Mount Rushmore in Winter — Absolutely Worth the Trip! 🏔️❄️

I’ve seen Mount Rushmore in history books since I was a kid—always thought carving presidents into a mountain was so cool! But since moving to the U.S., I never got the chance to visit because South Dakota is just… so… far… 😅 Finally, this winter, I made it happen! The journey was long, but totally worth it. ✈️ Transportation: The nearest airport is Rapid City Regional Airport. From there, it’s about a 40-minute drive to Mount Rushmore. I flew from FLL with a layover in Dallas—over 7 hours in the air! ✈️ Rented a car 🚗 at the airport. ⚠️ Winter tip: South Dakota is covered in snow and ice. Roads can be slippery—rent a car with good safety features! 🖼️ Park Overview: The park isn’t very big. In winter, all trails are closed due to snow ❄️, so you can only view the monument from the main overlook. But the angle is still great—you can see all four presidents clearly! The sun sets around 4:30 PM. We arrived at 2:30 PM and stayed until sunset. The golden light shining on the presidents + snowy surroundings = absolutely magical! 🌅 There’s a café inside serving American fast food 🍔—tasty, and the window seats offer a picture-perfect view of the monument. We were the only ones there—felt like we had the whole mountain to ourselves! There’s also a large gift shop 🎁, a history museum, and a theater showing a film about the carving process. 🎫 Ticket: $10 per vehicle (includes parking). ⌚️ Park Hours: 5:00 AM – 9:00 PM. I wonder what Mount Rushmore looks like after dark… 🌙 Oh, and on our way out, we spotted deer 🦌 along the road! So dreamy. Later, we realized the woods were full of wild deer. 🛌 Accommodation: Hotels in South Dakota are surprisingly affordable—we stayed at a very comfortable hotel for just $60! I booked Country Inn & Suites by Radisson in Rapid City. It’s budget-friendly, relatively new, and has a large pool with a waterslide 🏊‍♂️—great for families! 👪 🥘 Food: We tried a Vietnamese restaurant near the hotel—Pacific Rim Cafe. The pho was perfect for a cold winter day 🍜❤️! Lots of delicious options—highly recommend! Feel free to ask questions in the comments! 💬 Next up: Badlands National Park! 📝 #MountRushmore #SouthDakota #USATravel #NationalParks #HiddenGems 🗽✨