The Mount Rushmore National Memorial saw another solid year of tourism numbers.
The National Park Service said the memorial saw 2.43 million visits in 2023.
That’s down about 9,000 visitors, or 0.37% from 2022. Park officials said that’s likely due to a major road construction project in the area.
Despite the slight drop, officials described attendance last season as surpassing pre-pandemic levels. According to NPS data, the memorial set an attendance record in 2021 with 2.52 million visits.
“Every year, the memorial invites millions of visitors to enjoy the wonderful and memorable experiences that have drawn people to the Black Hills of South Dakota for generations,” said Superintendent Michelle Wheatley. “We look forward to continuing to support tourism in partnership with the State of South Dakota and all of our gateway communities.”
July was the busiest month with over 624,000, according to the NPS. The Independence Day celebration alone drew over 60,000 people. In addition, May 2023 was the busiest record May in the park's history.
Nationwide, NPS officials said overall visits across all national parks was up 4% over 2022.