Senior Pass and Mt Rushmore

[Darwin Maring]

The pass does not work at Mt Rushmore. There is NO parking except for the Government parking area and they charge $11 to park.

My personal opinion is THAT STINKS.

[Raz]

The parking lot is a private concession. Mt.Rushmore is free. Of course the only way to see the monument is to park in the private lot. I agree, it stinks.

[honda03842]

Of course with a monopoly on parking, they can charge a high price and amply compensate the park service. Before we began RVing our nephew as a post college adventure looped the USA. He said the two best things to see were Mt Rushmore and Graceland. I wouldn't give them 1 and 2 but they were sure worth the money and time. Though not a Elvis fan, I'm more so after visiting Graceland and it was well worth it. We've been to Mt Rushmore a number of times.

Safe travels,

Norm

[Raz]

From the Mt.Rushmore site--


Park Fees
park fees includes:
Permits




Entrance Fees

There is no entrance fee for Mount Rushmore National Memorial. However, fees are required to park at the memorial.

Parking Facility

Parking is readily available in the memorial's parking complex, which is managed by Presidential Parking, Inc. This park concession operates under a contract between the National Park Service and the Mount Rushmore Society, which constructed the parking facility and continues to operate and maintain it. No federal funding was used to construct the parking facility. A parking fee is assessed to offset the expenses of construction, operation and maintenance of the parking facility. This parking permit entitles a non-commercial vehicle unlimited entry to the memorial for the calendar year.

The America The Beautiful - The National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass, the Senior Pass and the Access Pass cannot be used for parking fees at Mount Rushmore National Memorial. These passes cover entrance fees and in some cases provide a discount on special use fees such as camping and tours, but do not cover concession fees such as parking.
Parking Fees

Cars, Motorcycles and RVs $11 per vehicle
Commercial Tour Bus $50*
Verified, nonprofit Educational Bus $25*

*Parking passes for buses are valid for 24 hours from time of first entry.

Parking fees may be paid with cash, traveler's check, or local personal check. Credit cards are not currently accepted.

Additional Information

No reservations are needed to visit the memorial. Parking for vehicles pulling trailers or extra long vehicles is extremely limited.

For questions concerning parking and parking fees, please call Presidential Parking, Inc. at (605) 574-2643.

[Darwin Maring]

If the US Government gets any of the revenue from the parking then they should at least give a discount to the holders of the Lifetime Pass, active duty military, disabled veterans, just to name a few.

When you think of the hundreds of thousands of vehicles parked there each year, I fail to see how $11 a car is justified.

[Raz]

Originally Posted by Darwin Maring

If the US Government gets any of the revenue from the parking then they should at least give a discount to the holders of the Lifetime Pass, active duty military, disabled veterans, just to name a few.

When you think of the hundreds of thousands of vehicles parked there each year, I fail to see how $11 a car is justified.

And on top of that some bureaucrat got promoted for innovative thinking. The parking lot was "free" and no discounts. Look at all the money they saved. It's called cost shifting. I am afraid we are all in for a lot more of it. Why is it that I would feel better if the NPS was getting the money?