The colossal granite portraits above the Black Hills remain South Dakota's defining image and its most-visited monument. In a state that turned a mountain into a monument, few places carry more weight than this one.

The sculpture depicts Washington, Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Lincoln, each face roughly 60 feet tall.

What sets it apart

Gutzon Borglum led the carving from 1927 to 1941, using dynamite for most of the rock removal. It is the kind of specific that turns a passing curiosity into a lasting fascination.

The memorial draws around two million visitors a year to the hills near Keystone.

Why it matters

Step back, and a larger picture comes into view: this is South Dakota in miniature, rugged and unhurried. However you come to it, this is a place that stays with you long after the drive home.