Mount Rushmore

[ck1]

Is it worth a visit?

[sandyRoe]

Probably a bit like the Giant's Causeway in NI, worth seeing but not worth going to see.

[FredPuli43]

Frankly, no. If you have seen other great places in the US then , by all means, go and see it. It's what the old Michelin guides described as "worth a detour" but not "worth going to see" (and what a detour it is, though, in common with a lot of the US, the state and what is en route is worthwhile, though unheralded )

[ck1]

Right, so starting off in Boulder Colarado and going to an Francisco via mount rushmore might not be the best option then!

[Maydup]

I think its worth a visit as the whole area is a wonderful contrast to the city or the coast. Include the Crazy Horse statue and a ride round Deadwood for lasting memories of the Blackhills.

[Maydup]

PS from Boulder, choose to go either via Blackhills and Yellowstone Park and on to the coast or take the Arizona, Monument Valley and Grand Canyon Route.

[whiskeryron]

// take the Arizona, Monument Valley and Grand Canyon Route. //

Wowee.

WR.

[Clanad]

Living, as I do, within a day's drive from the Black Hills, I'd offer the following; From Boulder, Colorado, it's at least a 6 hour or more drive. Good roads, in fact four lane Interstate from Boulder to Cheyenne, Wyoming and then good two lane roads the rest of the way to Rapid City, South Dakota. (Mt. Rushmore is only about half an hour from Rapid City). So one would need to consider that aspect, plus, going on to San Francisco would require a back-track on about the same roads at least to Cheyenne where you'd rejoin Intersate I-80 nearly all the way across to San Fran. (There are other routes, but quite a bit longer and less welcoming roads... no towns for literally hundreds of miles in some cases).

Not much to see from Cheyenne to Newcastle, Wyoming... endless prairie and sagebrush along with hundreds of Pronghorn antelope. But once you get to Newcastle, WY or Hot Springs, SD it's well worth the circle drive from there north to Spearfish, SD (once again four lane Interstate through Rapid City) turning back to the south there and travelling through beautiful Spearfish Canyon (Did you see Kevin Costner's Dancing With Wolves?... the winter scene near the end was all filmed in the canyon). Travelling on back south (on the west side of the Black Hills) will take you to Custer, SD and several huge caves' especially The Cave of The Winds, which can be toured in about 2 to 3 hours. This will take you near the aforementioned Crazy Horse monument (being carved by the son and family of Gutzon Borglum (deceased) who carved Mt. Rushmore.)

Word of caution, don't go in late July, early August. Sturgis, SD is just north of Rapid City and the huge (hundreds of thousands) motorcycle rally is centered there each year. Hairy bikers by the thousands on their (mainly) Harley Davidson 'hogs' clog the roads.

So, would I go if I were you... yes, probably, since it would be once in a life time opportunity. Would it have downsides... deffinitely, considering our great distances and lack of intermediate scenery. Welcome to the U.S., by the way!

[Clanad]

P.S. Reading the subsequent posts, I'd advise only that going the southern routes near Monument Valley and Grand Canyon is really, really out of the way adding perhaps a couple of days, if not more to the journey. The direct route from Cheyenne to 'Frisco is as straight as you can make it. It does take you through Reno, Nevada though and some nice scenery there...

[ck1]

Thanks for your local insights clanad, very helpful indeed! We did a flydrive a few years ago from seattle, down through salt lake city, grand canyon, vegas and over to LA. We have some family in Boulder so are going to stay with them for 3 days next year before hiring a camper van and heading off to SF via grand canyon etc. My wife has always been keen to see mount rushmore so would be nice to add it to the schedule. Sound like it will add a couple of days to the journey but I guess we're not in any particular rush. The massive distances inbetween towns is one of the many things I love about the US, just being in the middle of nowhere is half of the experience. Noted about the hairy bikers though, they may well be one to avoid!!

[Clanad]

If you were to be in Cheyenne the last full week of any July, you'd enjoy Cheyenne Frontier Days... big party focused on the rodeo, which is one of the biggest and oldest in the western U.S. Not a room insight, though probably even by next year. Might try staying just over the hill to the west in Laramie, Wyoming about 60 miles and pretty scenery including a huge granite carved bust of Abraham Lincoln just off the highway. University of Wyoming is in Laramie (only 4 year school in Wyoming) with an exceptionally nice geological centered museum... (4 lane Interstate all the way).

[ck1]

That sounds good Clanad, appreciate your advice - what would be the closest airport in that region?

[Clanad]

There's airline service to Cheyenne and Rapid City and of course, DEN (Denver International) is one of the largest in the country... served by just about every major airline (even some that aren't so major) and only about 30 miles from Boulder, CO.

[mikey4444]

The Mount Rushmore monument itself is a bit disappointing to say the least....however :::::

In 1994, I had a holiday of a lifetime and drove Route 66 from Chicago to LA. I drove back to Boston via the northern route, taking in South Dakota. It was easily the best trip I have ever taken. I just rented a car for 2 months and took off. You don't really see much of the real America from the window of a bus, so driving myself was quite an experience. I saw some wonderful things that Autumn, and drove over 7000 miles in the process ! Small town America is wonderful. The people are so welcoming, especially off the beaten track, as they don't get to see many Brits. Cheap Motels and the best breakfasts in the world !

Anyway, back to Mt Rushmore. Its disappointing in the respect that you can't really get very close to it. The Visitors Centre is about a mile away, perhaps more, so the sculptured rock faces appear very small. Forget all about "North by Northwest" Hitchcock has a lot to answer for ! If it was in Switzerland than there would be a cable car up the side and a nice revolving restaurant at the top ! However, beware making any negative comments when yanks are present, as it seemed to be some kind of pilgrimage for most of them.

But the area of the Black Hills is well worth visiting. I stayed in Keystone, which is like an old Western town. Custer State Park is wonderful, with lots of buffalo, and the Needles Highway was fun, although not recommended if you have a RV !( see link below ) Keystone also has an old railroad, with some restored steam trains, just like the ones you see in Westerns.

The Crazy Horse Monument is just up the road from Keystone. The whole are of the Black Hills was and still is a sacred area to the Sioux tribe and there are places that you can see how they used to live.

So, all in all, well worth a visit and you might as well see Mt Rushmore when you are there !

Hopefully the following will be of some interest ::

http://www.travelsd.com/Attractions/State-Parks/Custer-State-Park

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Dakota_Highway_87

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Dakota_Highway_87