The areas surrounding Mount Rushmore are rich with gorgeous natural area that offering ample opportunities for outdoor recreation, sightseeing, and learning more about the history of the area. There are over a dozen local, state, and natural parks in the area that your family can enjoy on your trip to the area.
The Badlands National Park is a truly spectacular landscape with sharp ridges accentuated by deep canyons and gullies. Spanning over 244,000 acres, the area is ideal for hiking, camping, and picnicking. One of the more popular picnic areas is the Conata Basin Picnic Area, which offers views of an active excavation site where workers are uncovering 34 million year old mammals. In fact, the Badlands boasts the world's richest deposit of fossils from the Oligocene Epoch of animals. The Saddle Pass Trail, the Castle Trail, and the Fossil Exhibit Trail all are popular for hiking as well as exploring fossil areas.
While not a park, the Crazy Horse Memorial is a "must see" for your trip to Mount Rushmore. This large monument famously depicts the Lakota warrior Crazy Horse standing against a mountain backdrop. While this work was started in 1948, work is still underway and it promises to be the world's largest sculpture once complete. Not far from Crazy Horse Memorial is Custer State Park. Custer State Park sits on 71,000 acres and offers viewing of one of the largest herds of free-roaming buffalo in the world. You can also view a log cabin that was home to Badger Clark as well as a show at the Black Hills Playhouse. The area is also well-suited for mountain biking, horseback riding, camping, rock climbing, and hiking.
Your family will love exploring the inside of the Black Hills with a tour of the Beautiful Rushmore Cave in Keystone. With a guided tour, your can view embedded fossils and incredible cave formations, as well as carvings that early pioneers to the area have left. The caves also features a gift shop on-site. And of course, you can't visit the area without taking a stroll on the Presidential Trail. This wooden boardwalk offers an easy half-mile route to the Memorial of Mount Rushmore. Along the trail, stop by the various viewpoints to learn more about the presidents features at the memorial.
With these and so many other great parks in the Mount Rushmore area, your family will have a fabulous time exploring the natural beauty and history of the area while enjoying the great outdoors!
