Doane Robinson Tunnel

Doane Robinson Tunnel is a one-lane road tunnel on Iron Mountain Road (US 16A), a 17-mile scenic route between Keystone and Custer State Park. Heading north from Custer, the opening frames the four presidential faces. It is a brief roadside stop on the scenic drive, not a facility at Mount Rushmore's visitor complex. Use the designated pullout, never the traffic lane.

The faces sit well back from the portal and can look smaller than expected. If you want them to fill a phone photo, zoom in from the safe stopping area.

The parking area holds only a few cars. If it is full, continue along the route rather than stopping in the road. No public restrooms or drinking water are documented at the tunnel; the separate Iron Mountain Picnic Area has public restrooms.

Iron Mountain Road is a slow, twisting drive: allow about 45 to 60 minutes for its 17 miles before adding stops. The tunnel's published clearance is 12 feet wide and 11 feet 4 inches high; check the posted restriction before driving a tall or wide vehicle. The road can close periodically in winter depending on conditions and snow clearing, so check current status before a cold-season trip.

Built in the 1930s under South Dakota Governor Peter Norbeck, Iron Mountain Road uses stone tunnels, tight switchbacks and spiraling pigtail bridges to fit the Black Hills terrain. The three stone tunnels are part of the route's design and frame Mount Rushmore along the drive.

Doane Robinson was South Dakota's state historian and an advocate for monumental carvings in the Black Hills as a draw for visitors. He contacted sculptor Gutzon Borglum in 1924; Borglum selected Mount Rushmore in 1925, and Robinson then helped secure support for the project. The tunnel's name points to the person whose idea brought the carving project to the Black Hills.