Mount Rushmore is one of the most iconic places in America, and now it’s your turn to see it in person! Let’s talk about the best places to stay near Mount Rushmore National Memorial.
Where should you stay while visiting Mount Rushmore? You won’t find any lodging options within the memorial, but the nearby towns of Keystone, Hill City, and Rapid City are just a short drive away.
My name is Ash, and I’m a former park ranger. I used to live near Rapid City, and I have extensively explored the area around Mount Rushmore. I can’t wait for you to take your trip to this amazing place!
Mount Rushmore Map, Entrances, and Nearby Towns
First, let’s get the lay of the land around Mount Rushmore. This memorial only has one official entrance, so it’s easy to determine where you’ll enter and explore this amazing place.
The entrance to Mount Rushmore is located along Highway 244 in the Black Hills. The town of Keystone is just 3.5 miles east of the memorial entrance, making this a fantastic option for staying close to Mount Rushmore.
Hill City is another popular place to stay for exploring Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills. This town is about 13 miles west of Mount Rushmore.
You’ll also find Custer State Park just a few minutes south of Mount Rushmore. This state park is large and has some great lodging options.
If you want to keep things simple, many people just stay right in Rapid City and use that as a base for all of the adventures you can have in this area of South Dakota.
Keep reading for my specific recommendations… I’ll walk you through my favorite ways to set up lodging when I’m here!
Staying Inside of Mount Rushmore National Memorial
There are no in-park hotels or campgrounds at Mount Rushmore National Memorial. You will need to stay outside of the memorial during your visit.
However, if you’d like my specific recommendations for camping near Mount Rushmore, I’ve written down my favorite options that are just minutes away from Mount Rushmore here.
Planning a trip to South Dakota can be overwhelming.
How do you make a solid plan if you’ve never been to the area? How do you keep everyone in your group excited and engaged?
You can spend hours on the internet searching for things to do, but you still won’t find the insider tips and first-hand knowledge that I’ve gained from working as a park ranger.
If you’re hoping to see the best sights without getting stuck in traffic, circling parking lots, or being surrounded by people, check out this South Dakota National Parks Itinerary.
You will see all of the can’t-miss spots, plus get lodging and dining guides, driving directions, and insider tips!
Staying Near Mount Rushmore National Memorial
If you don’t want to camp near Mount Rushmore, you’ll find plenty of amenities and comfy lodging options in the towns nearby.
There is so much to do in this area of South Dakota. If you’re a first-time visitor here and you’re hoping to not only visit Mount Rushmore but also Custer State Park, Wind Cave National Park, Badlands National Park, Deadwood, and Spearfish as well, here are a few suggestions of how I recommend setting up your lodging:
- Option 1 — Stay in the Rapid City area the whole time and just make day trips to everything. If you do this, you’re never too far from anything, but you will have some longer drive times down to Wind Cave or out to Badlands.
- Option 2 — Book lodging near each national park separately. Stay a night or two near Wind Cave (either camping in the park, the town of Custer, or Custer State Park), a night or two up by Mount Rushmore (Keystone or Hill City), and a night or two out at Badlands (camping or lodging in the park). This option requires changing your hotel more often but cuts down a lot on drive times.
- Option 3 — Spend the majority of your time staying in the middle of the Black Hills before moving closer to Badlands. For example, you could book lodging in Keystone or Hill City and focus on everything you can do in the Black Hills — Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park, Deadwood, Wind Cave, etc. Then you can move to Badlands for a night or two to focus just on that national park.
I have personally visited this area many times with many different lodging setups, and the three listed above are my preferred ways to book my lodging. Each one works well — the option you choose should best fit the way you prefer to travel!
Staying in Keystone or Hill City
Keystone is the closest city to Mount Rushmore and you’ll find plenty of amenities and places to stay here. If your main focus for your trip is seeing Mount Rushmore, this is a great place to be. You can also visit the presidential wax museum, check out a local theme park, or discover a host of additional hikes and outdoor adventures in this charming town!
Click here to find lodging options in Keystone.
Hill City is just twenty minutes west of Mount Rushmore, and it’s a quaint town with great shops, restaurants, and hotels. This historic town is beautiful, and you’re also close to the Needles Highway portion of Custer State Park and the Crazy Horse Memorial from here.
