Mount Rushmore is one of the most recognizable monuments in the United States today. People travel from all over the world just to stand in front of it and look up at it in awe, but there is much more to it than just those four giant granite faces.
Mount Rushmore is of course the monument carved by Gutzon Borglum that represents the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln that paid tribute to the 150 years that the Union stood and expanded. Though Gutzon started in 1927 the carving was finished by his son Lincoln 14 years later.
For those of you that have never been to Mount Rushmore before, when you first arrive, you can either go up a few flights of stairs, or take and elevator to reach the entrance to the Grandview Terrace to view the memorial. It is quite the site to arrive there and see the thousands of people gazing at the mountain side. On the way up to the Grandview Terrace you walk The Avenue of Flags which includes the flags of the 56 states and territories the avenue provides direct and easy access to the Grandview Terrace, Lincoln Borglum Museum andthePresidential Trail.
At the base of the mountain is the park’s amphitheater which often hosts shows, concerts and presentations, but just as often can be found filled with tourists just looking to take a load off on a hot summer day.
The Presidential Trail is a half mile walking trail that surrounds you with many different types of wild flowers as well as many different views of the memorial. Often times during the summer months I like to go up to the monument, buy an ice cream cone and walk the Presidential Trail as it provides a lot of shade. (A lot more in some areas than others depending on the time of day).
Another good way to escape the heat in the summer is to visit the Lincoln Borglum Visitor Center and Museum. If you are on the Grandview Terrace you can reach it by taking either an elevator or a flight of stairs down to the base of the mountain. In the main lobby there are various exhibits, pictures, posters and postcards featuring images of the memorial at different stages of its construction. There is a movie theater which runs an EXCELLENT film about the history of the monument, and it is only about twenty minutes long if memory serves me correctly.
In the museum itself there are sculptures, photos, 3-D topographic maps, models, movies, activities and many other exhibits to keep your interest and offer you a look into history.
Mount Rushmore has a really nice gift shop that offers a wide range of products from the traditional t-shirts and post cards to black hills gold jewelry and high end collectors items.
Another of my favorite spots around the monument is just past the entrance. If you are coming up from Keystone, go clear past the entrance to the park and continue for about a quarter mile. You will come to another small parking lot where you can see the profile view of George Washington.
Mount Rushmore has truly become the backdrop of America. The 60-foot faces will look across time “until the wind and rain alone shall wear them away.”
The area known as The Badlands conjures up different ideas for different people. For me every time I enter the park I think of my grandma telling me about how cowboys and fur traders used to get lost in there and never come out. For others it brings up images of The Ghost Dance and for others fossil hunting and an ancient world.
From the entrance of the park you notice that the terrain is a little different than anything you have seen before, and after only two minutes of driving from the entrance it feels as though you are on an alien world. Large spires of rock that look like castles surround you on all sides and the land seems to be a series of canyons and spikes that stretches on forever. I can think of no other way to describe it than as the very teeth of the mouth of the Earth.
This terrain was formed in levels over time, first by a shallow sea that once covered the entire region, then by bombardment of volcanic ash, and then erosion by the winds and rain. Driving along the Badlands loop one will see some of the most breath taking natural imagery the world has to offer. If you are lucky enough to get there just after it rains, the color bands that were formed by different layers of sediment deposits stand out with brilliant shades of red, pink, brown, grey, red and yellow, and it looks as if the rocks were actually painted.
Another special sight in the park is all of the wild life. I have been through the Badlands many times now, and when I went last week I saw buffalo in the park for the first time which really brightened my day, but the park is also home to mule deer, white tale deer, prong horn antelope, big horn sheep, prairie dogs, coyote, turkey and wild birds. You never know just what you are going to see at any time, but it is always a treat.
As you can imagine the Badlands is absolutely rich in fossils. In 1849 there was a “bone rush” which brought hundreds of paleontologists to the area and produced over 77 distinctly different species of fossils by 1854 and the fossils are still a huge draw. Upon entering the park visitors are given a stern warning not to remove any fossils from the park because of how significant they can be to science. Visitors are welcomed to walk the Fossil Exhibit Trail.
The Badlands also offers a lot of great trails for hiking and biking as well as horse back riding and camping. Just make sure you have plenty of hydration with you as the park can be rather dry during summer months and extremely hot. If history is more your thing there is plenty to find here. From the Native American tribes hat lived and hunted on these grounds, to the homesteaders that ranched there, to the Minute Man Missile Silo, there are plenty of things to be learned.
I always enjoy my trips through the Badlands, and for all the more it costs for a car load it makes for a great day with your family or friends.
When I first arrived in Rapid City on vacation I was picked up at the air port and was taken to Custer State Park. I had no idea what to expect, I have been to more than my share of state and national parks and every one has been different.
As we actually entered the park I was rendered breathless by how scenic it was. Rolling terrain and lush green grass set against a clear blue sky. Then as we got a little further into the park we came upon the free roaming buffalo herd. I had never seen a buffalo up close before. I knew they were big, but I had never realized just how big. The thing that was so amazing though wasn’t just the size of the individual buffalo, but the size of the herd. They were everywhere I looked. Walking at a leisurely pace realizing that they had nothing to fear from us since they were much bigger than any car in the park the lumbered beside the vehicles doing whatever it is that buffalo do. It was a little nerve wracking for some one like myself who never experienced it before to have the buffalo so close to the car that it rocked back and forth. I guess the sign that state “Buffalo are dangerous, do not approach.” Is more than just a marketing ploy.
