Visiting Mount Rushmore In July

Visiting Mount Rushmore in July?

I got you covered here because that was the month we visited Mount Rushmore National Memorial in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

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Compared to when we visited Mount Rushmore in early October, visiting Mount Rushmore in July was different.

July is one of the busiest months in Mount Rushmore. But if that’s the only time you can travel, you must continue reading this article. You will know what to expect and to do.

Visiting Mount Rushmore in July

I don’t know about you, but my family doesn’t like crowds. I found information about the best time of day to visit Mt Rushmore from the Mount Rushmore website. Consider visiting before 9 a.m. or after 3.30 p.m. to avoid the crowds.

Our dog Snoopy was with us when we visited Mount Rushmore in July. That was another consideration in choosing the best time to visit Mt Rushmore. The highest temperature in July can reach 79°F, and that’s not good for us. 

So we decided to visit Mount Rushmore in the morning. The average temperature is 60°F.

We came from Hot Springs. It’s our base for our Dallas to Mount Rushmore road trip. It’s about an hour’s drive to the south of the Memorial.

Mount Rushmore Visit

We arrived at Mt. Rushmore around 8.15 on Monday morning after taking mandatory pictures by the Memorial sign.

As expected, there weren’t too many visitors yet.

We went to the Information Center to get the park’s map and the Junior Ranger program book for our son. It’s on the right side after you pass the park entrance.

It’s a bummer there was renovation work on the Avenue of Flags and Lincoln Borglum Visitor Center during our visit. We couldn’t enjoy the sculptures from the Grand View Terrace. 

But they were done with the construction work. So go here before walking on the Presidential Trail to the base of the sculptures and Sculptor’s Studio. These are other things to do in Mount Rushmore.

Because of the renovation work during our visit, we returned to the park entrance and turned left to the Nature Trail. The trail is paved and covered by pine trees. We walked down to Borglum View Terrace. 

As the name implies, you will see the President Sculptures from this point. Continue on the trail to the left, it takes you to the Lincoln Borglum Visitor Center. It is the end of the Presidential Trail when you start from the other side of the visitor center. 

During our visit, we went right instead. We walked down two stairs and arrived at the Sculptor’s Studio.

The Sculptor’s Studio is a must-visit. Listen to a ranger talk about Gutzon Borglum, the guy behind the sculptures, the carving process, and the workers’ lives for about 15 minutes.

You can view the original plaster scale model used for the creation here.

From the studio, we continued on the trail now becoming the Presidential Trail. We went up four sets of stairs before arriving at the base of Mount Rushmore. You will get to see a clear view of the sculptures from here.

Then we kept going and turned right on a T-intersection. It took us to the Youth Exploration Area. When you turn left at the T-intersection, you will get to the visitor center again.

After staying several minutes at the base, we went back to the park entrance. This time most of the walk was going uphill.

We continued to the Cafe and Ice Cream building on the right side. It’s after the Information Center.

By this time, around 10.15, the Memorial was packed with visitors.

The Presidential Trail

The Presidential Trail is 0.6 miles long. You will walk along the granite outcrops and through ponderosa pine trees. The trail starts and ends at the Grand View Terrace.

As you face the mountain, go to the left of the terrace to start the hike. The first 0.2 mile is a boardwalk and handicapped accessible. The walk is slightly inclining to the base of Mount Rushmore. There are benches for resting.

The last 0.4 miles is up and down and has 422 stairs. It will bring you back to the Grand View Terrace. It’s not handicapped accessible.

It will take between 20 to 40 minutes to walk the trail. But it all comes back to you, whether you want to do it fast or slow like us.   

If you visit Mount Rushmore in July and early morning like us, you may need to bring a light jacket. Check the weather forecast before you go. Wear comfortable shoes. Hiking poles are optional. Don’t forget the sunblock, and you may need a hat.

The Presidential Trail is also open in the spring and the fall.

The Sculptor’s Studio

The Sculptor’s Studio is wheelchair accessible. The restrooms and drinking fountains are available on the lower level.

Talk with a park ranger at the information desk to arrange access to the studio parking area.

It is only open in summer.

Lincoln Borglum Visitor Center

As mentioned above, this is the first place you want to go after taking pictures from the Grand View Terrace.

The Visitor Center consists of exhibits and a film describing the reasons for carving Mount Rushmore and the methods used.

It is wheelchair accessible, and assisted listening devices are available at the information desk. The park film is captioned. Information in Braille and large print is also available on request at the information desk.

