Tips for Visiting Mount Rushmore With Kids

Mount Rushmore National Memorial is one of those iconic attractions many Americans usually put on their road trip list. It’s recognizable and is one of the most visited attractions in the country. Here are tips for visiting Mount Rushmore with kids to make the most of your visit.

The Building of Mt Rushmore

These gigantic, iconic figures of four American presidents carved against the side of a mountain was as impressive as we expected. Located in South Dakota’s Black Hills National Forest, Mount Rushmore National Memorial is also known as the ‘Shrine of Democracy”.

It took about 14 years to complete and finished in 1941 at a cost of almost a million dollars. The actual carving took about six years and the other years were due to delays from weather and funding.

This was our first glimpse of the monument from the road. The car shows some perspective of the size of these faces.

Each giant carved head is about 60 ft (18 m) tall. George Washington’s nose (the very left President) is 21 feet tall. It’s quite impressive!

Gutzon Borglum, a Danish-American sculptor, designed and executed this immense project. The four Presidents, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, were chosen as subjects of this granite monument based on their significant contributions in the founding of democracy and the United States’ expansion and preservation.

Here are some helpful tips for visiting Mount Rushmore with kids (or without too):

Arrive Early and When to Visit

We got to the site around 9AM and the crowds were still manageable with plenty of parking spaces. But, as the day progressed and as we were leaving close to noon, there more tour buses and people came.

We visited during the second weekend of August which was still during the summer rush. It was hot but not as humid as we thought it would be.

It also got significantly hotter throughout the day. While the off-season may be a great time for weather and avoiding crowds, some activities within the memorial will not be available.

Stop at the Avenue of Flags

The Avenue of the Flags is the main pathway to the monument. There were 56 flags that flanked the walkway arranged in alphabetical order. These multi-colored flags almost looked like they were waving to welcome the visitors into the complex.

In addition to the 50 states, the other six flags represent the United States commonwealths, territories (including my beloved island of Guam) and the District of Columbia. There was a small plaque underneath each flag showing when each state was admitted to the union.

Enjoy the Monument from Grand View Terrace

The Avenue of the Flags is the pathway that led to the Grand View Terrace. This was the platform where visitors can have a clear view of the monument.

There were telescopes here for a closer look at each carved face or use your camera’s telephoto lens. The details are astounding especially Teddy Roosevelt’s glasses.

There were several benches here too to admire the monument or wait out the crowds doing all their photo shoots. This was such an incredible accomplishment for the workers.

Walk the Presidential Trail

The half-mile loop trail starts by the Grand View Terrace which includes a nature trail full of interesting plants and stones. The path took us to the base of the mountain for a closer look at the monument and the Presidents.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t complete the trail loop since they were doing construction to restore the stairs and Sculptor’s Studio. But, don’t miss walking this family-friendly and easy trail. It was also a wonderful way to get away from most of the crowd at the terrace.

Explore the Visitor Center

Many people go to Mount Rushmore as a pit stop, take the obligatory photos and selfies and leave to explore other attractions in the Black Hills. We recommend spending some time here to explore the Lincoln Borglum Visitor Center, Museum and Theaters.

We really enjoyed watching the 14-minute movie, Mount Rushmore: The Shrine at the visitor’s center. It gave us a chance to rest and fully appreciate the work it took to carve these presidents. It was amazing to think what the workers accomplished using the tools they had at that time.

There were about 400 workers who helped with this project. Remarkably, no one was killed on the job despite the dangerous conditions.

They were earning between .45 cents to .75 cents per hour at the time. The workers removed over 450,000 tons of rock and mainly through the use of dynamite.

We learned many things about its history and construction. Did you know that the sculptor originally meant for the presidents to be carved from the waist up but didn’t have enough funding? This was the model of what could have been but would probably taken many more years to build.

There was an interesting Exhibit Hall with various displays on the presidents, the sculptor, the workers, the monument’s history and even some on the tools used for carving like the drills and hammers. My kids enjoyed the interactive exhibits here too which were quite educational.

