Contact Information
P.O. Box 268
Keystone, SD 57751
605-574-2523
Mount Rushmore stands at the gateway to the West, and was built to embody the spirit of the foundation, preservation, and expansion of the United States. There is no greater monument to American expansionists' efforts to tame the wild and rugged terrain of the West. It took 14 years for sculptor Gutzon Borglum and his crew to carve 60-foot tall faces of four U.S. Presidents--George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln--into a wall of exposed granite. The faces tower over a setting of pine, spruce, birch, and aspen on 5,725-foot Mount Rushmore.There are some quick and worthwhile activities right near the monument: hike the Presidential Trail for an up-close view, visit Sculptor's Studio to learn about the construction of the monument, pick up a commemorative spoon at the gift shop. But GORP suggests that you get these out of the way and take to the hills--the Black Hills, that is. Spending some time in area surrounding Mt. Rushmore is a great way to experience the West. The rugged rock formations, canyons and gulches, open grassland parks, tumbling streams, deep lakes, and caves of the Black Hills National Forest typify the majestic landscape that inspired Gutzon Borglum to build Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Here are our picks for getting the most of the area:
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