The scenery along the drive is more spectacular along the entire length of the drive. Mount Rushmore to Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument If beers not your thing (get out!!) 6. SD For a complete list, check out our guide to the best things to do in South Dakota. Comfort Suites Conference Center Rapid City. Rushmore, Custer, Windcave and Badlands. Julie Last updated: January 22, 2023 United States 5 Comments. 625 St Joseph St On Google Maps satellite view, you can see what the parking lot looks like, but I dont see parking for a semi-tractor. DEVILS TOWER: Plan your day trip to Devils Tower from South Dakota and learn what there is to do and how to plan your time. It is an actual excavation site hidden by a museum. Thanks for such an informative post! Pets are only allowed in the pet exercise areas located at both ends of the upper level parking garage and at the entrance to the main visitor area and must always remain on a leash. Must-see Ports of Call on a Baltic cruise, Top Car Buying Apps to Make Car Shopping a Breeze, http://www.nps.gov/moru/planyourvisit/accessibility.htm, http://web.rapidcitychamber.com/TOURSTRAVEL/. Its a lovely drive through the Black Hills. For such a non-descript place, Rapid City sure has a lot going for it. It ends in Rapid City, South Dakota. The mountain, forest and views were beautiful. Park information. Let's say you're actually planning a road trip to Mt Rushmore, and you want to stop on the way to explore. amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; Northeast of Mount Rushmore, Keystone is the closest town to the memorial. Youll miss out on so much if you just stay in your car. Ranger guided tours are offered daily. Wish I didn/t work so I could go to Yellowstone, Grand Tetons and Glacier National. If you plan to do this drive from October through May, you will not be able to do the route that includes Beartooth Highway. "as the crow flies" which is calculated using an iterative We couldnt get over just how beautiful the area was, and how starkly different the terrain was from the Black Hills that are only an hours drive away. Confirm the time of the Lighting Ceremony before your visit. Youll pay the park entrance fee for Custer State Park, but its totally worth it. There is no entrance fee to enter Mount Rushmore. Distance from Rapid City to Mount Rushmore? We have more information aboutthings to do in Wyomingin our Wyoming Travel Guide. include how many minutes to get to your local airport, wait Even on a short drive, it might be more interesting to stop along the way and explore the local area. fastest possible straight line between Mount Rushmore and Easy Interstate access from I-90, Free Breakfast, Wi-Fi, Free Indoor Pool with Slide & Hot Tub, Business Center. Theres also the must see Sturgis Motorcycle Museum, must eat steak tips at the Loud American Roadhouse, and brews at The Knuckle Brewing Company. 523 6th Street The rock formations, formed through years of erosion, are absolutely stunning. Keystone finally got its name in 1891 and managed to stay on the map throughout the years through its amazing flexibility (gold mining turned to logging, then came the creation of Mount Rushmore). Best Things to do at Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Thanks for the post. Thirsty yet? Mount Rushmore was already named before the carving began. We stayed in the Alpine Lodge and had dinner at Prerogative Kitchen. Click Here to Book Best Western. Rapid City, SD 57701 Whether youre taking selfies with the presidents, discovering the memorials history at the Sculptors Studio and Lincoln Borglum Museum, or honoring American Veterans at the Evening Lighting Ceremony, there are numerous things to do while visiting Mount Rushmore. Proceeds from the many gambling halls in Deadwood help to keep up the town. Neither did I. If you are going to hike the badlands in the Summer, you want to be really careful with dehydration. Sanfords Grub & Pub Beware of eating in the car with the windows down they WILL steal your food! In this one trip you can hit up Mount Rushmore, The Crazy Horse Monument, Custer Park (with all its wildlife goodness), and a few fun little towns (including one with a craft brewery) so its no wonder I left this one for last:-). 