Can you see Mount Rushmore in the rain? MAYBE! ⛰ South Dakota travel blog

Hi there!

 

So you have plans to see Mount Rushmore, and you see that there’s rain in the forecast!

Is this a problem?!

Will you be able to see Mount Rushmore even if it’s raining?!

Well… it depends! 😜

 

 

Does weather make a difference in being able to see Mount Rushmore?

Well, it turns out it DOES matter if it’s raining!

Silly me for thinking Mount Rushmore was a perfect rainy day activity. I mean, you’re just looking at rocks, and you don’t need the sun for that… right?! 😜 Wrong!

Those Mount Rushmore presidents that are carved into the rocks are in the HILLS. (The Black Hills!)

And mountains and hills can mean clouds.

And that means that a rainy day at Mount Rushmore can mean cloud cover over Mount Rushmore.

And cloud cover over Mount Rushmore means that clouds may cover the faces of the presidents!

So you will guarantee yourself a better Mount Rushmore experience if you go on a day without rain instead of seeing Mount Rushmore in the rain.

But well, if you have a tight schedule and you only have one rainy day to see Mount Rushmore, is it worth going?!

Well, you will need to manage your expectations, as there IS a chance you may not see Mount Rushmore.

The more time you have, the better chance you have of getting to see Mount Rushmore even if it’s raining!

So you will also need to bring patience!

If you arrive to Mount Rushmore being hidden behind cloud cover, you’ll need to wait around a bit and hope that the clouds will move away! 

 

More below about what a trip to Mount Rushmore in the rain might be like!

 

 

⛰

 

 

 

What it’s like to see Mount Rushmore in the rain

👆 Mount Rushmore in the rain: Now you see the Mount Rushmore presidents…

 

👆 Now you don’t!

 

Avenue of Flags is the main walk in Mount Rushmore National Memorial.

It’s at the end of the Avenue of Flags that the Mount Rushmore faces will be right in front of you.

 

 

When I first arrived at the end of Avenue of the Flags, it was actually the opposite.

There was no Mount Rushmore to be seen. And then later there was.

I didn’t even know that you were supposed to be able to see the faces as you’re walking down Avenue of the Flags.

I walked to the very end of the Avenue of the Flags and it was just a bunch of clouds right in front of us.

 

 

Surrounded by other first time visitors to Mount Rushmore, we were all like… is that where Mount Rushmore is? 😆🤔

 

 

I stood around for a few minutes and there was continued cloud cover.

So I went off on the Presidential Trail.

While on the Presidential Trail, the clouds disappeared from Mount Rushmore, and the faces came into view!

 

 

But that was quite short lived.

I was on the Presidential Trail for like 15 minutes and it was literally for just a few minutes that I saw the faces.

Then I went to the Sculptor’s Studio.

You can go to the Sculptor’s Studio rain or shine.

This is indoors, and it’s a talk by a national park ranger.

And this is a worthwhile stop as a part of your Mount Rushmore visit because you will learn about how Mount Rushmore came to be.

 

 

After that, I went back up to the Mount Rushmore viewing platform at the end of Avenue of Flags, and still no presidents.

But as I was walking back to the parking lot, the faces came into view again!

And so it goes.

If you’re visiting Mount Rushmore in the rain, it could very well be a waiting game!

 

Mount Rushmore fog

And apparently, Mount Rushmore fog is a thing too.

According to the people who manage the retails shops and restaurant food at Mount Rushmore National Memorial:

In late May and early June fog can obscure the view of Mount Rushmore for part of the day.

 

And that’s a bit about seeing Mount Rushmore in the rain!

 

If you are interested in Mount Rushmore, you may also be interested in these road trip activities:

• Mount Rushmore to Yellowstone
• Things to do in the Black Hills for VIEWS
• Things to do in Badlands National Park
• Things to do in Devils Tower National Monument
• Things to do in Custer State Park
• Things to do in Wind Cave National Park
• Things to do in Yellowstone National Park
• Things to do in Black Hills National Forest
• What is up with the Wall Drug Store?
• Things to do in Jewel Cave National Monument

 

GOOD LUCK SEEING MOUNT RUSHMORE IN THE RAIN!