• Mount Rushmore, Washington, Jefferson, T. Roosevelt, Lincoln framed by ponderosa pine trees under a bright blue sky.

    Mount Rushmore

    National Memorial South Dakota

Places To Go

Several National Park Service sites are located within a 1-2 hour drive of Mount Rushmore National Memorial.

 
A visitor walking through a passageway in Jewel Cave, surrounded by nailhead spar calcite crystals.

A visitor walking through Jewel Cave, surrounded by nailhead spar calcite crystals.

Jewel Cave National Monument is located west of the city of Custer, SD, and is currently the world's third longest known cave.

Visit www.nps.gov/jeca for more information about visiting Jewel Cave.

 
A calcite formation resembling honeycombs, called boxwork, is abundant in Wind Cave.

Boxwork, a common calcite formation found in Wind Cave.

Wind Cave National Park is located approximately one hour and 15 minutes south of Mount Rushmore. The park consists of 28,000 acres of mixed grass prairie along with the world's sixth longest cave.

Visit www.nps.gov/wica for more information.

 
Devils Tower National Monument, which is located in northeastern Wyoming.

Devils Tower National Monument, which is located in northeastern Wyoming.

Devils Tower National Monument is approximately 2.5 hours northwest from Mount Rushmore. Travel west on I-90, exit at Sundance, WY, take Hwy 14 north to Hwy 24 and then take 24 north to Devils Tower.

Visit www.nps.gov/deto for additional information.

 
Sun shining on the peaks and spires of Badlands National Park.

Sun shining on the peaks and spires of Badlands National Park.

Badlands National Park is approximately 1.5 hours from Mount Rushmore. Take I-90 east towards Wall, SD, to exit 110 or 131 to access South Dakota Highway 240, which is also known as the Badlands Loop Road.

Visit www.nps.gov/badl for additional information.

 
A Minuteman II training missile in Launch Facility Delta-09.

A Minuteman II training missile in Launch Facility Delta-09.

While visiting the Badlands you might also want to visit the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site. Visitors can get an upclose look at an intercontinental ballistic missile and take a guided tour through the underground launch control facility.

Visit www.nps.gov/mimi for additional information.

Did You Know?

Did You Know?

A man-made opening called the Hall of Records was created in the mountain behind the heads on Mount Rushmore. Gutzon Borglum and his carvers worked on the Hall of Records from July, 1938, until July, 1939, but it was never finished.