Mt Rushmore Night Ceremony and Tour - with Tunnels and Stargazing

Communication during the tour was extremely poor. Tour guide did not establish intermediate times and location to meet at the mountain Rushmore night program. We just got lucky and went to the bus.

I'd laugh if it weren't so sad. If you read the June 2026 1-star review by Jason_L, I believe my wife and I was with his family of 4 on the 27 Jun 2026 tour. It is exactly as he described, brakes and all. We paid $500 for the two of us (Jason also spent the same but had two extra people? Nice deal) and was offered a partial refund of $100. I guess it beats a poke in the eye with a sharp, flaming stick. Ray K

I have been on multiple tours in the US and Canada. This was the worst tour by far. Our trip to Mount Rushmore, and surrounding areas, was cut short by inclement weather. Less than half the tour was completed in an old van with questionable brakes. When the tour company was contacted about a refund, they would not even give a partial refund. A tour that should’ve cost about $50 for 4 people cost close to a thousand dollars. Do not recommend! The silver lining was our tour guide, Gabriel. This review reflects his terrible working conditions, not the quality of his labor.

Excellent way to see Mt. Rushmore at night. We also e joyed the star gazing in the Black Hills. Nicole was an exceptional guide.

We had a great time and would do again for sure! You do need to be prepared for cool weather and you may or may not have some clouds.... but the tour guides are fantastic, they know a lot of interesting information about the area and the monument.

The drive through the pigtails before and after the lighting ceremony greatly enhanced the experience. Monica made this experience even better with the many native stories explaining how spiritual/holy the Black Hills are to many different tribal nation. Her stories covered the immediate area and Devils Tower. Add to that Rich the owner provided us a couple of self guided tours, one to the Bad Lands, and one for the Devils Tower.

My sister and I did the nighttime tour of Mt. Rushmore. It is a fabulous private tour and worth the money. Nicole was our guide. She was knowledgeable: accommodating and it was a pleasure to spend the evening with her. She is a local and had a wealth of information. She catered the tour to our requests and made the evening so enjoyable. This tour is all encompassing and I couldn’t recommend it more. Book it and be sure to get ice cream. I took a risk and tried the Midnight Express flavor. It was fabulous!!

I have had visiting Mt Rushmore on my bucket list for as long as I can remember and my husband & I decided this was the year to do it! When we were planning the trip, the lighting ceremony and star gazing seemed perfect for us, but it ended up being so much more. My husband, teen son, and I spent the early afternoon exploring on our own because I wanted to see all the things at our own pace. Then, when we were picked up at our hotel by Nicole and taken through Rapid City & Keystone, we learned a TON about the local area's history and about the monument itself. Before the ceremony. We learned about and saw pigtail bridges, viewed the monument from amazing angles, and had a unique opportunity to ask all of our questions to an incredibly knowledgeable personal guide. The ceremony itself was surprisingly emotional and the monument is stunning at sunset & when lit up. Did it rain?! Yes, it did! That wasn't enough to stop us though, we had umbrellas and blankets. It did, however, make the stargazing impossible. That's okay though because we had a spectacular lightning show (from a safe distance) instead. We were safe, dry, and made it back to our hotel with great experiences and full hearts. On top of everything that evening, we also got a terrific restaurant recommendation for the next day, a map to help us with additional adventures, and what I know will be a lifelong memory. Please go, keep an open mind, prepare well, and enjoy this truly special one-of-a-kind experience

It was all encompassing - a scenic drive up to a view of Mt. Rushmore from across the valley while getting the history of the area, then the closeups of the monument itself, before and after dark. The stargazing stop was a wonderful way to end the evening. Our guide Scott, from Black Hills Open Top Tours was friendly, knowledgeable, and considerate of our wishes and needs! It was a great experience!

Unfortunately, there were thunderstorms the night we did this. The lighting ceremony took place but then the rest of the tour which was tunnels and stargazing were a waste of time as could not see anything that we wanted to as it was raining. Also, I was in the back and the roof was leaking on me. Luckily, the van was not full so I could move to try to avoid getting that wet. I was very disappointed and the price was high. They do tell you they go rain or shine so not really company's fault but I would have just done the night on my own and saved the money. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and gave good information. He was also very friendly. Just realize that if it rains, it is a waste of money.