Rushmore Cave
Rushmore Cave is an attraction in South Dakota, at a modelled elevation of 1,196 m. Black Elk Peak stands 2,207 m to the west, 9.9 miles off. The nearest named place is Lakota Peak, a peak 3.7 miles away. Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway passes 3.3 miles off.
The story
Rushmore Cave is the closest show cave to Mount Rushmore National Memorial in the United States. It contains a wide variety of natural formations. It is the ninth longest cave in South Dakota. It measures a distance of 3,652.6 feet (1,113.3 m). It was discovered in 1876 when a log flume that supplied water to mining operations in town of Hayward broke and spilled onto the side of the hill. As the water flowed down the hill it started flowing into a small hole in the hillside. The local miners who went up to fix the flume noticed this abnormality and became suspicious of where this water was going. After fixing the flume, the men decided to go inside and explore. After about 30 feet (9.1 m), the men came to a large drop off which went down about 15 feet (4.6 m). They exited the cave, and went out into the woods where they cut down a tree and then used this tree as a ladder to access the cave. The miners then noticed that the majority of the cave was made out of limestone. Knowing that limestone doesn't contain any gold deposits, they abandoned the cave as a mining opportunity, and left it alone. Some of the local townspeople heard news of this discovery, and became very curious as to what they might find inside the cave. The cave was created by a very long process stretching over a 360 million year time period. It started during the Mississippian Period, during which the entire Black Hills area was covered by a large inland sea. In this sea lived many kinds of sea creatures, and crustaceans. As these sea creatures died, their bodies sunk down to the sea floor. The flesh rotted away leaving behind many solid bone fragments which then compressed, and over time hardened into a rock known as limestone. The cave has a cornucopia of rooms including the Entrance Room, Post Office, Image Room, Big Room, Fairyland, Rope Room, Geode Room, The Rouge Room (Party Room), Arrowhead Room, and the Floral Room. The cave also includes boxwork and many dripstone formations including stalactites, stalagmites, columns, helictites and flowstone.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q14709782, matched on coordinates and name (34 m apart).
What to expect
- Access
- Yes
- Fee
- Yes
How to reach it
- 3.3 mi off the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway, National
- 9.9 mi off the Wildlife Loop Road Scenic Byway
Overlooks nearby
- Norbeck Overlook · 5 mi
- Mount Rushmore Viewpoint · 6 mi
- Borglum View Terrace · 6 mi
- Historic Viewing Terrace · 6 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Lakota Peak: 3.7 mi
- Echo Peak: 4.5 mi
- Tepee Peak: 4.9 mi
- Iron Mountain: 5.2 mi
- Eagle Mountain: 5.5 mi
- Abraham Lincoln: 6.3 mi
- George Washington: 6.3 mi
- Thomas Jefferson: 6.3 mi
- Theodore Roosevelt: 6.3 mi
- The Arches: 6.9 mi
- Norbeck Wildlife Preserve: 7.6 mi
- Custer County Fairgrounds: 7.7 mi
- Upper Pine Creek Natural Area: 9.0 mi
- Red Rocks Park: 10.4 mi
- Custer State Park - Norbeck Wildlife Preserve: 11.7 mi
- Rushmore Tramway Adventures: 4.8 mi
- Doane Robinson Tunnel: 5.1 mi
- Sitting Bull Crystal Caverns: 6.2 mi
- Hall of Records: 6.4 mi
- Stratosphere Bowl: 7.1 mi
- Big Thunder Gold Mine: 4.5 mi
- Keystone Historical Museum: 4.6 mi
- Borglum Story: 4.9 mi
- Sculptor's Studio: 6.1 mi
- Lincoln Borglum Visitor Center: 6.2 mi
- Mount Rushmore National Memorial: 6.3 mi
- Dodge School: 11.7 mi
- Gordon Stockade: 12.3 mi
- Crazy Horse Memorial: 14.7 mi
- Crazy Horse Memorial: 14.7 mi
- Bismuth: 3.7 mi
- Etta: 4.3 mi
- Addie Camp: 10.1 mi
- Teddy Bear: 10.2 mi
- Pactola: 15.7 mi
- Aquarium Rock: 11.5 mi
- Dam Back Side: 11.8 mi
- Ephel Duath: 12.0 mi
- Beecher Rock: 18.1 mi
- Sheridan Lake South: 9.9 mi
- Sheridan Lake North: 10.3 mi
- Sylvan Lake Beach: 11.6 mi
- terrace: 14.1 mi
- William Noordermeer Gardens: 14.6 mi
- Memorial Park Rose Gardens: 15.6 mi
- Spring Creek: 9.0 mi
- March-Dake Plaza: 15.2 mi
- Thunderhead Falls: 13.3 mi
- I-90 Black Hillls Welcome Center: 18.1 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 17.6 miles of Rushmore Cave. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Elk Peak | W 267° | 2,207 m | 9.9 mi |
| Little Devil's Tower | W 262° | 2,134 m | 10.4 mi |
| Thunderhead Mountain | W 260° | 1,991 m | 14.8 mi |
| Saint Elmo Peak | W 270° | 1,954 m | 13.1 mi |
| Samelias Peak | WNW 298° | 1,952 m | 8.3 mi |
| Elkhorn Mountain | W 275° | 1,940 m | 9.2 mi |
| Atlantic Hill | WSW 256° | 1,938 m | 17.6 mi |
| Buckhorn Mountain | WSW 247° | 1,922 m | 14.8 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 06:57 | 18:28 | 19:06 |
| June solstice | 05:12 | 19:56 | 20:40 |
| September equinox | 06:41 | 18:15 | 18:53 |
| December solstice | 07:25 | 15:32 | 16:19 |
Local time (America/Denver).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Sep.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 28 | 27 | 35 | 41 | 51 | 62 | 69 | 68 | 59 | 46 | 36 | 28 |
| Precip in | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 2.6 | 4.8 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 0.5 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — MT Rushmore Nmem, 6 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaOpenStreetMap element node/5661214838
Day trips start here
- Wind Cave National Park · 21 mi
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