Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [55]
EXPLORING THE PARK BY CAR
Although Mount Rushmore is best enjoyed on foot, many visitors overlook an impressive view of the sculpture that is best reached by car. After leaving the park's parking lot, turn right on S. Dak. 244 and proceed west, then northwest, around the memorial. Less than a mile from the parking lot, you'll discover the proud profile of George Washington in the upper-right corner of your windshield. While surveying the scene, keep an eye out for the Rocky Mountain goats that frequent the memorial and the Black Elk Wilderness Area to the west.
ORGANIZED TOURS & RANGER PROGRAMS
Mount Rushmore offers a variety of excellent interpretive programs, including the following:
The 30-minute Presidential Talk leaves the Grand View Terrace six times a day in the summer. Join a ranger for a walk along the Presidential Trail to learn why Gutzon Borglum chose the four faces.
The 15-minute Studio Talk (summer only) at the 1939 Sculptor's Studio examines techniques the artist used to carve the memorial, as well as the original tools and plaster models employed in its construction.
A regular 30-minute program at the amphitheater includes a talk and movie about the memorial, which coincides with its dramatic lighting ceremony. The program begins at 9pm from May through August and at 8pm in September. (The sculpture is illuminated nightly for 1–2 hr. year-round).
A 13-minute film narrated by noted reporter and South Dakotan Tom Brokaw shows continuously at the visitor center and museum. Painting a broad overview of the memorial's history, construction, and subjects, the movie gives visitors a greater understanding of the colossal carving.
HISTORIC BUILDINGS & OTHER ATTRACTIONS
The 1939 Sculptor's Studio played an important role in the final years of the construction of Mount Rushmore. Today, the spacious studio and the artist's models it houses are integral to understanding how Borglum and his drill-dusty crew carved the sculpture from Black Hills granite.
Located on the walkway between the Concession Building and the Lincoln Borglum Museum, the Avenue of Flags features the official flags of all U.S. states, territories, districts, and commonwealths, arranged in alphabetical order. The flags serve as a patriotic, colorful frame to Mount Rushmore.
DAY HIKES
The Presidential Trail begins near the main viewing terrace, then proceeds west through ponderosa pines to the talus slope at the base of the sculpture. The trail is .6 mile long, and a large portion of it is accessible to travelers with disabilities. The other portion of the trail consists of many steps, and depending on which direction a visitor walks, the trail can be a steep climb. The boardwalk circles the southeastern slope of the mountain before arriving at the Sculptor's Studio. In addition to decreasing crowding on the memorial's viewing terraces, this new trail takes visitors into the woods and affords new vantage points from which to view the four presidents.
ROCK CLIMBING
Although climbing on the Mount Rushmore sculpture and within the adjacent restricted zone is prohibited, much of the park is open to climbing. The park is known internationally as a world-class sports climbing area, with its massive spires and large rock faces nestled amid tall ponderosa pines.
Visiting Custer State Park
Custer State Park is one of the largest state parks in the Lower 48, and because of its unique historical, cultural, and natural resources, it attracts many visitors. If you want to avoid the crowds, the best times to visit are from May to mid-June and September through October. Spring offers a reawakening of the grasslands and the birth of cinnamon-colored bison calves, as well as elk, deer, antelope, and other wildlife. Fall beckons with the change of colors in every canyon and ravine, as well as the bugling of bull elk as they search for mates. It's also the season