3113 Fran Way , Rapid City, SD 57703 is a single-family home listed for-sale at $489,900. La Quinta is always a great standby hotel in any city. To see all the details on this itinerary, including Conveniently Exit 131 is also where youll find the entrance to the Badlands. From Buffalo, US-16 gradually ascends into the Bighorn Mountains. You can scroll down to see the calculation if you drive with stops. But for a real trip, there can be plenty of differences They also have time in summer that you can volunteer to find mammouth bones. Well, this is not really a stop, but more like a note. Rushmore Hours of Operation: October 1, 2022 - March 11, 2023: 5 am to 9 pm March 12, 2023 - September 30, 2023: 5 am to 11 pm October 1, 2023 - to March 9, 2024: 5 am to 9 pm Mount Rushmore is open 365 days per year, even Christmas. You can simply walk up the Avenue of the Flags, take in the view from the Grand Terrace, take your photos and snap your selfies. The total straight line flight distance from Rapid City, SD to Mount Rushmore is 18 miles. Your plane flies much faster than a car, so the flight time is about 1/1th of the time it would take to drive. And dont miss our 10 day road trip with Yellowstone, Devils Tower, and Mount Rushmore. There is no direct connection from Mount Rushmore to Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. And thus, Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln were carved into Mount Rushmore. amzn_assoc_linkid = "dd58c57bc26baab4532a682931cb56f4"; This is a great resource for exploring Mount Rushmore, The Badlands and Custer State Park. You can either add it by following Route #3 or you can day trip out to the Beartooth Highway during your visit to Yellowstone. In between all the rock formations and canyons, there are lovely grasslands to enjoy. If you are planning a road trip, you might also want to calculate the total driving time from RAP to Mount Rushmore so you can see when you'll . :), We have a second post about the Rapid City area that has a lot more things to do here: https://www.theconstantrambler.com/ramblin-guide-to-rapid-city-sd-from-the-badlands-rushmore-sturgis-custer/. Our trip, though to the same area, was the same, yet quite different! On the drive, you also have the option to add on Devils Tower. Check out Art Alley to see some fun and interesting pieces. It techincally is not in a city, but there are many cities around the area. How far is Mt Rushmore from Rapid City? Will be driving back to Texas by way of Cheyenne, /////wy and Denver, Co. Once you do that, you have a decision to make. Check! This itinerary will begin in Rapid City, South Dakota and end in Jackson, Wyoming. Travel time: 45 minutes on the road Itinerary Start in Rapid City. So much to do, and a great destination for families on a budget. This was awesome!! It took 14 years carve the entire sculpture, with the project lasting from 1927 to 1941. Check our our USA Road Trip Guide for travel ideas and sample itineraries. If you want to check out a cool brewery head North on 16 to Hill City and check out Miner Brewing Company (more on them below). Beartooth Highway is typically closed from the second week of October through Memorial Day. Driving Distance from Rapid City, SD to Mount Rushmore - Travelmath THEODORE ROOSEVELT NATIONAL PARK: For a complete list of places to visit in the park, read our article Best Things to Do in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. All rights reserved Earth Trekkers. 5. Youll find a great collection of classic road trip attractions, and tons of neatsouvenirs. While youre in Minneapolis make sure to check out the Weisman Art Museum (just the building is incredible) as well as Hells Kitchen for some fun & tasty food. Mount Rushmore is worth a quick visit, whether you are touring South Dakota or road tripping across the United States. Just came back from South Dakota. Coming from Florida and staying 1 night in Sioux Falls .What would you recommend to Rapid City ? Check out some of the questions people have asked about Mt Rushmore like Family activities. We are flying into Minneapolis, MN and get a rental car and head west. If it's a real road trip, you might want to check out interesting places along the way, or maybe eat at a great restaurant. Named after the nine-mile-long strip of spires, ridges and twisted gullies running through The Badlands, the western town of Wall got its beginning in 1907. Finally, drive for about 5 minutes and arrive in Rapid City. Head East towards Custer State Park. That's what Trippy is perfect for, With over 70 beers on tap (from local craft brews to national brands) theres a beer for everyone. As we continued driving through the Custer Park wildlife loop, we were surprised to find some other critters. Awesome! If you have any questions about how to visit Mount Rushmore or if you want to share your experience, let us know in the comment section below. How far is Mount Rushmore from Devils Tower? At 13,175 feet (4,020 meters), Cloud Peak is the tallest of these mountains. Hope it comes in handy for you. There will be a few hairpin turns but we found it to be a very safe road, with guardrails and lots of wide turns in case you need to stop for any reason. Why? Click the button below to explore Mt Rushmore in detail. If you are doing well on time, you can continue straight to drive US-14A to