Rushmore Cave is where you are sure to find adventure!There are scenic cave tours, cave spelunking, and new this year - an amazing Soaring Eagle Zipline Ride! Rushmore Cave is the closest cave to Mount Rushmore and the home of the legendary BIG room. The one-hour guided walking tour winds through a series of rooms and passages, and finally arrives at the most stunning finale - the BIG room. This room is one of the largest decorated cavern rooms seen on any area cave tour. Our big room has an extraordinarily large number of stalactites dangling from its ceilings and walls. Mighty columns, stalagmites and massive flowstones, along with exquisite displays of ribbons, draperies and helictites adorn this and other rooms as well.
Open May through October, there is never more than a 20 minute wait for a cave tour. We honor a variety of discounts for all travelers, as well as special rates and services for groups, schools and tour companies.
Started in 2004, we offer a unique experience for performance groups. This is a specialized tour that gives church groups, choirs, performing arts groups, and others a chance to experience themselves and their arts in total silence. Church sermons, choral performances, interpretive presentations, or whatever you do in front of an audience can be performed in the big room. The big room has excellent acoustics and is totally silent — making it an inspirational setting like no other. Your performance by candlelight creates a truly unique and memorable experience. Your group will get a chance to do what they do best in a naturally decorated hall with absolutely no distractions. Call or e-mail Tom (605-255-4384) for details and reservations.
We are members of the Black Hills, Badlands and Lakes Association of South Dakota, as well as members of a variety of professional tourism and cave management organizations.
Our tours are family oriented with a special emphasis on revealing the secrets of the cave in a manner that is interesting and fun. We can modify the content, route or pace to meet the needs of the visitors. Many visitors with special needs may successfully tour the cave. We offer a written version of the tour for the hearing impaired. The visually impaired may enjoy the cave with the assistance of a close friend. The gift shop is wheelchair accessible by means of our service road. The cave is partially wheelchair accessible. The main passages of the cave contain numerous stairs and narrow spots. However, our 400 foot access tunnel slopes at a gentle incline to an area of the cave where several passages meet. We offer visitors a complimentary underground experience to this junction area. Call ahead (605) 255-4384 for information and instructions.