Mount Rushmore National Memorial - June 2017


Mount Rushmore was another planned stop on our long 22-day Out West Trip of 2017.  We stayed in the Black Hills area for four nights so we had lots of time to appreciate all of the many awesome things in the area.  We coordinated it so that we could visit Mount Rushmore in the evening one day and then mid-morning the next day.  If you have time to do this, it's worthwhile.  The evening ceremony is a  must-see and the contrast of the Memorial at dusk and day is pretty cool too.

We arrived a little after dinner and the line of cars to get in was fairly long.  There was a light mist/rain so that may have kept some visitors away.  Seeing Mount Rushmore for the first time is very awe-inspiring.  We had seen so many pictures of it before - but in person, WOW!



The evening ceremony is held during the summer months between Memorial Day weekend and September 30th.  The ceremony includes a short film, singing a song (can't remember which patriotic song it was - maybe God Bless America?), and the lowering of the flag.  Prior to lowering the flag, veterans and active duty members from all branches of the military are invited onto the stage and are introduced to the crowd.  Then the flag is lowered and the Memorial is lighted.  It's a very touching ceremony and the lighted Memorial looks awesome!



There was quite a bit of traffic getting out of the Memorial and I think each of the kids feel asleep as it was past 10:00 and we had already had a very long day.  On the drive back to Custer, we drove by the Crazy Horse Memorial (post coming soon!).

The next morning, we headed back to Mount Rushmore to get a glimpse of it during the day.  We took a different route into the Memorial and our first glimpse of it was the side view of President George Washington.  It was amazing against the clear blue sky!



We had purchased an annual parking pass the evening before - $20 and good for the whole year - so we didn't have to pay to park again.  We planned on spending the whole morning here and the kids all signed up for the Junior Ranger program.  We visited the Lincoln Borglum Visitor Center with a short movie and all kinds of historical information.  We also stopped by the Sculptor's Studio and saw a model of what the completed Memorial was supposed to be.  The details were amazing!


We then walked the Presidential Trail which is just over a 1/2 mile with some steps but gets you up even closer to the Memorial.  Some really great vantage points!


 

We then headed back to the Lincoln Borglum Visitor Center for some gigantic ice cream cones (sorry, hands too full to take a picture - but they are huge!!!).  The kids all completed their Junior Ranger programs and were sworn in as official Junior Rangers!  We also made sure to stamp our National Passport books (We stamped them the night before.  You never know if a nose may fall off - want to get that stamp to prove you were there if it happened that day!)


Mount Rushmore is a great place for families to visit with easy walking trails, food on site, and easy parking.  Admission is free but you do need to pay $20 per vehicle for an annual parking pass.  We will definitely include Mount Rushmore in our future itineraries when we head out west again!






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