The Presidential Trail at Mount Rushmore

The Presidential Trail is 0.6 miles long and has 425 stairs. The trail goes right under Mount Rushmore and gets you a lot closer than just staying at the visitor’s center. The trail is open only when weather permits and is usually closed in the winter. I highly recommend taking this trail if you can. There are also informative displays along the way and you get several different views of the monument. To hike this trail you need to pay a parking fee at Mount Rushmore monument when you enter the park.

On this trail I recommend you take the trail starting at the west and then go east. The trail starts out smooth and there is less stairs and incline. Starting the trail from the east, you hit most of the stairs going up and it is a lot harder.