We continued to drive through the park and as I kept my eyes open for more buffalo I kept spotting mule deer and pronghorn antelope. I couldn’t get over just how many there were. It was wonderful to see. The pronghorn antelope were especially interesting to me. In all of my previous experience most wildlife fears human presence and runs away, yet these guys didn’t flinch. They didn’t excitedly run up to me to see what I was all about, but they didn’t run away. As with any wildlife I chose to view them from a distance, but I got out of the car and watched them graze. Not even the sound of the door slamming got a response out of them. Eventually they walked up in front of the car, crossed the road and went on with their day.
I got back in the car and we continued to drive. Along the way I got to see some of Custer State Park’s other residents. There was a large flock of turkeys that wanted to cross the road, and of course since it was their home we gave them the right of way. After the crossing I also got to see and hear a prairie dog town. I had always just assumed a prairie dog was just a ground hog. I was mistaken. Prairie dogs are not only cute little things, they chirp a lot and seem to almost have a personality. The way they stand up on their little hind legs and keep watch, and then duck down their holes at the first sign of danger makes them fun to watch.
After a few more minutes of driving we came around a corner and I saw one of Custer’s most famous points of interest, the feral burro herd. The burros aren’t indigenous to the area, but were introduced in the 1920’s by an entrepreneur who used them to carry tourists up Mt. Harney. When his venture failed in the 1930’s, he let the burros loose. Currently there are two small herds, about 15-20 burros in each. The burros are probably some of the friendliest critters I have ever met. They have no problem in walking right up to your vehicle, poking their head in and looking for goodies. I was surprised by the fact that many parents were letting their children get out and pet them, and the burros didn’t care and seemed to rather enjoy it. As with all wildlife one should still be cautious when approaching them, and park policy is that tourists should not feed them, however it isn’t uncommon to see people arrive with a wide variety of veggies to offer them.
Two years later when I returned to Rapid City to live here permanently, the first place I wanted to go was Custer State Park. I made myself a promise that now that I lived here I was going to explore every inch of the 71,000 acres that make up Custer State Park that I possibly could. I also wanted to make sure that I got to see all of the animals that call Custer home, pronghorn antelope, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, deer, elk, wild turkeys, mountain lions and a band of friendly burros. So far all I have left to see is a mountain lion. On one really cool trip I even got to see day old baby antelope.
While the animals and landscape are both great aspects of the park, it also has a lot more to offer. If out door activities are your thing then perhaps you might be interested in hiking the 7,242 foot Harney Peak, mountain biking, rock climbing fishing, or my favorite horseback riding. Or if you want to see the animals but don’t want to have to drive yourself, you can take one of the jeep tours.
If you’re hungry, why not stop and fill your belly with a chuck wagon supper offered right in the park, and from there, you can look into some of the other great activities in the park depending on the time of year. Monday night guest speaker series, guided snow shoe hikes, and gold panning demonstrations are all available.
Custer State Park also offers culture and history as well. From the banks of French Creek, where Custer’s expedition first discovered gold in 1874 to performances at the Black Hills Playhouse, to a visit to Badger Clark’s log cabin, there are plenty of things to spark your imagination. Living-history demonstrations, such as candle making and woodworking, take place at the Gordon Stockade. Evening campfire programs feature slide shows, outdoor-cooking demonstrations and films. For the kids, the Junior Naturalist Program teaches them about the outdoors through hands-on activities.
If you don’t get to explore the entire park in one day, don’t worry, there are plenty of campgrounds, or you can stay at one of the lodges. The State Game Lodge is known as the as the “Summer White House” for President Calvin Coolidge in 1927 and was visited by President Dwight D. Eisenhower for several days in 1953. Sylvan Lake Lodge was suggested by Frank Lloyd Wright and offers one of the most scenic views in the park. Blue Bell Lodge offers guests the “true western experience”. You can trail ride, or take a guided all day ride. You can take a haywagon ride to a scenic canyon for a chuckwagon supper, or you can have a buffalo steak in the Blue Bell dining room. Legion Lake Lodge offers access to some great fishing, and if you don’t have a license or equipment, don’t worry. You can get everything you need at the Legion Lake Lodge Store.
The park boasts scenic drives such as the Needles Highway (SD 87), which twists and turns its way past towering rock formations and through narrow tunnels. At the end of one tunnel stands the Needles Eye, a granite spire with a slit only 3 to 4 feet wide but reaching 30 to 40 feet in the air.
Another of the park’s big attractions is the annual buffalo round-up, chili cook-off and art show in October. I will be sharing my experiences there in another blog if that is something that catches your interest.
Entry in to the park is only $12 per vehicle and the pass is good for a week, or if you live close enough and want to visit anytime you like you can purchase an annual pass for $23
The park is great for people adventuring on their own, couples and families alike. I have never taken anyone into the park that wasn’t smiling when they left, and they always want to go back. I would definitely recommend checking it out. Until next time, this is the local tourist saying…Discover More.
