Mt. Rushmore - One day itinerary

[jpjr]

We are doing a mega road trip in September, which will include a full day near Mt. Rushmore / Crazy Horse / Custer State Park. We know we will of course visit Mt. Rushmore, but does anyone have any tips on how best to spend our day in the area? The following day we have a long ride to Great Falls, MT on our way to Glacier Park. That will be another thread on another day.

Thanks in advance for your input.

jpjr

 

[NW-Bound]

Well, to walk around the trail of Mt. Rushmore, spend time to look at the exhibits, watch the documentary, then to have a meal at the nearby town of Keystone took us nearly the whole day. Perhaps you have time left to drive the scenic 16A.

We were RV'ing, and spent several days in the area, so took it very leisurely. Still, don't see how to do it in a day, unless you are very rushed and just stop to look at something for 15 minutes then drive on. But that is more driving than I care to do.

Besides Mt. Rushmore, Custer State Park, Crazy Horse, we also spent some time in the town of Custer and visited Wind Cave National Park and its namesake cave.

PS. We might have spent nearly a week in the area: 2 days in Wind Cave NP campground, 2 days in an RV park in Custer, and 2 days in a National Forest campground just a few miles from Mt. Rushmore.

 

[jpjr]

I would love to spend more time, but that's just not in the cards.

My DW is not able to do a lot of walking, especially if there are any hills to climb, so I probably should clarify my inquiry. She can do level walking for a mile or so, but after that, the big "C" keeps her from breathing. So I'm looking for some photo ops, and short walks that she will enjoy.

jpjr

 

[Rustic23]

If you are in the area at night, go see the monument.

 

[timo2]

Can Devil's tower be on your way out of the Black Hills? You can drive by it and not walk around.