When I visited Mount Rushmore, i thought the most surprising part wasn’t the giant faces, it was what people said about the “fifth face”. If you’ve ever googled it, you’ve probably seen the rumors.
So, here’s the truth. Mount Rushmore, located in South Dakota’s Black Hills, is about 35 minutes from Rapid City and costs around $10 per car for parking. The actual monument is free to see.
The four presidents carved into the granite, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham LincoIn, represent the birth, growth, development, and preservation of the United States. But there’s no official “fifth face” carved on the mountain.
So where does this idea come from? Over the years, visitors and social media posts have referred to a Lakota Sioux leader named Crazy Horse as the fifth face. While he’s not on Mount Rushmore, there is a separate monument being carved about 17 miles away, called the Crazy Horse Memorial. It’s still under construction, but its massive and honors Native American history.
Tickets to that side cost about $15 per person or $35 per car, and it’s definitely worth seeing if you’re already visiting Mount Rushmore.
Now, lets talk about the back of Mount Rushmore. You can’t actually go behind it unless you’re part of the National Park Service or a special tour. But there is something called the “Hall of Records” hidden behind LincoIn’s head. It’s not open to the public, but it contains documents about the monument and American history sealed in a vault. I found that part super interesting, its felt like a secret most people don’t have any idea
about.
If you’re planning a visit, wear comfy shoes. The presidential Trail is about half a mile and gives you a closer view of the carvings. There’s also a gift shop, cafe, and a small museum that explains how the monument was made. Mount Rushmore might not have a fifth face, but it has more stories than people expect.
