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Mount Rushmore - is it worth it?

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Tuco

Tuco

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Planning a big loop road trip to include Mount Rushmore and an over night stay at Sturgis (before the rally). As someone that has a touch of ochlophobia, is Rushmore worth the effort? I remember my two wheeled visit to the Grand Canyon and frankly it was not worth the effort. Just a very big hole in the ground with a lot of annoying tourists everywhere.

I think Rushmore would be cool, and I'd like to see it before Lincoln is replaced with Trumpo. Opinions please.
 
Is it worth riding up there just to see Rushmore, no. But there are lots of other things in the area that make the trip worth it.

As for the Grand Canyon, the North rim is far better with a lack of tourists. But, as with most national parks, they are somewhat disappointing if the plan is to drive/ride up to them, and then ride away a few minutes later. Most of them need some good exploring to really see the park. Grand Canyon is the same way.
 
I vote no. Been there about 5 years ago, and two things stick in my memory.

1) you will only go as fast as the slowest car in front of you. We were in a trail of cars because the yahoo at the front of the line was white/knuckling some very non technical roads. Impossible to pass, so made it a long and daunting drive.
2) parking is expensive. I don’t recall the fee, but it was akin to going to a sports stadium price-wise. There’s no guided tour or anything. You just park, and walk up a sidewalk to a viewing area. There is a souvenir shop, and that’s it. Not much to it. You’d be better just doing a drive by
 
If you're just going to see Mt Rushmore then I'd say "no", I found it underwhelming because
you can see it from miles away - and it only gets bigger as you approach, so it was it was kind
of "Meh"
However there are lots of other interesting things to do in the same area - Needles Highway,
Custer State park (lots of Bison), Badlands, Missile Sites, Spearfish canyon?, Wall.....

Hill City was a nice place for lunch - eating on an outdoor patio.

Have fun
 
Every time they show Mt Rushmore on the tv it looks huge. That’s because they zoom in on it. When you see it in person, it’s about a quarter mile away from the viewing area. A big let down. The parking was $10 in 2018. The roads around there are nice.

I was more impressed with Devils Tower. You can walk around the base looking right up it. People are pretty spread out walking the trail. Wasn’t as crowed as Mt Rushmore.
 
I remember my two wheeled visit to the Grand Canyon and frankly it was not worth the effort. Just a very big hole in the ground with a lot of annoying tourists everywhere.
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Holy Moly! Never heard of anyone seeing the Grand Canyon and NOT walking away with a feeling of awe. So, yeah, if that didn't impress, I'm not certain anything will.
 
To echo others, as a destination ride just to see it no. As part of ride to check out the whole area an overwhelming yes.

The first 9 days of this ride should give a good flavor of what you could see and do getting to the Mount Rushmore area.

www.twtex.com

Road Trip 2018 - The Black Hills and more...

Buying the Goldwing in July of 2012 reinvigorated Linda's desire for longer motorcycle trips. After getting the Wing properly set up, we took a great trip to the Smoky’s in 2013, in 2015 to Nova Scotia, and in 2017 to take a ride on the Durango Silverton RR...
www.twtex.com www.twtex.com
 
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If you're in the area anyway, then just go see it. There's a little museum that might get crowded, but the viewing area is pretty open and the museum part is totally optional. IIRC the museum just has some displays showing the history and construction. You might have to deal with some idiots on the roads close to Mt. Rushmore and Deadwood and Sturgis, but it's still leagues better than the traffic you'll encounter in any major city. The traffic lessens the further you get away from those tourist sites and out into the scenic roads. It's also interesting to contrast the geography of the Badlands to the east with the more mountainous terrain to the west.
 
Mount Rushmore - is it worth it? Yes, it is totally worth it. If you are in the area, it'd be lame not to see it. But, do the other stuff while in the neighborhood, too. It's best to go off season. I did and the traffic was light and easily dealt with.

-Jeff
 
Saw it in 1982 so can't compare to today's experience.

I love memorials and such, want to see Devil's Tower and others up north.

I'm an introvert so prefer non-crowded spaces which means off-season is best.
 
Jeff S said:
Holy Moly! Never heard of anyone seeing the Grand Canyon and NOT walking away with a feeling of awe. So, yeah, if that didn't impress, I'm not certain anything will.
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I did the North Rim in 2012 - it was mahhhhh.

Course it was a terrible day and couldn't see 20ft past the rim:sun:

Did have a nice breakfeast at the Lodge there after a night in the campground of low 40's and on-off rain before seeking lower elevation
 
also go see Crazyhorse. Great campground with very cool owners at Timber Ridge Campground. My opinion only, but it is better to go during Sturgis if you're on a bike. Traffic flows better, and you have all the dirt roads to yourself. Outside of Sturgis week, Needles and Iron Mountain are clogged with cars and RVs. Plus it is cool to see all the motorcycles.
 
Went as a kid. Went back in 2011, as part of a 11 day, 11 state run with some friends. They wanted to see it, I didn't want to pay the fee. Still got a great pic, from a side road.

1769613643324.jpeg
 
CrosbyDave said:
I've gotta agree with the Devil's tower comment above- pretty darn neat chunk of rock I'm glad I got to see.
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Gotta admit that Devil's Tower is a very unique feature in the area. However, I don't think any of us go to one specific spot to see one specific thing, then turn around and go home. There is a lot to see in the Black Hills area with some great driving and riding routes. I thought Mt. Rushmore was pretty impressive, as well as Crazy Horse. "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" is one of my favorite movies, so there was no way I wasn't going to check that out. It's easy to see why Spielberg picked that feature for his movie. There's also decent history of the gold mining in the area, and Deadwood is more than just casinos. My advice...go in the fall. The colors there are as good as any I've seen even compared to the northeast...just keep an eye on the weather.
 
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