Medicine Wheel, an ancient stone circle that is sacred to Native Americans. Cities Surrounding Mount Rushmore: Keystone, Rapid City, Deadwood, Wall Its really hard to answer that question, as the weather can be quite unpredictable that time of year. Badlands scenery is just spectacular. Keystone, The Ale House is more pub than restaurant but theyve got you covered for some munchies if the words Hand Crafted Pizza get your taste buds going. However, you do have to pay a $10 parking fee per vehicle. Absolutely beautiful county! Thanks for the great information and pics! Next, head east to Rapid City (30 minutes from Mount Rushmore or 40 minutes from Custer) to visit its museums and lively downtown area, where life-size bronze statues of all former U.S. presidents . For a complete list, check out our guide to the best things to do in South Dakota. Rushmore and was founded in 1891. Learn more here. helping you figure out travel plans in detail. The Bighorn Scenic Byway reaches its highest point at Granite Pass (9,033 feet). This is equivalent to 29 kilometers or 16 nautical miles. That's what Trippy is perfect for, When youre done doing that you can loop back South on HWY 16/ 385 and head south until you see the Crazy Horse Memorial. Kenin, Wish you would include the Mammouth Museum in Hot Springs., SD. USA ROAD TRIPS: Planning your next big adventure in the USA? :-) Its such a great area, and we left so much unexplored. Drive for about 15 minutes, then stop at Reptile Gardens and stay for about 1 hour. Let us know if you have any other questions :-). After heavy snowfalls, routes through the Bighorn Mountains can also close. I cant wait to see buffalo in the wild and someone mentioned something about panning for gold I would love that. It is best to drive these routes from June through September. It is the southern route through the Bighorn Mountains. This page provides tips on using your GPS to get to Mount Rushmore. The head brewmaster at Miner is a 5th Generation wine maker and shes taken classic European styles and blended them with local South Dakota flavors. Required fields are marked *. Driving distance from Rapid City, SD to Mount Rushmore The total driving distance from Rapid City, SD to Mount Rushmore is 24 miles or 39 kilometers. Follow our travel team as they ramble & road-trip across the U.S. and the world. Will be using your directions and tips. Vote. How far is Custer from Rapid City? Rushmore and ending in Cody, Wyoming. Here is a list of things to do at Mount Rushmore. Dayton is the gateway to the Bighorn Scenic Byway. There was a whole lot of fun to be had in the area, we were there for a very short time though. Hope you enjoy these great mini day trips as well as some other fun things to do and places to eat (and drink great beer of course). Hill City, SD 57745 From Devils Tower, drive the Bighorn Scenic Byway as it is written out earlier in this guide. We would like the most flat road route to take from Illinois. What does wine making have to do with beer you ask? Im bookmarking this so that I can refer to it when I do this road trip! Route #1: Mount Rushmore to Yellowstone on Bighorn Scenic Byway, For more information about how to visit Devils Tower, check out our, Route #2: Mount Rushmore to Yellowstone on Cloud Peak Skyway, Route #3: Mount Rushmore to Yellowstone via Beartooth Highway, For more information about what to see and do along Beartooth Highway, and for lots more photos, check out our, Our Favorite Route through the Bighorn Mountains: Bighorn Scenic Byway, More Information about Yellowstone, Wyoming, and South Dakota, Here are more articles to help you plan your trip to, in our Wyoming Travel Guide. Click here to Book LaQuinta. The GrandStay gives its customers a taste of the suite life. We were planning our Florida to Alaska road trip with a friend and mentioned that we were going to do a drive by of Mount Rushmore on our way to Glacier National Park in Montana. Due to movies or jokes taken too seriously, we get a lot of interesting questions about Mount Rushmore. This planner only covers one of several great drives in the area, but for us it was the best way to see the key points we were interested in. Even though the Devils Tower is technically in WY, its an easy and fun trip from Rapid City SD, and it gives you a great excuse see some pretty cool towns like Deadwood and Sturgis along the way back. Your flight direction from Mount Rushmore to Rapid City, SD is Northeast (38 degrees from North). Mount Rushmore to Yellowstone via Bighorn Scenic Byway Distance: 441 miles Time Required: 9 hours This route runs for 441 miles, starting at Mt. And then comes the most thrilling part of this scenic byway. You can also check out our recently updated Ramblin Guide to Rapid City with even more things to do and road trips to take!