Mount Rushmore a humid continental climate ("Dwb" in the Köppen climate classification). It is inside a USDA Plant Hardiness Zone of 5a, meaning certain plant life in the area can withstand a low temperature of no less than . The two wettest months of the year are May and June. Orographic lift causes brief but strong afternoon thunderstorms during the summer. Tourism is South Dakota's second-largest industry, and Mount Rushmore is the state's top tourist attraction. In 2012, 2,185,447 people visited the park. In the 1950s and 1960s, Sioux Benjamin Black Elk (son of medicine man Black Elk) was the "Fifth Face
Mount Rushmore in popular culture operates as the Hotel Alex Johnson. The "North by Northwest" appearance has been parodied in several venues. In "North by North Quahog", a 2005 episode of the animated series "Family Guy", Mount Rushmore's forested plateau was the location of the villain's home, and characters Peter and Lois are chased down the monument by Mel Gibson. In "Richie Rich", the Rich family's imitation of Mount Rushmore becomes the setting for the film's finale, echoing the finale of "North by Northwest". Alan Weisman, in his book "The World Without Us", suggests that the Mount Rushmore memorial could last up to 7.2 million