Friday, April 2, 2010

How much time for Mt Rushmore?

Hello,





I%26#39;m trying to plan my trip across country and plan on stopping in Badlands and then Mt Rushmore. How long would you suggest we set aside for Mt Rushmore? We may or may not be in a rush (depending on the route we pick), which means we may have to skip tours, etc.





Also, in badlands I saw on the nps/gov site that the average visit to the park is 1-2 hours. Is that right? That can%26#39;t include any hiking, right? Or is it just if you drive the route?





Any info is greatly appreciated.



stina



How much time for Mt Rushmore?


We spent about 2 hours visiting Mt Rushmore including visitor center and hiking around the area. We then returned another night for the evening program. Have a good trip.



How much time for Mt Rushmore?


We were there about a year ago and spent about 2-3 hours there in the morning then went to Custer State park and returned that night for the night program at Mt. Rushmore.




1-2 hours for Mount Rushmore seems about right. The night lighting is very neat, but if that doesn%26#39;t fit your travel plans, it%26#39;s still impressive during the day.





You could drive thru the Badlands in 1-2 hours but no, that doesn%26#39;t account for any hiking time and little if no time for even pulling off the road to look at anything. We%26#39;ve usually averaged around 6 hours each time we%26#39;ve visited and haven%26#39;t even really hiked in the past-more just walking and climbing around. Also, before you enter the Badlands there is a prairie dog town where you can park and buy peanuts to feed them. If you%26#39;re traveling with kids they%26#39;d probably love it-I loved it even the first time when we did it before we had kids!





Are you planning on visiting Custer State Park at all? The first time we were in SD we stayed in the Badlands overnight. The next day we got up early and drove to Custer SP and just drove through, which took several hours (now we allot a minimum of 1 full day). We came in on Needles via Hill City, did the wildlife loop, and then exited on Iron Mountain Road. From there, you can see Mount Rushmore at several points which is neat. We then visited the monument and continued on to Deadwood for the night. It was a pretty full day and we%26#39;ve broken it up more in our more recent trips.





Anyways, I guess the point of that last paragraph was that if Custer SP isn%26#39;t on your list of things to do you might want to consider it because it%26#39;s definitely worth seeing.




Thanks, everyone. That really helps.





Librarychick, I%26#39;d like to go to Custer SP, but I%26#39;m trying to decide how to divide my time. Our hope was to hit Badlands/Mt Rushmore, Moab, and Bryce, however we only have a limited amount of time (1 day for each of the 3) and I think we may need to cut out either Moab or Bryce. I need to continue finagling with the schedule. I%26#39;ll probably post a proposed schedule in the road trips forum soon.





Thanks again!




I agree with Library Chick on the nps estimate of time for the Badlands being a bit on the light side. We took about 3-4 hours, and we, too, didn%26#39;t do any major hiking..just walking around and climbing some of the rocks. We did stop at the visitor%26#39;s center and at just about every overlook. The photo opportunities here are great. We didn%26#39;t do the prairie dog town, but it sounds like great fun.





I%26#39;m in the minority here, but I think 1-2 hours for seeing Mt. Rushmore is light also. We spent an entire morning here, but I guess it really depends on how much time you want to spend in the visitor%26#39;s center. Our daughter did the junior ranger program, and we really enjoyed walking the Presidential Trail. This trail is a must see; I really enjoyed the different vantage points of the monument and sculptor%26#39;s studio. It was interesting to see the early plans on how the monument was going to look and how it actually looks today.





Custer SP is really a wonderful Black Hills attraction, so if you don%26#39;t get to see it on this trip, be sure to make plans to visit someday.







Enjoy your trip!




Sounds like you%26#39;ve got a great road trip planned-Utah%26#39;s parks are on my ';someday'; list. You won%26#39;t go wrong with the Badlands and Mount Rushmore-both are also must sees. The Badlands are so incredible-it%26#39;s almost like being on Mars and they just seem to appear and rise up out of nowhere. And if you%26#39;re really pressed for time, just driving through is better than nothing--you%26#39;ll enjoy the ride through and we have seen deer, bison, goats and pronghorn there even at mid-day.





Custer SP will be there for another trip! Happy trip planning!




Consider this for your Badlands visit: don%26#39;t drive the loop. Instead, take the direct route off I-90 to the visitor center. Pick up the trail maps, and hike a trail. I enjoyed the Castle Trail - it is virtually flat and takes you right into the buttes. I hiked it as an out-and-back so I could choose how long I was on the trail. I found it much more interesting to see the formations up close than drive by them. When done, go right back to the freeway and be on your way.

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