Visit the Youth Exploration Area & Heritage Village

We always admire parks who set aside a certain area for kids. During the summer months, there is an interactive area by the Presidential Trail for kids to learn more about Mount Rushmore and the surrounding Black Hills area.

Kids can learn more about the history and even wildlife here. Unfortunately, the area was still closed during our visit there.

The American Indians have been a part of this land for centuries. The Heritage Village is a wonderful area to learn more about the local tribes’ customs and traditions specifically the Lakota, Nakota and Dakota.

There was even colorful Indian tipis (tent shaped made of animal skin) here to explore. The park rangers offer informative programs here from 10 AM to 2 PM during the summer.

Attend the Evening Light Ceremony

During the summer months from late May to late September, the memorial holds a special program to light the sculpture around 9 PM. The program begins with a ranger talk about the presidents and US history followed by a movie and then the lighting.

Unfortunately, we didn’t get the chance to attend this program or see the sculpture at night. Next time!

The whole ceremony lasts about 45 minutes and I’m sure is a wonderful experience. Please let us know in the comments if you’ve ever attended it. Be sure to wear a light jacket when attending this ceremony as it does get cooler at night.

Do Guided Tours

Visitors can do self-guided tours by renting an audio tour available in English, German, Lakota, Spanish and French that also includes music, storytelling and interviews. It’s a great way to enhance the experience while walking around the area. These can be rented at the Audio Tour building across the Information Center by the entrance.

During the summer, there are also various ranger-led programs of interpretive talks and guided walks. Most of them usually last 30 minutes and cover a range of natural, cultural and historical topics.

We joined one of the guided walks briefly and learned quite a lot from the ranger. Go to the Information Center or the Visitor’s Center to see times, locations and topics during your visit.

Eat at Carver’s Marketplace

We didn’t plan to eat at the marketplace. But, it was hard to walk away after seeing their various menu options.

The marketplace was a food court with some delicious choices. There was something here even for the pickiest eaters.

There were plenty of seating areas inside as well as outside and the glass wall looked out into the carved mountain. We liked that the restaurants used regional vendors and had local foods. My husband and teen son went straight for the bison burgers and bison stew and enjoyed them.

Sample some historic ice cream

Visiting Mount Rushmore on a hot summer day makes it the ideal time to try some TJ’s vanilla ice cream. What’s so special about it?

This is based on Thomas Jefferson’s original recipe from 1780. They actually had a sign of Jefferson’s handwritten recipe.

The Memorial Team Ice Cream station also served various ice cream flavors and floats including the popular soft-serve or hand-dipped “Monumental Scoop”.

Do the Junior Ranger Program

If you’re traveling with children to Mount Rushmore, we highly recommend letting them participate in the Junior Ranger program. We got a self-guided activity booklet from the visitor’s center right by the entrance.

Various booklets were distributed by age groups from ages three and up. My teens got the ones for ages 13 and over.

After completing the activities and watching a film, my kids returned the booklet at the Lincoln Borglum Visitor Center to get their Rushmore Ranger certificate and earn their badges like we’ve done at many National Park sites over the years. 

The Junior Ranger Program was a wonderful way for families to learn more about the monument’s history, fun facts about the presidents and the states.

Admission Fees and Parking

There is no entrance fee to go into Mount Rushmore National Memorial. But, there is a $10 fee per vehicle for parking. $5.00 for Seniors and free for Active Military. The parking passes are valid for 24 hours from the first entry time.

There was a wonderful multi-level garage which was very close to the entrance. There was even a system that showed us the available parking spaces. This has to be the most convenient parking facility we’ve ever had at a National Park site.

Many of the National Park Passes (Senior Pass, America the Beautiful Annual Pass, Every Kid in the Park) that could be used for other sites around the country cannot be used to pay for the parking fees at Mount Rushmore.

*Have you visited Mount Rushmore?

See our Black Hills itinerary and other nearby attractions in the area.

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