Mt. Rushmore National Memorial

Located about an hour west of Rapid City, Mount Rushmore is a massive sculpture carved into Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills region of South Dakota. Completed in 1941 under the direction of of Gutzon Borgium and his son Lincoln, the sculpture’s roughly 60-ft-high granite faces depict US presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. The site also features a museum with interactive exhibits, and a very good video.

The memorial can be reached by driving the Iron Mountain Road, a 17 mile scenic byway known for its 314 curves, 14 switchbacks, three pigtail bridges and three granite tunnels that offer framed views of Mount Rushmore. Constructed in the 1930’s, the road winds through Custer State Park.