Mount Rushmore National Memorial - South Dakota
Photo of Mount Rushmore National Memorial courtesy NPS
Mount Rushmore is much more interesting than I had expected. We stopped there on our way to Yellowstone and the Tetons in July 2009. There is a nice walkway that take you down below the presidents. There are some steps, but it's a failry easy walk and there is an elevator near the visitor center. At the visitors center there is a gift shop, ice cream shop and buffet. Prices are high as you would expect at a place like this. You can also learn about the construction of Mt. Rushmore. We were not able to stay until dark, but from the photos I have seen it is pretty spectacular at night. When we were there ther were a couple of small mountain goats along side of the walkway.
From the NPSThe four figures carved in stone on Mount Rushmore represent the first 150 years of American history. The birth of our nation was guided by the vision and courage of George Washington. Thomas Jefferson always had dreams of something bigger, first in the words of the Declaration of Independence and later in the expansion of our nation through the Louisiana Purchase. Preservation of the union was paramount to Abraham Lincoln but a nation where all men were free and equal was destined to be. At the turn of the Twentieth Century Theodore Roosevelt saw that in our nation was the possibility for greatness. Our nation was changing from a rural republic to a world power. The ideals of these presidents laid a foundation for our nation as solid as the rock from which their figures are carved.Each man possessed great skills and leadership of the brand our nation needed for the times. Today millions of visitors come to see Mount Rushmore and gain inspiration from these four great men.
Have you visited Mount Rushmore National Memorial?
- How is the food at the restaurant, any favorites?
Facilities available at Mount Rushmore National Memorial:
Mount Rushmore National Memorial website
Recreation Area Map
Park Email: nichole_andler@nps.gov
Phone numbers
Headquarters 605-574-2523
Visitor Information Recorded Message 605-574-3171
Address
13000 Highway 244
Building 31, Suite1
Keystone, SD 57751-0268
