Located in Pennington County, South Dakota, Mount Rushmore is a mountain peak at about 1,725 m (5,659 ft) above sea level. It lies in or next to Mount Rushmore National Memorial, so park hours, fees and rules apply. It sits roughly 16.8 km (10.4 mi) NE of Custer.
The Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a national memorial featuring a colossal sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore (Lakota: Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe Pahá, or Six Grandfathers Mountain) in the Black Hills, about 2 mi (3 km) southwest of Keystone, South Dakota, United States. The sculptor, Gutzon Borglum, named it the Shrine of Democracy, and oversaw the execution from 1927 to 1941 with the help of his son, Lincoln Borglum. The sculpture features 60-foot-tall (18 m) depictions of the heads of four United States presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln, respectively chosen to represent the nation's foundation, expansion, development, and preservation. Mount Rushmore attracts more than two million visitors annually to the memorial park which covers 1,278 acres (2.00 sq mi; 517 hectares).From the Wikipedia article “Mount Rushmore”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Rushmore the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 70° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:58 AM | 90° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:12 AM | 56° NE | 8:41 PM | 305° NW | 70° | 15h 28m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:42 AM | 89° E | 6:53 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:26 AM | 123° ESE | 4:20 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 54m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Summits catch first and last light — alpenglow can turn rock pink or orange minutes before sunrise and after sunset while valleys stay in shadow.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:54 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:11 AM | 3:57 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:14 PM | 9h 16m |
| February | 6:24 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:34 AM | 4:44 PM | 5:24 PM | 5:54 PM | 10h 30m |
| March | 6:38 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:45 AM | 6:22 PM | 7:00 PM | 7:29 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:41 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:50 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:08 PM | 13h 26m |
| May | 4:56 AM | 5:29 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:32 PM | 8:13 PM | 8:46 PM | 14h 44m |
| June | 4:36 AM | 5:12 AM | 5:56 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:15 PM | 15h 27m |
| July | 4:51 AM | 5:26 AM | 6:09 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:10 PM | 15h 09m |
| August | 5:28 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:20 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:31 PM | 14h 01m |
| September | 6:05 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:12 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:06 PM | 7:35 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:40 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:48 AM | 5:32 PM | 6:12 PM | 6:41 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:18 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:33 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:29 PM | 5:00 PM | 9h 40m |
| December | 6:49 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:09 AM | 3:30 PM | 4:18 PM | 4:51 PM | 8h 56m |
Local time (America/Denver), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From Mount Rushmore, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 17° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:47 AM – 5:27 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:43 AM – 4:23 AM | 1.7 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:48 AM – 3:18 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:04 PM – 2:44 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:50 PM – 1:20 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:52 PM – 11:22 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:45 PM – 9:15 PM | 0.5 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.74 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 43% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (64%). July is the warmest month and December the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 63 | 69 | 79 | 87 | 95 | 106 | 108 | 104 | 101 | 89 | 76 | 64 |
| Low °F | -10 | -12 | -9 | 8 | 20 | 36 | 46 | 40 | 28 | 2 | -2 | -13 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.4 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 2.2 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.4 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this mountain peak
- Clouds around the summit add drama — a clear blue sky is often the least interesting condition.
- Photograph the peak from a lake, meadow or ridge at sunrise when the face that looks east lights up first.
- Long lenses compress ridgelines; shoot the peak from several miles away to make it look massive.
- Afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer at high elevations — plan summit hikes for early morning.
- Snow on the summit holds detail best when you expose for the highlights and lift shadows later.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
Season: Early summer keeps snow on the peaks with green valleys below; autumn adds aspen or larch color in many ranges.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens, Lightweight tripod, Warm layers, Microspikes in shoulder seasons. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
National Park Service rules. Under federal law (54 U.S.C. 100905), still photography in National Park Service areas needs a permit only when it (1) takes place where members of the public are not allowed, (2) uses models, sets or props that are not part of the location's natural or cultural resources or administrative facilities, or (3) would cause the park to incur additional administrative costs to monitor the activity. Ordinary visitor and most landscape photography needs no permit. Commercial filming rules are separate and have changed in recent years — confirm current requirements with the park before a paid shoot.
Drones: Launching, landing or operating unmanned aircraft (drones) is prohibited in National Park Service units under a 2014 Superintendent's closure (36 CFR 1.5), except where a park has issued specific written approval. Flying from outside the boundary over park land can also violate park rules and disturb wildlife.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Mount Rushmore, closest first.
Scenic Viewpoint
WaterfallScenic ViewpointScenic Viewpoint
Mountain Peak
Fire Lookout
Wilderness Area
Natural Arch
CaveCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Grizzly Bear Campground2.0 km (1.3 mi) · reservable
- Horsethief Lake Campground2.7 km (1.7 mi) · reservable
- Willow Creek Horse Camp6.6 km (4.1 mi) · reservable
- Iron Creek Horse Camp6.8 km (4.2 mi) · reservable
- Sheridan Lake11.4 km (7.1 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Rushmore?
What time is golden hour at Mount Rushmore?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Rushmore?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Rushmore?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Rushmore?
How far is Mount Rushmore from Custer?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.