Denver To Mount Rushmore: Your Ultimate Road Trip Guide For 2024

Are you looking to go on a road trip from Denver to Mount Rushmore?

Searching for the ultimate road trip guide from Denver to Mount Rushmore? Look no further!

One of our all time favorite road trips that we have embarked on from Denver, Colorado was to Mount Rushmore National Memorial.

We embarked on our road trip over a long holiday weekend and had the most incredible time and cannot recommend it enough.

Check out all the details about our trip below!

Before diving into our road trip, we wanted to answer some common questions for you all to help you plan your road trip from Denver to Mount Rushmore!

What Is The Best Route From Denver To Mount Rushmore?

Check out the map below for the best route from Denver to Mount Rushmore!

What Is There To See Between Denver And Mount Rushmore?

Two of the biggest towns that you will pass through on your road trip from Denver to Mount Rushmore are Cheyenne, Wyoming and Custer, South Dakota.

Cheyenne is Wyoming’s state capitol and full of countless restaurants, shops, and bars.

On the contrary, Custer, South Dakota is known for their free range bison!

Not only will you pass through these two towns but you’ll pass through many others along the way too.

There is endless scenery to take in and the horizon is beautiful as you venture on your road trip from Denver to Mount Rushmore.

What Is The Distance From Denver To Mount Rushmore?

It is about 370 miles between Denver and Mount Rushmore.

How Long Is The Drive From Denver To Mount Rushmore?

The drive takes right around 6 hours to get from downtown Denver to Mount Rushmore National Memorial.

What Are The Best Places To Stop Between Denver And Mount Rushmore?

We believe the best place to stop on a road trip from Denver to Mount Rushmore is Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Due to Cheyenne being the capitol of Wyoming, there are endless restaurants, shops, and accommodation options to choose from!

For those looking to spend the night in Cheyenne, we recommend staying at the Staybridge Suites Cheyenne. This hotel is in a great location and offers a delicious breakfast.

👉🏼 Book your stay at the Staybridge Suites Cheyenne here!

Is It Worth Driving To Mount Rushmore?

It is totally worth driving to Mount Rushmore. The Mount Rushmore National Memorial is one of the most famous memorial’s in the United States and is an incredible site to see in real life.

What City Do You Fly Into To See Mt. Rushmore?

Rapid City Regional Airport is the best airport to fly into for those looking to explore Mt. Rushmore.

How Long Should You Spend At Mount Rushmore?

You should spend at least an hour or a few hours at Mount Rushmore.

It’s a phenomenal site to take in and take photos of. Additionally, there are countless plaques surrounding the memorial that are informational about the history of Mount Rushmore.

We believe you only need a few hours at Mount Rushmore but it’s definitely worth it.

What Is The Best Time Of Year To See Mount Rushmore?

We believe the best time to see Mount Rushmore is during the summer months.

We spent Fourth of July weekend in South Dakota and had a blast seeing Mount Rushmore and spending time in the surrounding areas.

However, we truly believe there is never a bad time to visit Mount Rushmore as long as you are checking the weather!

How Much Does It Coast To Go To Mount Rushmore?

It is free to enter the Mount Rushmore National Memorial. However, you will have to pay a parking fee of $10.

Can You Bring Your Dog To Mt Rushmore?

Mt. Rushmore is not pet friendly so you are not able to bring your dog with you inside of the main gate to the memorial.

However, there are designated walking areas for your furry friend outside of the main entrance.

What Is The Best Mount Rushmore Tour?

The best Mount Rushmore tour is the Mount Rushmore and Black Hills Bus Tour with Live Commentary!

This tour is an excellent way to learn more about the memorial and the Black Hills area of South Dakota.

One of the best parts about this tour is that the entrance fees and round-trip transfers are included in the price!

For an unbelievable experience and to learn more about Mount Rushmore and the surrounding areas, this tour must be on your bucket list of things to do when visiting the area!

👉🏼 Check rates and availability for the Mount Rushmore and Black Hills Bus Tour with Live Commentary here!