Click here to find lodging options in Hill City.
Staying in Custer or Custer State Park
The town of Custer is about half an hour from Mount Rushmore. You’ll find all the amenities you need here, such as hotels, gas stations, gift shops, and restaurants.
Click here to find lodging options in Custer.
If you want to immerse yourself in the beauty of the Black Hills, you might rather stay in Custer State Park than in a town. Even if you don’t stay here overnight, I highly recommend visiting this state park while you’re in the vicinity of Mount Rushmore.
Custer State Park really has it all, including trails, beautiful landscapes, and even a couple of historic lodges and resorts throughout the park that you can stay at!
If you decide to stay in the town of Custer or in Custer State Park, you’ll be about 30 minutes from Mount Rushmore, 30 minutes from Wind Cave, and about 2 hours from Badlands.
Staying in Rapid City
I often stay in the Rapid City area when I’m visiting Mount Rushmore if I only want to stay in one hotel while I’m in the Black Hills. (Sometimes, I split up my lodging between various locations to cut down on drive times. For more help with all of this and to decide what’s best for you, check out this itinerary).
There is so much to do near Rapid City. You can easily day trip to all the amazing points of interest from there — Badlands, Mount Rushmore, Wind Cave, Deadwood, etc.
Click here to see the many lodging options in Rapid City.
Staying in Badlands
I don’t recommend staying in Badlands for your time at Mount Rushmore, but if you decide to head over to Badlands before or after your Mount Rushmore experience, you can find out more about your lodging options here.
Should I Stay in One Hotel to See Everything in the Area?
Yes, if you want to stay in one place to see all of the highlights in the Black Hills, you can totally just book one hotel in a central location like Rapid City and then drive to everything from there!
If you don’t want to stay in one place the whole time, see options 2 and 3 above.
I hope you find the perfect place to stay while visiting Mount Rushmore National Memorial!
More Mount Rushmore Trip Planning Information
South Dakota Parks Itinerary — a detailed hour-by-hour sightseeing schedule.
How to Get to Mount Rushmore — the best airports and roads in the area.
How Many Days Should I Spend at Mount Rushmore? — itinerary ideas.
The Best Time to Visit — what to expect during each month of the year.
Weather, Hours, and Closures — important weather info and common closures.
All About Camping — learn about the park’s campgrounds and how to get a site.
5 Things You Can’t Miss on Your First Visit — the top 5 spots.
The Best Easy Hikes — the perfect trails for kids, wheelchairs, and beginners.
The Best Things to Do — activities for every adventurer.
The Ultimate Mount Rushmore Trip Planning Guide — everything you need to know.
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Is this itinerary worth purchasing if we will not be in the area until after September? How valuable will it be to helping us plan our trip?
There will be a few things that you won’t be able to get to because of seasonal closures, but a lot of it will still be helpful during the off-season. We like to visit South Dakota in October and can usually still do a lot of hiking/exploring, but we have gotten snowed on before. And some programs (especially at Mt. Rushmore and Deadwood) don’t run past September. I don’t update the itineraries during the off-season though, so I don’t help you navigate any closures in the parks during that time. But if you’re just looking for a rough outline to give you an idea of how to manage your time, the itinerary will still be helpful for that.
We will be visiting the area the first week of October. We want to see Mount Rushmore, of course, and also visit Sturgis. We will be flying into Rapid City. It will only be a four-day trip. What town would be most centrally located? Also, what are one or two more “must-see” while we are there?
Thank you so much! I really appreciate your assistance.
I have a South Dakota parks itinerary that will answer all of those questions!
I have “time off” from August 1st to the 19th. I understand the Sturgis motorcycle rally goes from about Aug 1st to 11th. We have been wanting to got to Mt Rushmore and the surrounding area for years but we are not excited about competing for lodging with the bikers. One year we were in Yellowstone and there were a lot of bikers there. If you can advise on this we would appreciate it: should we try and be at Mt Rushmore and surrounding parks during the middle of the Sturgis Rally or the week after?
I personally would go to that area the week after. In my experience, the week-of is crazy, but many of the bikers head to Yellowstone, Glacier, Grand Teton, etc. after it’s over and don’t typically stay in the Rapid City area.