Mount Rushmore Through Iron Mountain Road Tunnel, South Dakota

Stone tunnel framing Mount Rushmore monument through forested landscape.
Stone tunnel framing Mount Rushmore monument through forested landscape.

Iron Mountain Road winds through the Black Hills of South Dakota, connecting Custer State Park to Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Built in the 1930s under Governor Peter Norbeck's direction, the route includes three granite tunnels deliberately aligned to frame the carved presidential faces in the distance. Mount Rushmore itself, completed in 1941 under sculptor Gutzon Borglum, depicts Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln at roughly 60 feet tall.

Taken July 2019

Photo Part Of
Custer State Park
Bison along Wildlife Loop Road, granite spires on the Needles Highway, and trails to Black Elk Peak in the Black Hills
36 photos
Map
OpenStreetMap Google Maps
More from Custer State Park
Black Elk Peak Summit Fog and Stone Tower
Black Elk Peak Summit Fog and Stone Tower
The stone fire tower on Black Elk Peak, the highest point in South Dakota, was constructed by the Civilian Conservation…
Car Enters Iron Creek Tunnel, Custer State Park
Car Enters Iron Creek Tunnel, Custer State Park
Iron Creek Tunnel carries the Needles Highway through a granite outcrop in Custer State Park, South Dakota. The highway was…
Granite Rock Formations Near Sylvan Lake, Custer State Park
Granite Rock Formations Near Sylvan Lake, Custer State Park
Sylvan Lake sits in the Black Hills of Custer State Park, South Dakota, at an elevation of roughly 6,145 feet.…
Sylvan Lake, Custer State Park, South Dakota
Sylvan Lake, Custer State Park, South Dakota
Sylvan Lake, located within Custer State Park in South Dakota's Black Hills, was formed in 1881 by Theodore Reder's construction…
American Bison on Wildlife Loop Road in Custer State Park
American Bison on Wildlife Loop Road in Custer State Park
American bison graze along Wildlife Loop Road, an 18-mile route through Custer State Park in the Black Hills of South…
Bison Herd Crossing Wildlife Loop Road, Custer State Park
Bison Herd Crossing Wildlife Loop Road, Custer State Park
Wildlife Loop Road is an 18-mile paved route through Custer State Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota, built…
Nearby Photos

Built in Minneapolis

Minneapolis Photographer

An ongoing archive of work.

© 1996–2026 Chad Davis