Best time to visit Mount Rushmore National Memorial
September is the best balance at Mount Rushmore National Memorial: mild and dry for the park (an average high of 69°F), with moderate crowds. July is busiest, with about 510,000 visitors. November is the quietest, with highs near 44°F.
- Quiet
- Moderate
- Busy
- Very busy
- Few or no visits (may be closed)
- Best months
Month by month
- Station
- Mt Rushmore Nmem, SD USC00395870
- Lat / lon
- 43.88, -103.46
- Elevation
- 5,311 ft
- From park center
- 0.3 mi
- Second station
- Rapid City Rgnl AP, SD 3,160 ft
- Normals
- 1991–2020
- Visits
- 2023–2025
| Field | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sepbest | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High, °F | 37° | 36° | 44° | 50° | 60° | 71° | 79° | 78° | 69° | 55° | 44° | 37° | 55° |
| Low, °F | 19° | 18° | 25° | 32° | 42° | 52° | 59° | 58° | 50° | 37° | 27° | 20° | 37° |
| High at 3,160 ft, °F | 36° | 38° | 48° | 57° | 67° | 78° | 86° | 85° | 76° | 60° | 47° | 37° | 60° |
| Precipitation, in | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 2.6 | 4.8 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 24.1 |
| Snow, in | 7.2 | 8.9 | 9.6 | 13.1 | 1.5 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 | 4.9 | 6.4 | 6.6 | 59.3 |
| Daylight, h:mm | 9:14 | 10:24 | 11:47 | 13:22 | 14:43 | 15:27 | 15:09 | 14:00 | 12:27 | 10:55 | 9:35 | 8:55 | |
| Visitors, thousands | 18 | 19 | 42 | 55 | 183 | 388 | 510 | 405 | 280 | 108 | 34 | 22 | 2,062 |
| Crowds | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Moderate | Busy | Very busy | Busy | Moderate | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | |
| Weather | Cold | Cold | Cool | Cool | Mild, wet | Mild, wet | Mild, wet | Mild, wet | Mild | Mild, wet | Cool | Cold |
| Month | High °F | Low °F | High at 3,160 ft | Precip., in | Snow, in | Daylight | Visitors | Crowds | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 19° | 36° | 0.5 | 7.2 | 9:14 | 18,000 | Quiet | Cold |
| February | 36° | 18° | 38° | 0.8 | 8.9 | 10:24 | 19,000 | Quiet | Cold |
| March | 44° | 25° | 48° | 1.4 | 9.6 | 11:47 | 42,000 | Quiet | Cool |
| April | 50° | 32° | 57° | 2.6 | 13.1 | 13:22 | 55,000 | Quiet | Cool |
| May | 60° | 42° | 67° | 4.8 | 1.5 | 14:43 | 183,000 | Moderate | Mild, wet |
| June | 71° | 52° | 78° | 3.6 | 0.2 | 15:27 | 388,000 | Busy | Mild, wet |
| July | 79° | 59° | 86° | 3.6 | 0 | 15:09 | 510,000 | Very busy | Mild, wet |
| August | 78° | 58° | 85° | 2.3 | 0 | 14:00 | 405,000 | Busy | Mild, wet |
| Septemberbest | 69° | 50° | 76° | 1.8 | 0.9 | 12:27 | 280,000 | Moderate | Mild |
| October | 55° | 37° | 60° | 1.8 | 4.9 | 10:55 | 108,000 | Quiet | Mild, wet |
| November | 44° | 27° | 47° | 0.6 | 6.4 | 9:35 | 34,000 | Quiet | Cool |
| December | 37° | 20° | 37° | 0.5 | 6.6 | 8:55 | 22,000 | Quiet | Cold |
| Year | 55° | 37° | 60° | 24.1 | 59.3 | 2,062,000 | |||
Year: average high and low, total precipitation and snowfall, total visitors. T = trace (under 0.05 in). – = not measured at this station. Updated .
- Hottest July, average high 79°F
- Coldest nights February, average low 18°F
- Source NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information; National Park Service
- Visitors a year about 2,062,000 (2023–2025 average)
- State South Dakota
Elevation matters here: the record's second station, Rapid City Rgnl AP, SD, sits at 3,160 ft, against 5,311 ft for Mt Rushmore Nmem, SD. Expect conditions between the two depending on where you go.
Closures, reservations and alerts: Mount Rushmore National Memorial on nps.gov
Nearby
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- Minuteman Missile National Historic SiteBest: Apr, May and Oct · South Dakota