Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South DakotaOur second destination on the road trip was Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota. It is only a half an hour's drive away from our hotel in Rapid City.
Drive from Rapid City, South Dakota to Mount Rushmore, South Dakota
Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South DakotaThis view is from outside the compounds of the national memorial. I forgot to mention in my previous posting that almost all the parks require an admission fee and they charge by per vehicle or by person (if you travel in by foot or bicycle or motorcycle). We bought the annual pass which costs $80 and it is good for admission to most of the areas under the National Park Service. Else, the admission charges for the places we visited would have been as those listed below and only valid for 7 days.
- Rocky Mountain National Park - $25
- Devils Tower National Park - $10
- Yellowstone National Park & Grand Teton National Park - $25
- Arches National Park - $10
- Canyonlands National Park - $10
- Bryce Canyon National Park - $25
- Zion National Park - $25
- Grand Canyon National Park - $25
- Lake Mead National Recreation Area - $5
TOTAL: $160
With the annual pass, we could still visit other places under the National Park Service and not pay any entrance fee. There are a few places where the annual pass is not valid. There is no entrance fee for Mount Rushmore National Monument but we had to pay a $10 parking fee. There is no parking fee for the other places. Crazy Horse Mountain Memorial is a private memorial and they charge $27 per vehicle for admission. They claim that all proceeds finance the project but we think it is rather expensive and not worth the price. The annual pass does not apply to state parks so we had to pay $9 per vehicle for Antelope Island at the Great Salt Lake and $8 per vehicle for Red Rock Crossing in Sedona.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South Dakota
Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South DakotaToday is tantrum day again for Sonya. She insisted that she needed to sit in the stroller and not Clara. This is the beginning where she starts stomping her feet and the lips starts to pout :)
Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South DakotaWe let her cry and whine for quite a bit before we gave up and let her have the stroller :(
Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South DakotaThis is the Avenue of Flags. We could not find the one from Massachusetts :)
Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South DakotaThis is the bust of the sculptor, Gutzon Borglum, for the Mount Rushmore National Memorial. He designed it but he actually had a whole team of sculptors to work on the mountain. On the day we visited, one of the sculptors was actually making a guest appearance at the gift shop.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South DakotaThis view is from just after the Avenue of Flags and before the amphitheater. Sonya was still grouchy but Clara was pretty happy.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South Dakota
Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South Dakota
Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South DakotaFrom left to right: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln and Clara Teo :)
Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South Dakota
Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South DakotaThere is actually a trial that led us all the way to the bottom of the mountain (to see the presidents' nostrils... just kidding!) and there are actually displays to give you more information about each of the presidents. We only went as far as the stroller could go before there were lots of stairs and where there was a sign that said it was going to be strenuous from that point onwards.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South Dakota
Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South DakotaAlong the way, there was also a display of wigwams which were Native American dwellings.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South DakotaAt the end of the visit, Sonya was still grouchy and hiding under the sunshade of the stroller :)
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