Mount Rushmore

Rapid City Regional Airport (RAP) — located 30 miles from Mount Rushmore National Memorial — is the closest hub to South Dakota’s most famous park. Allegiant, American Airlines, Delta, United and Boutique Air all fly into and out of this airport.

Mount Rushmore is located in a remote part of the country, far from major cities like Minneapolis (596 miles away) and Denver (367 miles away). Larger cities in the region include Casper, Wyoming (232 miles away), Rapid City and Sioux Falls (23 and 369 miles away, respectively) and Bismarck, North Dakota (321 miles away).

One of the most popular attractions in the U.S., Mount Rushmore has visitors all year long – but it’s especially popular June through August, when many families visit. September and October, when the weather tends to be a little cooler and drier, are great months for visiting as well.

Most days, the monument experiences its highest traffic volume around noon and during the weekend. To avoid crowds, plan your visit before 9 a.m. or after 3:30 p.m. The monument is open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Mount Rushmore’s summer temperatures can reach as high as 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and winter high temps can sometimes only reach 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Geographically, the granite that the famous sculpture is composed of is part of a rock formation that is among the oldest in the western United States. The setting of Mount Rushmore — the Black Hills — is high country, at 5,725 feet above sea level. As for Mount Rushmore’s background, it was an effort of fundraising and engineering that lasted for years, reaching completion in late 1941 just days before the U.S. entered World War II.