Must-see sanctuary · Pennington, South Dakota
Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore is a sanctuary in Pennington, South Dakota.
Mount Rushmore: crowds and conditions
Typical pattern: heavy on weekends and holidays; arrive early morning. Been there recently? Post today’s status and it shows here for the next traveller.
Status options for this sanctuary: Open, good conditions · Very crowded · Approach road bad · Closed / not accessible.
Best time to visit Mount Rushmore
Season: November to March for sightings; sanctuaries may close in peak monsoon.
Busiest days: Weekends, public holidays, Sankranti and Dasara breaks.
Crowd: Heavy on weekends and holidays; arrive early morning.
Typical week: Mon busy · Tue light · Wed light · Thu light · Fri busy · Sat packed · Sun packed.
How to reach Mount Rushmore — distance from nearby cities
Coordinates: 43.87897, -103.45888. Road distances are estimates; the road-trip planner uses real routes and adds stops worth the detour.
Places to visit near Mount Rushmore
- Lincoln Borglum Visitor Center · museum · Pennington · ~0 km · Must-see
- Horse Thief Lake Dam · lake · Pennington · ~3 km · Must-see
- Iron Mountain · viewpoint · Pennington · ~4 km · Must-see
- Black Elk Wilderness · sanctuary · Pennington · ~4 km · Must-see
- Lakota Dam · lake · Custer · ~7 km · Must-see
- Black Elk Peak · viewpoint · Pennington · ~7 km · Must-see
- Needles Eye Tunnel · viewpoint · Custer · ~10 km · Must-see
- Sylvan Lake · lake · Custer · ~11 km · Must-see
- Sheridan Lake Dam · lake · Pennington · ~13 km · Must-see
- Black Hills Institute · museum · Pennington · ~14 km · Must-see
- Crazy Horse Memorial · fort · Custer · ~17 km · Must-see
- Custer State Park · sanctuary · Custer · ~19 km · Must-see
- Sitting Bull Crystal Caverns · cave · Pennington · ~19 km · Must-see
- 1881 Courthouse · museum · Custer · ~21 km · Must-see
- Reptile Gardens · sanctuary · Pennington · ~24 km · Must-see
- Pactola Reservoir Recreation Area · lake · Pennington · ~28 km · Must-see
- Stavekirke Chapel · church · Pennington · ~28 km · Must-see
- Bear Mountain · viewpoint · Pennington · ~29 km · Must-see
Other wildlife, forests & gardens near Mount Rushmore
- Black Elk Wilderness · sanctuary · Pennington · ~4 km · Must-see
- Custer State Park · sanctuary · Custer · ~19 km · Must-see
- Reptile Gardens · sanctuary · Pennington · ~24 km · Must-see
- Black Hills National Forest · sanctuary · Pennington · ~57 km · Must-see
- Buffalo Gap National Grassland · sanctuary · Oglala Lakota · ~86 km · Must-see
- D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery · sanctuary · Lawrence · ~93 km · Must-see
- Badlands National Park · sanctuary · Pennington · ~110 km · Must-see
- Oglala National Grassland · sanctuary · Sioux · ~139 km · Must-see
- Toadstool Geologic Park · sanctuary · Fall River · ~141 km · Must-see
- Minuteman Missile National Historic Site · sanctuary · Pennington · ~143 km · Must-see
Wikipedia · Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · © GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) · Wikidata (CC0) · Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA) · Overture Maps Foundation (CDLA-Permissive-2.0)
Frequently asked
Is the park open?
No visitor has reported the opening & safari status for Mount Rushmore yet. Typical pattern: heavy on weekends and holidays; arrive early morning. Busiest: Weekends, public holidays, Sankranti and Dasara breaks.
What is the best time to visit Mount Rushmore?
November to March for sightings; sanctuaries may close in peak monsoon. Heavy on weekends and holidays; arrive early morning.
What are the places to visit near Mount Rushmore?
Nearby: Lincoln Borglum Visitor Center (museum, 0 km), Horse Thief Lake Dam (lake, 3 km), Iron Mountain (viewpoint, 4 km), Black Elk Wilderness (sanctuary, 4 km), Lakota Dam (lake, 7 km), Black Elk Peak (viewpoint, 7 km).
Is Mount Rushmore worth visiting?
Mount Rushmore is listed as a must-see sanctuary in South Dakota on Spotwander.