Disappointing photos show how small Mount Rushmore is in real life

Natalie ColarossiJul 7, 2020, 03:54 IST

Many visitors are surprised to find Mount Rushmore appears much smaller in person.KAREN BLEIER/AFP via Getty Images; REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton; Insider

Mount Rushmore is one of the most famous monuments in the US, typically attracting 3 million people a year.
But the South Dakota sculpture depicting former presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln doesn't always live up to expectations.
In real life, the monument appears much smaller than it does in photos.

Visitors typically flock to Mount Rushmore every summer. But they're often surprised when they get there.

The sculpture of four US presidents doesn't appear as large in real life as people might think. When viewing the monument from the observation deck, it's difficult to make out details in the faces.

Over the weekend, President Donald Trump made a controversial decision to hold a Fourth of July fireworks display at the monument, and photos from the event showed how small the carved faces looked from the crowds.

These photos show what Mount Rushmore looks like in photos vs. reality.

Mount Rushmore is one of the most famous monuments in the US, and in non-pandemic times it typically attracts around 3 million people a year.

Mt. Rushmore, in Keystone, South Dakota. KAREN BLEIER/AFP via Getty Images

But in real life, the monument doesn't loom as large as it may seem in photos.

Bernell T./Yelp

In photos we see of the sculpture, the heads of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln loom large.

Jess Kraft/Shutterstock

But it's difficult to gauge its full scope from the tourist observation deck.

A woman walks at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, where the Information Center is closed and all educational and interpretive programs are suspended in Keystone, South Dakota, on April 16, 2020. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

Close-up, the 20-foot noses look giant next to a worker dangling during construction in 1936.

The face of Abraham Lincoln under construction on Mount Rushmore in 1936 with Gutzon Borglum monitoring the work. US National Park Service

But it's hard to make out the details of the sculpture in person.

neighborhoods.org/Flickr

The Grand View Terrace is about 700 feet from the rock face. To get as close as possible, you have to walk along the Presidential Trail, which is still more than 300 feet away.

Tourists visit Mount Rushmore National Monument on July 01, 2020 in Keystone, South Dakota. President Donald Trump is expected to visit the monument and speak before the start of a fireworks display on July 3. Scott Olson/Getty Images

The Grand View Terrace is about 700 feet from the rock face. To get as close as possible, you have to walk along the Presidential Trail, which is still more than 300 feet away.

People often complain about how disappointing the monument is in real life.

Madeleine Deaton/Flickr

Close-up photos of the monument show the detailed features of each president's face.

Wikimedia Commons

But in real life, you have to make your way through crowds of people to catch a distant look, and use binoculars to really see the detail.

tourists take photos of themselves in front of Mount Rushmore National Memorial, on June 10, 2012 outside Keystone, South Dakota. Melanie Stetson Freeman/The Christian Science Monitor via Getty Images

On July 3, President Donald Trump held a political rally in front of crowds of people. The monument looks tiny in the distance.

US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrive onstage during an Independence Day event at Mount Rushmore in Keystone, South Dakota, July 3, 2020. SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

Though some photos framed just right make the faces appear somewhat larger than other images.

US President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he arrives for the Independence Day events at Mount Rushmore National Memorial in Keystone, South Dakota, July 3, 2020. SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

The monument also sits on contested land. Before Trump's speech took place, a group of protesters largely comprised of Native Americans held a demonstration against Trump for using sacred land.

Native American protesters and supporters gather at the Black Hills, now the site of Mount Rushmore, on July 3, 2020 in Keystone, South Dakota. Micah Garen/Getty Images

The monument also sits on contested land. Before Trump's speech took place, a group of protesters largely comprised of Native Americans held a demonstration against Trump for using sacred land.

Since it's nearly 80 years old, the sculpture is also constantly developing new cracks and in need of repair.

Library of Congress and Dynamichrome

Some things may be better seen from the internet.

KAREN BLEIER/AFP via Getty Images; REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton; Insider

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Disappointing photos show how small Mount Rushmore is in real life

Mount Rushmore is one of the most famous monuments in the US, and in non-pandemic times it typically attracts around 3 million people a year.

But in real life, the monument doesn't loom as large as it may seem in photos.

In photos we see of the sculpture, the heads of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln loom large.

But it's difficult to gauge its full scope from the tourist observation deck.

Close-up, the 20-foot noses look giant next to a worker dangling during construction in 1936.

But it's hard to make out the details of the sculpture in person.

The Grand View Terrace is about 700 feet from the rock face. To get as close as possible, you have to walk along the Presidential Trail, which is still more than 300 feet away.

People often complain about how disappointing the monument is in real life.

Close-up photos of the monument show the detailed features of each president's face.

But in real life, you have to make your way through crowds of people to catch a distant look, and use binoculars to really see the detail.

On July 3, President Donald Trump held a political rally in front of crowds of people. The monument looks tiny in the distance.

Though some photos framed just right make the faces appear somewhat larger than other images.

The monument also sits on contested land. Before Trump's speech took place, a group of protesters largely comprised of Native Americans held a demonstration against Trump for using sacred land.

Since it's nearly 80 years old, the sculpture is also constantly developing new cracks and in need of repair.

Some things may be better seen from the internet.