Lincoln Borglum Visitor Center opens every day except December 25th.

Avenue of Flags

I like walking here. It feels grand, with the 56 flags representing the 50 states, one district, three territories, and two commonwealths of the United States of America flying on both sides of the avenue. Then right ahead of you are the sculptures of the four Presidents.

The flags start with the A’s near the concession building and end with W’s near the Grand View Terrace. You can find a plaque under each flag comprising information about the states, districts, territories, and commonwealths.

Thomas Jefferson Ice Cream

You must try Thomas Jefferson or TJ ice cream at Mount Rushmore National Memorial. It is Thomas Jefferson’s original vanilla ice cream recipe from the 1780s.

It was only 10.20 in the morning when we lined up for the ice cream. Too early for ice cream, but we were already there, so we had to try it.

The ice cream was good and creamy, but my husband and son preferred to order other flavors. And they were good, too!

What I like about the whole TJ ice cream are the signs they put when you are waiting in line. For example, when it’s about 5 minutes wait time to the counter, it says, “It took Thomas Jefferson longer to draft the Declaration of Independence than it does to wait in line for ice cream.” They put three more signs at 3, 2, and 1-minute wait lines to the counter.

The ice creams are available at Carvers Cafe in the concession building. I can’t tell you anything about the food because it was too early for us to have lunch.

Best time of year to visit Mount Rushmore

June, July, and August are the busiest months in Mt Rushmore, and July 3rd and 4th are the busiest individual days. May, September, and October are less crowded. These are the best time of year to visit the Monument. Therefore, these are popular months as well.

But when we were there in early October, there weren’t too many people. Maybe because it was during the week, and the kids were in school. It was a different story when we visited in July.

Sculpture Illumination

They illuminate the sculptures nightly for about three hours. 

Before this, there was an Evening Lighting Ceremony only from late May to the end of September.

To see this, join a park ranger at the outdoor amphitheater. There is a 45-minute program focusing on the presidents, patriotism, and the nation’s history. It starts with the ranger talk, followed by the movie “Freedom: America’s Lasting Legacy” before the lighting of the memorial.

Mt Rushmore Hours and Prices

The visitors’ facilities at Mount Rushmore are open all year, seven days a week, except December 25th. Depending on the weather, on December 25th, the parking structure and grounds remain open. All buildings are closed.

This link will take you to the operation hours of different buildings and activities in the memorial.

Mt Rushmore does not charge an entrance fee. However, you must pay a parking fee to park in the concession-operated parking facility. You can pay it by cash or most credit cards.

The parking fee is $10 per vehicle (car, motorcycles, and RVs), $5 for seniors (62 and older), and free for active duty military.   

What I like about the parking ticket is it entitles a non-commercial vehicle to unlimited entry to the memorial for one year from the date of purchase. The Memorial doesn’t print your license plate on the parking ticket.

Our friend went in April and gave their parking ticket to us, who went to Mount Rushmore in July.   

However, you can’t use your America The Beautiful passes for parking fees.

Visiting Mt Rushmore with Dogs

Unfortunately, dogs are not allowed in Mount Rushmore. You can only take them to parking garages and the areas next to them. Also to the Main Pergola.

Our dog Snoopy was with us. We left him in the van with windows slightly open and a portable fan battery-operated running in the car. We also prepared him with a bowl of water and food. Another reason to get there early was to find a parking spot under the covered parking garage.

Before leaving the Memorial, we took Snoopy for a little walk and pictures from under the pergola with the Presidents’ sculptures in the background.

How to get to Mount Rushmore by plane

The closest airport to Mount Rushmore is Rapid City. At the airport, get your rental car from Discover Cars. You can reserve your choice of car online now before leaving for the trip. Discover Cars compare prices from local, national, and international companies to give you the best deals. 

If you rent a car from Discover Cars, I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you. I will use it to keep this blog running. Thanks for your support.

From Rapid City, take US-16 W to SD-244 W for about 21.5 miles. Follow SD-244 W to your destination, about 1.6 miles.

Attractions Near Mount Rushmore

After Mount Rushmore, we visited Custer State Park, around 20 minutes drive away.

Some people combined their visit with Crazy Horse Memorial, which is around 30 30-minute drive to the west. While others will go to Wind Cave National Park, about a 45-60-minute drive to the south. 

Badlands National Park is about an hour and thirty minutes to the southeast.