My wife and I recently returned from a vacation trip to the Black Hills of South Dakota. Neither of us had every traveled north of Kansas City west of the Mississippi, so the drive up was all new territory for us. From Arkansas we drove up through Missouri and Iowa and then cut west across South Dakota. On the way back we drove south out of the Black Hills into Nebraska where we traveled east then cut south through Kansas into Oklahoma, then east back to Arkansas. It total we covered just over 2700 miles.

One of the landmarks we wanted to see was Mount Rushmore. Seeing it for the first time was pretty cool, kind of reminds me of the first time as a kid I walked into Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

I'm sure many of you have visited Mount Rushmore before, but for those who have not had the opportunity I thought I'd share a few pictures. No matter how close or far you are from the mountain, it's an inspiring sight.

This view is from another mountain top on Iron Mountain Road about five miles away. The haze or fog seen in the trees is actually yellow pollen that was blowing off the trees and headed in our direction in a big cloud.





A view through one of the several tunnels on Iron Mountain Road on our way to Mount Rushmore.




This is probably the most common view as seen from the Mount Rushmore National Park.




his picture was taken with a zoom lens from a couple of miles away on another mountain. From here you can see parts of the National Park at the foot of the mountain. I was impressed with how efficient the park was with handling and parking so many vehicles coming in and out of the park.




We came back at night for the park closing and flag lowering ceremony and when they turn on the lighting. My camera didn't really do it justice.




"Theodore Roosevelt" gives a speech about the great country we live in called the United States of America. This guy did a really good job.

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Been many years since I was there, but it is a stunning piece of Americana. I believe every American should see it at least one in their lifetime. Thank you for sharing!!

Best Regards, Les

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Nice pictures, and nice presentation about what you saw. Sorry about the pine pollen while you were here, it definitely has been present this year. The latest thunderstorms have cleaned up the air and hope the air stays clear for awhile, wildfire season now! I first saw Mount Rushmore in 1955, and the only things there other than the rock carving, was a gravel parking area, and a log building that was Borglem's studio, which had a scale model of the carving , tools and other paraphernalia used during the carving, as well as photographs. Some days you could go there and be almost alone, certainly not now!
Glad you had a nice trip!

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Jim

Been there twice. Like to go back some day. Crazy Horse monument there is also interesting, but certainly not as inspirational.

Thanks for the views I've never seen.

Heading there next week. I went as a kid in late the late '70s or early '80s. Wanted my boys to see it. Due to my schedule we only have a 4 day trip. Drive up in one day, one day in the Badlands, one in Custer/Black Hills, and a day drive back.

last time I was there was when my son's Boy Scout troop was the honor guard at the closing ceremonies, my son was the flag folder... very proud dad moment... the closing ceremonies are a must see if you can

Can you imagine trying to create that today? You'd be awash in permits, protests, and lawsuits for 200 years. An awe inspiring sight.

Nice trip. Thanks for sharing.

That area of the Black Hills is a treasure. Nearby Custer State Park and it's bison heard are awesome. The Spelunking Tour at Wind Cave National Park is a thrill if your not prone to claustrophobia.

And, of course forum member Walkinghorse is another local treasure residing there now.

Yeah, I spent most of two days in Custer State Park. I can only imagine what it would have been like to see millions of bison grazing on the rolling hills back in the day.

When I get a chance I'll got through my wildlife pictures and try to post a few.

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The Black Hills is a terrific vacation destination. Fortunately, I don’t live that far from there, about ten hours by I90, twelve or so via a number of two-lane routes, or a couple of days by some more interesting back ways. I am usually out there to attend the Sturgis rally or to go dirt biking, but it is also a wonderful place for a family vacation.

One place I keep coming back to is the Wildlife Loop in Custer State Park, together with Red Valley Road, which runs south from the loop through the back side of Wind Cave NP. The riding, the scenery and the wildlife combine to make it the best single destination in the Hills.

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Nice to see people still enjoying Mt. Rushmore. I grew up in South Dakota and visited the Black Hills many times growing up.