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Mt Rushmore Night Ceremony: Patriotic Evening Tour
4.5
31 Ratings
Rapid City
From our Mercedes Glass Top Sprinter -
During the day, discover the rich history and take in the breathtaking views of Mount Rushmore, Black Hills National Forest, Black Elk Peak, Iron Mountain Road, Norbeck Overlook, and the distant Badlands.
As the sun sets, you will witness the go
Duration:
3 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Mount Rushmore Profile View - This tour begins with a visit to a lesser-known vantage point of Mt. Rushmore. West of the main entrances, a small parking lot offers a unique photo opportunity of George Washington’s profile. Although it was never intended to be an attraction, it has become one of his most famous images.
- Iron Mountain Road - On the way to the Norbeck Overlook, the journey takes us up Iron Mountain Road, featuring the unique pigtail bridges and renowned one-way tunnels. There will be pauses for photo opportunities.
- Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway - Before sunset, the tour heads to Norbeck Overlook on Iron Mountain Road. In daylight, this mountaintop offers panoramic views of the region’s wonders: Black Hills National Forest, Mt. Rushmore Monument, Black Elk Peak, and the distant Badlands.
Witness the golden-red sunset to the west and the final daylight views of Mount Rushmore. As night falls, the monument is illuminated by bright white lights, highlighting the famous faces of the presidents.
As the sky darkens, there will be a stop for stargazing. A little-known fact is that due to ambient city light, over 80% of Americans never see the stars.
From this vantage point, you will experience not just the multitude of stars, but also the Milky Way and passing satellites orbiting the Earth. The Mercedes van features a sliding glass top that offers excellent viewing, whether closed or open.
The guide will demonstrate how to enhance star watching with the use of technology. Enjoy the evening and gain knowledge to share with others.
- Iron Mountain Road - On the return journey, there will be stops at several of the famous one-way tunnels on Iron Mountain Road to view the illuminated faces of the four presidents on the mountain—a view few get to experience.
What's Included
- Bottled water
- All fees and/or taxes
What's Not Included
- Gratuites are Not Included
Additional Information
- Handicap Van is available for wheelchair touring. Van has convertible top that slides open as needed and has large side windows. Contact us if you have special needs.
Location
Holiday Inn Rapid City Downtown - Conv Ctr, an IHG Hotel
North 5th Street
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.5
(31 Ratings)
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Susanwz6823wu
Sep 7, 2024
Great trip but guide needs some polish - Shane was very enthusiastic about showing us Mt Rushmore and we appreciated his excitement. However, some of his stories seemed to lack facts. His driving seemed unsafe, like stopping and turning off van lights inside a tunnel at night. Both times he did that, traffic showed up. That seems unsafe plus telling riders that they do not have to wear sealbelts. Shane did wear his but told me he does not have to. Shane has alot to share and talked the entire trip in spite of saying that it was time for him to stop talking and let us have a break.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mncpa
Sep 4, 2024
Wonderful Tour - Absolutely a must do. Our guide, Shane was from the area and very knowledgeable about the history, etc. gave us the tour and then time to attend the ceremony. The ceremony is not to be missed. Very inspiring.
Afyer the ceremony we went star gazing up Iron Mountain Road and could see My Rushmore. A beautiful sight.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sue906
Aug 24, 2024
Awesome time! - We had an awesome time. Tour was very fun and informative. The tour guides were very knowledgeable and able to shares a lot of interesting facts.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dolly_f
Aug 22, 2024
Worth the cost - It was very nice, the information at mt Rushmore was interesting. The stars were beautiful and the tour guide was very informative.
The only problem was visitor gave me the wrong pick up place. Had I not known they do not come to this area for pick up, I’d have missed my tour.
Review provided by Viator
Joe_o
Aug 20, 2024
Great tour - Absolutely wonderful experience, Mike was a fantastic guide. So glad we chose to book this versus doing it ourselves. The Iron Mountain Rd drive was great after the ceremony.
So cool to see the tunnels and Mt Rushmore lit up at night from various locations.
Only feedback would be to make sure description on app is up to date, as it describes another excursion (during the day) in addition to this one, so we were expecting more when we initially booked.
Review provided by Viator
Beverly_i
Aug 17, 2024
Mt Rushmore at night!! - Lighting of Mt Rushmore and ceremony honoring active duty military and veterans. Amazing star- gazing and view of constellations and night view of tunnels!!
Review provided by Viator
Audrey_j
Jul 30, 2024
Views - Jon was an excellent guide, stunning views in the open top van. Highly recommend if I ever go back to South Dakota will definitely do this tour again!
Review provided by Viator
Patti_d
Jul 14, 2024
Mount Rushmore Illumination - We had a wonderful tour of Mount Rushmore at night. Our guide, Kevin was so knowledgeable and kind. We went on the evening tour and saw all the historic films and the evening lighting of Mount Rushmore.we also went in a drive that allowed us to see the monument through the tunnels. Then if all that was it enough, we saw the stars in the very clear sky from an open air van. Can’t say enough. It was amazing! Highly recommend
Review provided by Viator
Sean_r
Jul 7, 2024
An Unbelievably Great Time - It was a great time, my family had a blast. Our driver/guide, Charlie, was amazing. He provided so much great information that was better than us just going to the monument on our own. And after the lighting ceremony, he took us on a tour of the tunnels on Iron Mountain Road which was beautiful at night with the stars out. I would absolutely recommend this, it was well worth the price.
Review provided by Viator
Robert_t
Aug 23, 2024
My Rushmore - We had to call the third party on the night of the scheduled pick and they informed us that Viator did not notify them of our reservation. The three party were very upset but jumped through hoops to get or trip completed. The third party was excellent; not so much Viator
Review provided by Viator
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