Denver To Mount Rushmore Itinerary

✅ Day One

We had been planning this trip for a few weeks beforehand so we had a pretty good idea of what we wanted it to look like. We left Friday as soon as we both got off work.

Friday was mainly spent finishing up the work week and on the road to South Dakota. We grabbed a bite to eat on the road and kept trudging along.

From Denver the drive took about 6 hours and 30 minutes. (Keep in mind we left Friday after work on a holiday weekend!)

Although the drive is fairly long, there were endless gorgeous views along the way. We went north towards Fort Collins and continued our journey up through Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Once we crossed into the Black Hills of South Dakota, the views had us both swooning. We never realized that South Dakota had some pretty large mountains that consisted of endless greenery and rock formations, it was such a great surprise. 

Camping Near Mount Rushmore:

We personally love dispersed camping so we found a road (rt 356 – make sure to enter from the 244 side) that had several spots and great reviews on Dyrt. We loved that the spot was only 10 minutes away from Mount Rushmore.

We pulled into our spot right around midnight and used our lanterns, headlamps, and best flashlights for hiking and camping to put up our tent for hot weather camping.

We quickly put on our layers and hopped into our sleeping bags so that we could grab some rest and get ready for all the wonderful things that the weekend had to offer.

Hotels Near Mount Rushmore:

If you would rather stay in a hotel near Mount Rushmore, we totally understand.

We recommend that you check out the K Bar S Lodge, Ascend Hotel Collection.

This hotel is in an awesome location and is super close to the Mount Rushmore National Memorial.

👉🏼 Click here to book your stay at the K Bar S Lodge, Ascend Hotel Collection!

✅ Day Two

We woke up bright and early as the sun was coming up. We were so excited to wake up and see mountains in the distance and greenery all around us.

We grabbed our camping stove and cooler and made a delicious breakfast to start our day! From there, we hopped in our car and headed over to Mount Rushmore. 

We absolutely loved that you didn’t have to pay an entrance fee or book a timed entry spot. Instead, you can show up whenever you like! (Although you do have to pay $10 for parking.)

We arrived at the monument just before 8:00 AM. This was super nice because the temperatures were still moderate outside and the monument wasn’t packed with people yet. 

From there, we walked up to the monument and took in the views as well as read some plaques. Mount Rushmore truly is a stunning site to see in person.

It blew our minds that people were able to carve the figures of our Founding Fathers so intimately and in such detail.

It was so intriguing to see even the little details carved out from their pupils to their shirts and so on. It makes you realize how talented people are!

Also, we really enjoyed the experience because the figures are carved into rocks and the greenery and surrounding environment around the monument is just breathtaking.

We highly recommend that you check out Mount Rushmore in person! 

Hiking in Custer State Park:

After leaving the monument we made our way to our hike. The hike that we did was in Custer State Park, just a short drive away.

Unfortunately, we did not realize that you had to pay a fee to get into the park.

We pulled up and saw signs along with various park staff that helped us with this.

The fee was $20 which may seem like a significant amount for a hike but it gives you 7 days of access and it was totally worth it in our opinion!

Along with several hiking trails and designated campgrounds, there are also five different lakes where you can swim and fish in!

Once we got into the park and made our way to a parking lot just across from the trailhead, we began our hike.

The hike that we did was just over 7 miles long and is called the Black Elk Peak Loop: South Dakota Highpoint.

The hike was moderate, I definitely would not say it is an “easy” hike but OH MY WORD. The views were INCREDIBLE.

The hike consistently had uphills and downhills but the first half of the hike was the majority of uphill as you made your way to the highpoint.

There were countless lookouts and spots where you could take in the tall rock formations throughout Custer State Park.

Additionally, there was a decent amount of shade which we greatly appreciated and Clover, our lab, thoroughly enjoyed.

As you made your way to the top, there were a few stairs that you had to walk up in order to get to the fire tower. Our pup was a little skeptical but made it up like a champ!

