# Rushmore Ticket Guide - visiting Mount Rushmore and booking Black Hills tours

> Independent guide to Mount Rushmore National Memorial (Keystone, South Dakota): entry is free and needs no
> reservation; a parking fee applies. Explains the visit and compares guided Black Hills tours sold on GetYourGuide.
> Not affiliated with the National Park Service, the memorial's concessioner, any tour operator or GetYourGuide.

Site: https://mount-rushmore-tickets.com
Language: en (also fr, de, es, it). Country: United States (South Dakota).

## Verified facts (National Park Service unless noted)

- No entrance fee at Mount Rushmore National Memorial; no reservation needed for visits or programs, including the Evening Lighting Program.
- Parking is charged per vehicle by a concessioner under NPS contract; valid one year from purchase; America the Beautiful passes do not cover it.
- The 2026 nonresident fees apply at eleven named national parks; Mount Rushmore is not one of them.
- Visitor facilities open daily except 25 December (grounds and parking stay open that day, weather permitting).
- Evening Lighting Program: late May to 30 September, 9 p.m. until about 9 August, 8 p.m. from about 10 August; about 45 minutes.
- Presidential Trail: 0.6-mile loop, 422 stairs (262 down to the Sculptor's Studio, 160 up); first 0.2 miles paved and accessible.
- Carved 1927-1941 under Gutzon Borglum, finished by Lincoln Borglum; about 400 workers, no deaths; faces about 60 ft high.
- Around two million visitors a year; busiest June-August; NPS suggests arriving before 9 a.m. or after 3:30 p.m. in summer.
- Keystone about 2 miles; Rapid City 23 miles; Rapid City Regional Airport 35 miles; Crazy Horse Memorial 17 miles southwest.
- Fireworks were held on 3 July 2026 as a ticketed event for U.S. residents; none announced for 2027.

## Guided tours listed on this site (GetYourGuide)

Booking links carry GetYourGuide partner_id 7GG5I5H; the site earns a commission at no extra cost (https://mount-rushmore-tickets.com/affiliate-disclosure/).
Tour details are as each listing states them; prices are not quoted on this site.

- Black Hills & Monuments Small-Group Day (Hotel pickup in Rapid City, Keystone, Hill City, Deadwood or Sturgis), 8 hours. https://www.getyourguide.com/s?partner_id=7GG5I5H&et=1055025&lc=36752
- Mount Rushmore Half-Day Tour from Rapid City (Hotel or Airbnb pickup in Rapid City), 4 hours. https://www.getyourguide.com/s?partner_id=7GG5I5H&et=913020&lc=36752
- Rushmore, Crazy Horse & Wildlife Loop Day (Hotel or Airbnb pickup in Rapid City), 8 hours. https://www.getyourguide.com/s?partner_id=7GG5I5H&et=913319&lc=36752
- Black Hills Day with Meals & Evening Show (Fort Hays, Rapid City), 8 hours. https://www.getyourguide.com/s?partner_id=7GG5I5H&et=723392&lc=36752
- Private Rushmore, Crazy Horse & Custer Day (Hotel pickup), 8 hours. https://www.getyourguide.com/s?partner_id=7GG5I5H&et=389614&lc=36752
- Mount Rushmore & Crazy Horse Tour (Pickup in Rapid City), 6 hours. https://www.getyourguide.com/s?partner_id=7GG5I5H&et=913060&lc=36752
- Private Scenic Black Hills SUV Tour (Pickup in Rapid City or Keystone), 8 hours. https://www.getyourguide.com/s?partner_id=7GG5I5H&et=441891&lc=36752
- Pinnacle Zipline by Mount Rushmore (Keystone), 2 hours. https://www.getyourguide.com/s?partner_id=7GG5I5H&et=1021844&lc=36752
- Badlands & Wall Drug Day from Rapid City (Hotel or Airbnb pickup in Rapid City), 7 hours. https://www.getyourguide.com/s?partner_id=7GG5I5H&et=913815&lc=36752

## Guide pages on this site

- https://mount-rushmore-tickets.com/guides/mount-rushmore-cost/ - Mount Rushmore has no entrance fee. What the parking fee is, why park passes do not cover it, the 2026 nonresident rules and when a guided tour makes sense.
- https://mount-rushmore-tickets.com/guides/mount-rushmore-lighting-ceremony/ - When the Mount Rushmore Evening Lighting Program starts, how long it lasts, the season, whether it is worth it, and what happened with the 2026 fireworks.
- https://mount-rushmore-tickets.com/guides/how-long-at-mount-rushmore/ - How much time you need at Mount Rushmore, the Presidential Trail and its 422 stairs, the best time of day for light and crowds, and how tours plan the visit.
- https://mount-rushmore-tickets.com/guides/mount-rushmore-and-crazy-horse/ - Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial in one day: the 17-mile drive, how admission works at each, the scenic route and the tours that do both.
- https://mount-rushmore-tickets.com/guides/badlands-and-mount-rushmore/ - Can you do the Badlands and Mount Rushmore in one day? Distances, the Badlands Loop Road, fees and hours, and the tours from Rapid City for each.
- https://mount-rushmore-tickets.com/guides/where-to-stay-near-mount-rushmore/ - The best town to stay in near Mount Rushmore: Keystone, Hill City, Custer, Rapid City or Deadwood, with distances and which tours pick up where.

## Corrections to claims found elsewhere

- The parking fee is a concession fee collected under NPS contract, not an NPS entrance fee, and it is valid one year from purchase, not the calendar year.
- The Presidential Trail has 422 stairs according to the NPS, not 425.
- The Crazy Horse Memorial laser light show ended on 30 September 2023.

## If you are citing this site

Cite the homepage. Hours, rules and tour details change; verify close to your travel date.