The Mount Rushmore State
South Dakota
Black Hills ponderosa pines, Badlands buttes, and some of the best trail riding and climbing in the northern plains.
South Dakota at a Glance
Black Hills
Black Hills National Forest covers 1.2 million acres of granite peaks and ponderosa pine forest in the sacred Black Hills of the Lakota people
Ponderosa Pine
Black Hills National Forest contains the largest ponderosa pine forest in the world, an island of mountain forest surrounded by Great Plains
Custer State Park
Adjacent to Black Hills National Forest, Custer State Park manages one of the largest free-roaming bison herds in the world at nearly 1,400 animals
Centennial Trail
The 111-mile Centennial Trail runs the length of the Black Hills from Wind Cave National Park to Bear Butte State Park
Mount Rushmore Proximity
Mount Rushmore National Memorial sits inside Black Hills National Forest, with hiking trails accessible directly from the memorial area
Jewel Cave
Jewel Cave National Monument in the Black Hills is the third-longest known cave in the world, with 220+ miles of mapped passages
When to Visit
May through October. The Black Hills get over 200 inches of snow per year at higher elevations, with ski resorts operating November through March. Summer weekends near Mount Rushmore are crowded; weekdays and September are ideal.
Top Activities
Gateway Cities
Rapid City
Western South Dakota hub adjacent to Black Hills National Forest, with Mount Rushmore 30 minutes south and multiple ski areas within an hour.
Custer
Small Black Hills town surrounded by Custer State Park and Black Hills National Forest, with excellent access to Jewel Cave and the Centennial Trail.
Did You Know?
Black Elk Peak (formerly Harney Peak) is the highest point in the US east of the Rockies and was a sacred site for the Lakota long before European settlement.
The annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in the Black Hills attracts over 500,000 riders each August, one of the largest motorcycle events in the world.
Wind Cave National Park, adjacent to Black Hills National Forest, contains one of the densest concentrations of boxwork speleothem formations in the world.
The Crazy Horse Memorial in the Black Hills, when complete, will be the world's largest mountain sculpture, depicting the Lakota leader on horseback.
Black Hills National Forest is home to mountain lions, elk, bighorn sheep, and wild burros descended from former mining pack animals.