument is best in the morning as well.
• Your National Parks annual pass is not needed here as the entrance is free.
• Parking does cost $11 but allows you unlimited entry to the Memorial for the calendar year.

• This masterpiece, blending art and nature, is far more than a tourist attraction. The National Monument is open year-round closed only on Christmas Day. We loved walking through the Avenue of Flags displayed in alphabetical order.

• The 1/2 mile Presidential Trail begins at Grand View Terrace, travels to the base of the mountain, past the Sculptor’s Studio and loops back to the Grand View Terrace. The second half of the trail does include approximately 450 stairs.

• The outdoor amphitheater just behind the information center holds many ranger programs. In the early morning, it’s a peaceful place to sit and read the history behind what you are looking at!
• Be sure to have your kids pick up their free Junior Ranger activity booklets at any information desk in order to receive a badge upon completion.

• Be sure to come back in the evening too for a totally different experience. The Evening Lighting Ceremony is an inspirational program focusing on the presidents, patriotism and our nation’s history. Beginning with a ranger talk, the program includes a short film and culminates in the lighting of the sculpture. The program begins at 9 p.m. early in the summer and at 8 pm in August and September. Check here for correct times.

• We saw this flyer in town and decided to make our way to the monument for a 3rd time- for Sunday morning worship service. It was an amazing morning! Check out Christian Ministry in the National Parks to see what they are all about!

Come visit George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln here in the Black Hills of South Dakota. You will be amazed at the beauty and serenity of Mount Rushmore in person!