My recent visit to Mt.Rushmore was like traveling back in time to 2019, when COVID-19 was nothing more than a whisper and far from becoming a worldwide pandemic. If you are wondering if Mt. Rushmore is open during a pandemic the answer yes, as long as it’s not Christmas Day then Mt.Rushmore is open for visitors. Arriving at Mt. Rushmore was oddly similar to arriving at an amusement park. Many cars converging on toll style gates, we were directed to the Lincoln parking garage and parked on Level 2. While snapping a photo of the nearest parking location sign and I was overcome by a strong Disney World vibe at this national attraction.
Unfortunately, COVID-19 precautions have become a political nightmare and each US state is left to make their own decisions on how to handle the pandemic. In South Dakota, masks are not mandatory and there are no signs suggesting maintaining a social distance.
You may be on your own to adhere to pandemic safety guidelines, but visiting Mt. Rushmore has a noticeable advantage of being a completely contactless experience. Parking tickets are distributed from a machine and you pay at another machine before leaving ($10 per car and the National Parks Pass does not apply), there is no need to interact with others. Well, as long as you can keep your distance from the crowds of other visitors, then it truly is a contactless experience.
We visited in the middle of the week to avoid potentially larger crowds. As we walked down the main entrance there were swarms of people posing to get the classic ‘I visited Mt. Rushmore’ photo. A protip here is to keep walking and resist the urge to fill your camera roll with hundreds of Mt. Rushmore photos dotted with the backs of unmasked travelers.
Keep walking and don’t stop at the end near the steps either. Be on the lookout for the start of the Presidential Trail. This trail is actually a short walk, which will lead you to many unique viewpoints of the monument.
While some viewpoints will be unobstructed resulting in amazing photos free of other tourists. My favorite viewpoint was spot 25, be sure to look for it during your visit!
So how long does a visit to Mt. Rushmore take? From door-to-door, it was about 50 minutes total. During that time, we walked the entire Presidential Trail and I was successfully able to fill my iPhone with 75 photos of Mt. Rushmore, plus many more on my camera. All of these nearly identical photos were super fun to go through for this blog post!
Before you steer your car in the direction of Rapid City, be sure to turn right at the park exit and snap a photo of the unique profile view of George Washington. A small parking lot on the side of the road is the perfect spot to get this photo.
If you have even more time to visit this area I recommend spending a day or two at Custer State Park. This park is well maintained and has some amazing views. We enjoyed our drive through the park tunnels and we were able to squeeze in a short hike on the Cathedral Spires trail. Although it is a steep $20 fee per car to enter the park, I found it very much worth it.
Please travel safely if you plan to visit Mt. Rushmore while its open during COVID-19. Check out our other National Park blog posts for more helpful tips on traveling during a pandemic, One Day at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison and Two Days in Arches National Park.
