How much does it cost to visit Mount Rushmore from the UK?

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For many UK families planning a trip to the United States, Mount Rushmore is one of those landmarks that sparks curiosity. The challenge is that it isn’t particularly easy to reach. Unlike destinations such as New York or Florida, visiting Mount Rushmore usually involves a long-haul flight followed by a substantial road trip.

We visited Mount Rushmore as part of a wider US journey and structured the trip by flying into Denver, renting a car, and driving north into South Dakota before continuing a road trip through Colorado afterwards. Below is a realistic breakdown of what the trip cost and what families should expect when planning a similar visit.

Our Route from the UK

Our itinerary looked like this:

1. Fly from London to Denver

2. Stay overnight near Denver Airport

3. Rent a car and drive to Mount Rushmore

4. Stay two nights in Keystone, South Dakota

5. Visit Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial

6. Drive back toward Colorado for hiking, rafting and zip lining

This structure worked well for a family trip because it broke up the travel and turned the visit into a road trip experience rather than a single long journey. For a breakdown of our full itinerary see, Planning a Family Road Trip from Denver to Colorado to Mouth Rushmore from the UK

Flights from the UK to Denver

The first cost to consider is the long-haul flight. Direct flights from London to Denver typically take around 9–10 hours.

Typical return prices per person can vary depending on season:

• £500–£700 per person in quieter months

• £700–£1,000+ per person during peak summer

For a family of three or four, flights are usually the largest single cost of the trip. If you are planning a wider US holiday, it can help to compare prices into nearby cities as well.

First Night: Denver Airport Hotel

Because we arrived in the evening after a long flight, we stayed at an airport hotel before starting the road trip the next day. We stayed at Ramada by Wyndham Denver International Airport, which worked well as a simple overnight stop.

Typical features include:

• free airport shuttle

• breakfast included

• comfortable rooms for families

• convenient location near the airport

Average price: £90–£130 per night

Staying close to the airport makes it much easier to collect the rental car the following morning and start the drive well rested.

Renting a Car

To reach Mount Rushmore you will almost certainly need a car. We booked our rental through Holiday Autos, which compares multiple rental companies and often provides competitive prices.

Typical costs for a mid-size SUV for a week are: £350–£600 depending on season and vehicle size

For US road trips, a slightly larger vehicle is usually worth it. Suitcases are bigger for international travel and the extra space makes longer drives more comfortable.

If you’re planning a similar journey, our guide Driving in the USA: What European Families Should Know Before a Road Trip explains the key differences UK drivers should expect.

Driving from Denver to Mount Rushmore

The drive from Denver to Mount Rushmore takes around 5–6 hours. Unlike some US road trips, there are relatively few major stops along the way, so most families treat this as a straightforward travel day. However, the drive is still part of the adventure. Travelling through wide open landscapes and small towns gives you a real sense of how vast the American West is compared with Europe.

Where We Stayed: Powder House Lodge, Keystone

We spent two nights staying at Powder House Lodge in Keystone, a small town close to Mount Rushmore. The lodge is a great option for families visiting the area, it allowed us to cook ourselves which saved on costs.

Highlights include:

• rustic cabin-style accommodation

• peaceful wooded setting

• family-friendly rooms and cabins

• a well-known on-site restaurant

• easy access to Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills

It has a relaxed mountain lodge feel, which worked perfectly for a road trip stop.

Typical cost: £120–£180 per night depending on cabin type and season

Staying in Keystone also puts you close to both Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial, making it easy to visit both attractions.

Cost of Visiting Mount Rushmore

One pleasant surprise is that Mount Rushmore itself is free to visit. However, there is a parking fee to enter the site.

Typical cost:

• $10 per car for parking (valid for the day)

Once parked, families can explore:

• the main viewing terrace

• the Presidential Trail

• museum exhibits

• the visitor centre

• short educational films

Most families spend 1–2 hours exploring the monument. Compared with many attractions in the United States, it’s actually one of the more affordable stops on a road trip.

Visiting Crazy Horse Memorial

While staying in the area we also visited the Crazy Horse Memorial, which sits around 30 minutes from Mount Rushmore. Unlike Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse charges an entry fee because the project is privately funded.

Typical price: around $35 per car

The site includes:

• a museum

• cultural exhibits

• viewing areas for the monument

If you’re visiting Mount Rushmore, combining both monuments works well and adds more context to the region’s history. Our guide Crazy Horse Memorial: Is It Worth Visiting with Kids? explains what families should expect.

Other costs to consider

The drive from Denver to Mount Rushmore is roughly 370 miles each way (around 740 miles return). With US fuel prices typically much lower than the UK, most families will spend around $60–$90 on fuel for this portion of the trip depending on the vehicle.

Food prices in this region are generally reasonable compared with major US cities. For families staying near Mount Rushmore, a realistic budget is $15–$20 per person for casual restaurant meals and slightly less for breakfast or takeaway options. For a family of three or four staying two nights, budgeting around $120–$200 for meals is usually sufficient depending on where you choose to eat.

Typical Cost Summary: Visiting Mount Rushmore

Here is a rough estimate of what it costs just for the Mount Rushmore portion of the trip (excluding the wider US holiday). When flights are included, visiting Mount Rushmore as part of a road trip from Denver will usually cost around £900–£1,400 per person. The final price depends largely on flight costs, accommodation type and how many people are sharing the car hire and fuel.

Our guide How Much Does 2 Weeks in the USA Cost from the UK? outlines full cost considerations for a full US road trip.

Is Mount Rushmore Expensive to Visit?

Compared with many attractions in the United States, Mount Rushmore is actually one of the more affordable landmarks to visit. There is no admission fee to see the monument itself. The only mandatory cost is the parking fee of around $10 per vehicle, which covers access to the viewing areas, museum and walking trails. Even when combined with nearby attractions such as the Crazy Horse Memorial, the total cost of visiting the monuments themselves remains relatively low compared with major US attractions like theme parks or guided tours. For most families, the biggest costs of visiting Mount Rushmore are getting there and accommodation, rather than the attraction itself. Once you are in the Black Hills region, the monument is a surprisingly affordable stop on a wider US road trip.

Combining Mount Rushmore With a Wider US Road Trip

While Mount Rushmore itself can be visited in a couple of hours, the real value comes from combining it with a wider road trip.

After our visit, we drove back toward Colorado, where we spent time:

• hiking in the Rockies

• white water rafting

• zip lining through the mountains

Trips like this work particularly well with school-age children because they combine landmarks with outdoor adventure. Our guide Colorado with Kids: Why It’s One of the Best States for Family Adventures explains why the region works so well for family travel.

Final Thoughts

From a UK perspective, visiting Mount Rushmore requires more planning than many American destinations. The long flight and road trip mean it rarely works as a standalone trip. However, when combined with a wider itinerary through South Dakota and Colorado, it becomes part of a memorable road trip through some of the most dramatic landscapes in the United States. For families who enjoy adventure, scenic driving and exploring beyond the usual tourist destinations, Mount Rushmore can be a surprisingly rewarding stop on a US journey.

Planning a Family Trip to the USA

If you’re planning a family trip to the United States, we’ve created a collection of practical guides based on our own experiences travelling there with a child. In our USA Travel Hub, you’ll find advice on everything from ESTA requirements and travel insurance to driving, healthcare and managing jet lag with kids, alongside destination guides for places we’ve explored including New York, Colorado, South Dakota and Florida. It’s a useful starting point for parents researching how to plan a smooth and enjoyable family trip to the USA.