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laura
Don't know your answer regarding the 4th as we were not there for the 4th although my daughter was and loved it. We stayed at the State Game Lodge. It is a nice lodge but beware that in the lodge, not all rooms are air conditioned. Ours was not so we changed to a motel room adjacent to the lodge because it was cool but looked liked motel 6. We had breakfast on the patio at Sylvan Lake Lodge and enjoyed the scenery so very much.You are smart to want AC,it is important.

Thanks, CD. Anyone else?

Get reservations ASAP for the July 4 travel time as the nicer places in the Hills may fill quickly. Contact the Rapid City Visitors' Bureau at www.rapidcitycvb.com. They should be able to give you more detailed information about this year's fireworks show and possible transportation options for that evening. kch

Hello Laura - my husband and I were there for the fireworks last year.

First off, let me say that we love Mt. Rushmore, and have been there several times. We planned to go around the Independence Day holiday last year just so we could see the fireworks at the monument.

On July 3rd we went to Mt. Rushmore at noon... we went early because we knew it would be crowded. There was lots of security, so it took us about 45 minutes to get thru. First they had a police blockade on Hwy. 244 before you got to the monument. They ask you if you have firearms, drugs, fireworks, etc. Then you got up to the monument and got in line where they were checking everyone at the parking gate- using bomb sniffing dogs and under-vehicle mirrors. Then when you got up to the gate a National Guard soldier asked again if you had firearms, drugs, etc. Then when you got thru and parked, you went thru metal detectors and emptied your pockets and had your bags searched. I don't know if security measures will be this strict this year.

It was crowded, but we didn't think it was too bad, until we went into the cafeteria and found every table occupied. We found a seat and played cards for a while, since we had to kill time. After a while (about 3:00), we went to check out the ampitheater... we thought we could find a place to sit for the fireworks later... haha big mistake! The entire ampitheater and most of the viewing terrace was taken up by people and their blankets, chairs, umbrellas, etc.... I guess some people knew you had to get there super early and get a seat. They were even lined up on each side of the Avenue of Flags, with blankets. etc. It was really hard to get around. We were feeling really discouraged by this time, as we had to spend another 6 hours there, and even then there would be no place to sit for the fireworks.

My husband had a great idea, that we would go and get up on one of the tunnels on the Iron Mountain Road and watch the fireworks. Later on that night we went to the last tunnel on the road overlooking Mt. Rushmore... along the way we were getting kind of discouraged as there were many cars & people at the other overlooks.... we thought there'd be no way we would find a spot to park. We did find one and climbed up on top of the tunnel and had fun talking to the people on either side of us (from Delaware and Kentucky) until the fireworks started... it ended up working out great. The fireworks show was wonderful, and we enjoyed chatting with the other people.

I've heard as high as 26,000 people were at Mt. Rushmore that day.... I believe it too! It was really super crowded... we were prepared for that, but we weren't prepared for having all the viewing spots taken at 3:00 p.m.!

If you only have one chance to see Mt. Rushmore, I'd say avoid July 3rd. July 4th was much less crowded (same security measures) but then, of course, no fireworks.

Tonia

We are going to be at Mt. Rushmore on July 3, and your advice to watch the fireworks from Iron Mountain Road vangage points looks like a good idea. What time did you get there to get a good spot? Any specific recommendations? Any further input you can provide would be much appreciated.

Dear DuckFace... we started driving on Iron Mtn Road from the south (from Custer State Park) at about 6 p.m. I would probably recommend scouting the area earlier in the day and choosing the spot you'd like to watch from. At 6:00 p.m. they all were pretty crowded. We ended up at the last tunnel coming from the south- it was the closest to Mt. Rushmore. If you were coming from Keystone, it would be the first tunnel. I think we were lucky to get a spot by that time!

I'd definitely recommend folding chairs and blankets... and some snacks. Also, a flashlight for climbing down afterwards (really not as hard as it sounds). A radio would be nice- we didn't have one, but a fellow with a motorcycle tuned his to the simulcast broadcast and we all were able to listen to the corresponding music. If you have a camera, I'd recommend buying or bringing along a tripod- you'll need to keep the camera as still as possible as the shutter speed will have to be very slow to capture the fireworks.

There were no bugs, but there were bats swooping around- didn't bother us, and it was sort of fun to watch. As long as they kept their distance

It was interesting and a definite plus to be able to chat with the people around us... it was a real fun group.

Let me know if you have any more questions... have a great trip!!