TripAcross.net
Total Miles Traveled: 62,631
Her View
Keystone - Caywood's perspective
Keystone: home to Mt Rushmore. This was an unexpected additional to our trip the day before. We originally drove to Hot Springs, South Dakota to go to Wind Cave National Park, but realized once we got there it wasn't that impressive. We also for some reason thought Mt Rushmore was 4+ hours out of the way, so we decided not to go there. But we realized we were only 20 minutes away! So it became a must.
We visited Mt Rushmore first thing in the morning on a Tuesday in September, which was a great choice because it was not busy at all. We snapped lots of photos from the main viewing terrace, and hiked the President's Trail to get a little closer of a view. There's not much to say about this besides it is awesome and it's a must-see. I'd definitely recommend watching the 14-minute video as well. It was very informative and answered the questions I was wondering as we viewed it before watching the film: things like how it was made, how these four specific presidents were chosen, etc.
It took over 14 years to complete Mt Rushmore, and 90% of its creation was done through explosives. Go see it.
His View
Keystone - Feliks' perspective
This was a last minute change in our plans. I originally thought that Mt. Rushmore would be completely our of the way but it turned out to be only a few miles away. The area surrounding Mt. Rushmore was just as cool at the monument itself. Keystone was a typical tourist town with nothing but hotels, restaurants, and shops. Since we were there so late in their season, we saw all the shops with their "clearance" signs. If you buy anything here, it's going to be pricey. Mt. Rushmore was a typical tourist spot with a giant parking lot and gift shops. They did organize it very well and the view of the mountain is amazing from the moment you walk in. There were a number of displays and educational exhibits on how the mountain was carved and who did it. We walked the Presidential path to get a better view, pretty easy path, and took lots of pictures. Definitely worth seeing, much bigger in real life.
 Mount Rushmore |  Mount Rushmore |
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 Mount Rushmore |  Mount Rushmore |