At the top, there are several lookout points to take in the various views. You can even walk through the fire tower and look out of the windows!

After taking in the views, drinking plenty of water, and catching our breath, we made our way back down the hike.

We both still cannot stop talking about how beautiful the hike was and how much fun we had.

After we finished the hike, we made our way to Sylvan Lake where we saw a small dirt path and let Clover swim for a few minutes. She absolutely loved it!

Finally, we made our way to our car where we took out some chairs and our camping stove to make a delicious lunch before heading back to our campsite!

Once we arrived at our campsite, we took a small nap to refresh after our hike. We played some bocce ball, listened to some good music, cooked some dinner and relaxed.

It was such an amazing day filled with so many of our favorite things. 

✅ Day Three

We woke up Sunday morning and had a slow start to our day! We cooked an amazing breakfast filled with coffee, eggs, bacon, and pancakes.

We enjoyed a morning game of bocce ball and played some ball with our Clover girl. Then we packed up all our camping gear and headed towards Deadwood, South Dakota! 

We had heard great things about the small town of Deadwood and we knew that they didn’t have any fireworks over the 4th of July weekend (we didn’t want our Clover girl to be scared while we were away for a few hours)!

The town was so unique, it was full of old timey bars, saloons, and restaurants.

The downtown area doesn’t have open container laws, so a few places had bars outside selling to-go drinks!

The people were incredibly nice and uber dog friendly too! They even had a small walking trail near the visitor’s center that goes along the river.

Where to Stay in Deadwood, South Dakota:

We stayed at the Hampton Inn at Tin Lizzie Gaming which was attached to a nice casino that was really fun! 

We cannot recommend this hotel enough. The location was fantastic and they offer breakfast as well.

👉🏼 Book your stay at the Hampton Inn at Tin Lizzie Gaming here!

We were only in Deadwood for about 24 hours but man we loved it!

If you visit the area, we highly recommend you stop by Saloon No. 10 for a drink or two.

It had the quintessential “cowboy vibe” with sawdust on the floors, country music playing, and various pictures of outlaws throughout the bar. 

Once we settled into our room and cleaned up a little after being in the wilderness for two nights, we got ready and headed out to a rodeo at the Black Hills Roundup!

We had been hearing good things about the rodeo along with its firework show for the 4th of July so we had to check it out.

It was about 30 minutes up the road from Deadwood and was a super local event. It was Sam and I’s first real rodeo that we’ve ever experienced and coming from the south, it reminded us of home!

We had an absolute blast watching all the competitions and the food and drink prices weren’t bad either.

After the rodeo was over, they had the biggest firework show in the area! It was such a great experience and both the rodeo and the fireworks stood up to the hype.

From there, we headed back to our hotel for the night to check on our pup and get some sleep!

✅ Day Four

The next morning we woke up and did our typical morning routine; we fed and walked Clover, ate breakfast ourselves, and got ready for the day!

After walking around the town a bit more, we packed up our things and loaded up the car to head back home.

The journey back to Denver took about 6 hours and 30 minutes again but this time we took a different route home through Nebraska!

We had never been to the state before and figured now would be a good time. We found a little burger and ice cream restaurant on the side of the highway for lunch and then kept trucking back to Denver. 

Final Thoughts On A Road Trip From Denver To Mount Rushmore

Ultimately, the weekend was slammed between our various activities and the long car rides but we wouldn’t have changed it any other way!

We absolutely adored Mount Rushmore and Custer State Park.

The dispersed camping spot we stayed at was lovely and its location could not have been beat.

Additionally, we had a blast exploring the town of Deadwood and visiting our first rodeo.

Plus, we had no idea how dog friendly the state of South Dakota was (at least the parts we visited). This made it so enjoyable for us and for Clover!

It was a trip that we won’t forget and we highly recommend anyone wanting to go on a road trip from Denver to Mount Rushmore check it out for a change of pace and scenery!

For more similar posts on road trips, be sure to check out our Ultimate Road Trip from Denver to Moab. Happy Exploring!