How Crowded Is Mount Rushmore National Memorial in August?

August runs about 2.4× Mount Rushmore National Memorial's average month, which makes it a very busy month here — roughly 20% of the park's yearly visitors come in August.

In a typical August the park sees about 440,000 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

That makes August the 2nd-busiest of the park's twelve months, sitting between the July peak (3×) and the January low (0.1×).

On our Best Time to Visit score August rates 61/100 ("Good") — the single best-rated month at Mount Rushmore, balancing crowds against weather and daylight.

Typical August weather, from 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals at the nearest station, averages a daytime high near 78°F and an overnight low around 58°F, with about 2.3" of precipitation.

That average of about 68°F is a comfortable range for hiking and being outdoors all day.

August falls inside the park's busiest stretch: June, July and August together pull about 63% of the year's visitors, so a visit this month means sharing the park with the peak-season crowd.

You'll have about 13.8 hours of daylight in August to explore — between the 8.7-hour midwinter low and the 15.3-hour summer high.

Park-wide, 2025 drew 1,905,649 recreation visits, up 3% from 1,850,329 in 2024.