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Hiking trails and camping at mount rushmore national park

Mount Rushmore National Memorial, surrounded by the Black Hills National Forest, is 25 miles southwest of Rapid City, South Dakota, via US Highway 16; and 3 miles from Keystone via US Highway 16A and South Dakota Highway 244. Major airlines and bus routes serve Rapid City.At 5,318 feet above sea level, Custer is a natural playground for anyone who loves to hike. You'll find a variety of trails in the area that offer easy to strenuous climbs. Located just outside the Custer Chamber of Commerce building, you'll find two trailheads—one that leads you to the top of the Custer sign and the other that takes you to the 109-mile Mickelson Trail. Located inside Custer State Park, hikers will find some of the best trails in all the Black Hills. Wander along mountain lakes, through rolling prairies and up forested mountain peaks as you explore the natural beauty of western South Dakota. Trail maps can be obtained at the Peter Norbeck Visitors Center or by visiting the Custer State Park website.

Arriving to mount rushmore national park

Mount Rushmore National Memorial is open all year, 24 hours a day. State Highway 244 is maintained year-round.The most direct route is via I-90: Take exit 57 to Highway 16 (Mount Rushmore Road) and continue on to the memorial entrance. From Rapid City, go southwest on Highway 16 for 23 miles. Most of the sport climbing routes are located on the backside of the monument.

Hike trails and climbing

The Mount Rushmore climbing area is only the 2nd SummitPost.org "climbing" submission for South Dakota. This is not overly surprising due to the state's remoteness, but is astonishing regarding the quality of granite routes that can be found here. There are two popular climbing areas south of Rapid City, South Dakota in the Black Hills National Forest (1.2 million acres!): the Needles area, which is known for its ethics via trad climbing and limited fixed protection; and the Mount Rushmore climbs which feature many fully bolted sport routes. The climbing at Mount Rushmore, which is located on the back side of the carved out Presidents monument, has a more relaxed ethics for good measure no doubt. I imagine once a whole mountain was carved up for a tourist attraction, there was little argument against climbers placing a few bolts. The climbing itself is not in the Mount Rushmore National Monument or Custer State Park, but rather the Black Hills National Forest.

Hike Near Custer

Badger Clark Historic Trail (1 mile loop) - Charles Badger Clark 1883 -1957) was the first poet laureate of South Dakota. This short trail winds behind his historic cabin. Cathedral Spires Trail (1.5 miles one-way) - This moderate to strenuous trail is a one-way hike that winds through the ponderosa pines. Along the trail you find the Cathedral Spires/Limber Pine Area that is a Registered National Natural Landmark. French Creek Nature Area (12 miles one-way) - French Creek is the where gold was first discovered in the Black Hills. This moderate hike takes you along the meandering creek into a granite gorge. Bighorn sheep are often seen in this area. George S. Mickelson Trail (109 miles) - This rails-to-trails project starts in the northern Black Hills and ends at the southern tip. Built along the historic
Burlington Northern Railroad line, hikers will find gentle slopes, low grades and over 100 converted railroad bridges. There are several outfitters and trailheads located along the route. In Custer, the Mickelson Trailhead is located in Harbach Park across the Chamber of Commerce building.

Harney Peak (7,242 ft. summit) - There are multiple mountt rushmore park hike trails that lead to the Harney Peak summit. The easiest is the southern approach from Sylvan Lake, which has just
over a 1,000 foot elevation gain over the three and a half miles. The northern approach is longer and more difficult, but is considered by some hikers to be more
scenic. This five-mile route starts at the Willow Creek Horse Camp and gains 2,200 feet in elevation before reaching the summit.

Camping

There is a free climbers campsite complete with pit toilet. As you pass Mount Rushmore on your right, look for a pullout on the right hand side. There should be a camping sign posted. This site is exclusively reserved for climbers. No camping is available at Mount Rushmore. However, just minutes away, the National Forest Service operates a campground at Horsethief Lake. The closest camping resort to the memorial is the KOA Mt. Rushmore, which has camp cabins, tent sites, full hook-ups, showers, a restaurant, a lodge and other amenities. Only five miles away, the resort offers free shuttle service to the sculpture lighting ceremony. The Forest has 32 campgrounds with over 700 individual sites. A majority of the campgrounds are operated by a concessionaire, and about half have on-site hosts. While electric, sewer, and water hook-ups and showers are not available, most campgrounds have potable water and either flush or vault toilets.Daily fees, which are charged from approximately mid-May through October, range from $6 to $21 a night per site and allow up to six people. Campground reservations may be made at 1-877-444-6777 or online at Camping . Reservations are recommended for holiday weekends.


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