Mount Rushmore Self-Guided Walking Tour

What your day looks like

Start by downloading the Action Tour Guide app, which will function as your personal tour guide, audio tour, and map all in one. Once downloaded, your tour of Mount Rushmore begins at the Mount Rushmore Information Center, right next to the monument’s parking lot. From here, you’ll walk toward the mountain itself. Along the way, you’ll stop at a memorial to Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor behind this incredible feat, and learn about his unusual history. Then you’ll walk down the Avenue of Flags, draped with the flags of US states and territories. After that, you’ll arrive at the main viewing platform, where you’ll have a perfectly clear view of Mount Rushmore. Here, you’ll discover how this unlikely project got off the ground in the first place. Next, you’ll head to a second, less-crowded viewing platform, where you’ll hear how workers actually carved this rugged mountain into the presidential faces you see today. As you continue toward the Sculptor’s Studio, you’ll get the full story behind the sculptor’s battles with the Park Service, as well as his plans for a hidden room on top of the mountain! You’ll then arrive at the studio, where you can see a plaster model of the monument’s original design and learn more about Borglum himself. After that, you’ll walk along the Presidential Trail, a short boardwalk through lush forest which offers even more views of Mount Rushmore from different angles. As you walk, you’ll hear about another side of the Mount Rushmore story, this time from the perspective of the Lakota who lived here long before any settlers arrived. Finally, you’ll loop back around toward the main viewing platform and hear about the controversy which swirled around Alfred Hitchcock’s filming of North by Northwest at this monument. Your tour ends at the conclusion of the Presidential Trail, just steps away from the main viewing platform.