Happy Independence Day! – Granite Rushmore (GC33JW4) – Geocache of the Week

Posing with the four men in the mountain. Photo by geocacher FrogJoey
During the construction of Mount Rushmore.

On this day in 1776, the United States of America formally adopted the Declaration of Independence, which declared independence from Great Britain. While this holiday is most often celebrated with barbecues, fireworks and get-togethers, we think finding this week’s Geocache of the Week would make a great addition to any Independence Day celebration. Granite Rushmore (GC33JW4) is an Earthcache placed by geocacher csr212 located at Mount Rushmore, where the faces of four United States Presidents have been carved into the side of a granite mountain.

The four presidents included in the Mount Rushmore sculpture are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. Thomas Jefferson and George Washington are two of the four Founding Fathers of the United States. Theodore Roosevelt is noted for his progressive ideologies, conservation efforts and unique personality. Abraham Lincoln was President during the American Civil War and is credited with abolishing slavery.

Earning your smiley for this difficulty 1.5, terrain 1.5 geocache isn’t as simple as just visiting this national monument. Those wanting to find this geocache will have the option to post a photo of yourself at the location and are required to answer a few questions about the history of the sculpture, as well as the rock it’s carved into. So far, this Earthcache has earned numerous Favorite Points and plenty of positive logs. Geocacher DevoeAM4 wrote, “On our way to Alaska from DC and this was an obvious stop. First time here and we went for both the lighting ceremony during the night and during the next day and we’ll be back for sure. Pictures just don’t do it justice. Thanks for the great cache!”

Maybe the next addition to the monument? Probably not, but a GPS enthusiast can dream. Photo by geocacher goodguys101
Maybe the next addition to the monument? Probably not, but a GPS enthusiast can dream. Photo by geocacher goodguys101

Another positive log comes from geocacher elvira_crew, who says, “On our way from the Badlands to Yellowstone we had to make a little detour to visit this famous monument. We had seen it in films and in pictures, but in reality it is much more impressive. It was interesting to read some facts about its history in the visitor center. Thank you for this interesting earth cache.”

Historical places and monuments make for incredible and interesting geocaches. What’s your favorite geocache that’s placed near a monument in your country? Tell us about it in the comments.

Continue to explore some of the most engaging geocaches around the globe. Check out all the Geocaches of the Week on the Geocaching blog or view the Bookmark List on Geocaching.com.

If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, send an email with your name, comments, the name of the geocache, and the GC code to pr@geocaching.com.