Profile View in Mount Rushmore National Memorial

#5 of 11 sights in Mount Rushmore

Scenic pullout · Mount Rushmore National Memorial

Profile View

A quick roadside stop for Washington’s rock-framed profile.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Type
Scenic pullout
Nearest trail
0.3 mi
Audio stories
5 nearby
  • Parking
  • Scenic viewpoint
  • Exhibit

Hear the audio tour

Washington's Profile View

Overview

About Profile View

Why stop

  • A distinctly different angle from the memorial’s main terrace.

Heads up

  • The brief side view can disappoint if you expect another full memorial vista.

Map

Where it is

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Full map
Scenic pulloutProfile View43.87618, -103.46080
Keep this map with you offline in the Parkwolf app

Plan your stop

Before you go

1 active Mount Rushmore alert

  • InfoSculptor’s Studio Heat AdvisoryThe Sculptor’s Studio may close temporarily during periods of high heat. - The closure protects visitors and staff from high heat.Official details
Mount Rushmore alerts
A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone
Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Mount Rushmore Tour Guide

Your drive to Profile View, narrated.

Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Mount Rushmore National Memorial. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.

Recorded for this place

Washington's Profile View
0:00 / 0:13
“Washington's Profile View is coming up, a roadside pullout where you see his carved face from the side. Stop for a few minutes if you'd like a different angle, but don't expect a view of all four presidents.”

Plays as you drive up to Profile View in the Parkwolf Mount Rushmore Tour Guide.

More stories near here in the app

  • Blackberry Trailhead: Creek Walk or Lake Hike
  • Grand View Terrace and the Visitor Complex
  • Wrinkled Rock Climbing Area
  • A Record for the Distant Future
  • 5 audio storiesacross Mount Rushmore’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
  • Wildlife heatmapsfor Mountain Goat, Mule Deer, White-tailed Deer, and 7 more
  • Works offlinemaps, 8 trails, 18 places, and audio download before you lose signal
  • CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
★★★★★
“We recently toured Badlands, Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore and more! We learned so much from this app as we toured each of these sites. The audio tours are worth the money.”
milesdavis11App Store review
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4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

Guide

More about Profile View

A different angle on WashingtonProfile View is a roadside pullout on SD-244 where George Washington’s carved face appears in…

Profile View is a roadside pullout on SD-244 where George Washington’s carved face appears in profile among the surrounding granite outcrops. It’s a quick extra angle on the memorial, not a replacement for the head-on view from the main terrace. I’d stop if you’re already driving this way; keep the main viewing area for the full memorial visit.

Fit it into the driveIt works as a preview before the memorial or a last look on the way out, and most visitors…

It works as a preview before the memorial or a last look on the way out, and most visitors treat it as a stop of just a few minutes. Take care when pulling back onto SD-244; traffic is the practical catch here. The site is listed as wheelchair accessible, though its access details don’t describe the route or surface.

Frame the profileWashington’s side view is set against the natural rock around him.

Washington’s side view is set against the natural rock around him. Leave some of those outcrops in the frame; that rock framing is what makes this view different from the familiar head-on look.

Wildlife

Wildlife in Mount Rushmore

All Mount Rushmore wildlife maps

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Mount Rushmore. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.

Keep exploring

Near Profile View

See it all on the map

Trails nearby

More stops nearby

Parkwolf’s Mount Rushmore ranking

Top sights in Mount Rushmore

All 18 places
  1. 1Grand View TerraceSight
  2. 2Sculptor's StudioSight
  3. 3Avenue of FlagsSight
  4. 4Mount Rushmore National Memorial AmphitheaterSight
  5. 6Talus TerraceSight
  6. 7Youth Exploration Area and Lakota, Nakota, and Dakota Heritage VillageSight

Take Parkwolf to Mount Rushmore.

The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.

4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

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