PEAK SEASONS
Summer (June to August) to Early Fall (September) are the peak seasons.
Crazy Horse, an Oglala Lakota war leader, is one of the most iconic Native Americans in history. The Crazy Horse Memorial—a monumental memorial dedicated to his likeness—has been in construction since 1948. It is currently being carved out of Thunderhead Mountain on land considered sacred to the Oglala Lakota. The memorial attempts to depict Crazy Horse riding a horse and pointing to his tribal land.
The sculpture’s final dimensions are planned to be 641 feet (195 meters) long and 563 feet (172 meters) high. At an estimated cost of $7 million (USD) per year and projected to take over a decade more to complete (I visited in 2020), it is one of the most ambitious projects in human history. Once completed, it will be the largest rock sculpture in the world, capable of easily dwarfing the scale of Mount Rushmore.
When you visit, make sure to follow this adventure guide to maximize your time at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial.
Recommended Duration of Visit
3 hours (ideal), 2 hours (doable)
Recommendations: Before Arriving
- Download an offline map of the entire region (it’s essentially the region that also encompasses Mount Rushmore), check the weather, prepare all your gear, and finalize nearby lodging.
Recommendations: Adventure Gear
- Weather-appropriate clothing, sun protection, sunglasses, and comfortable hiking shoes, among others.
Click for some interesting facts about the Crazy Horse Memorial
- Crazy Horse never signed a treaty, never lived on a reservation, and never allowed his picture to be taken. All of this (in addition to his wild and crazy life) made him an excellent choice for a memorial.
- The Black Hills is Crazy Horse’s home.
- “Someday I will return in stone.” – Crazy Horse (days before he died in 9/5/1877)
- The main sculptor is Korczak Ziolkowski. For years, he worked on the monument alone.
CRAZY HORSE MEMORIAL’S STORY
For decades, the Crazy Horse Memorial has been under construction. Once completed, it will be one of the greatest rock sculptures in history.
ATTRACTIONS
Crazy Horse Memorial, Tourist Center, Nature Gate, and Laughing Water Restaurant.
LANDSCAPE
On Thunderhead Mountain in the Black Hills.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Special “face-to-face” tours (i.e. heading to the face of Crazy Horse) can be scheduled on the official Crazy Horse Memorial website.
PLANNING
While there is an abundance of lodging options in Keystone, it will be much cheaper to stay in Rapid City. Custer (south of the Crazy Horse Memorial) is a very small town, but it has numerous lodging options as well.
Ideally, plan to visit both the Crazy Horse Memorial and the Mount Rushmore National Memorial.
CRAZY HORSE MEMORIAL’S STORY
For decades, the Crazy Horse Memorial has been under construction. Once completed, it will be one of the greatest rock sculptures in history.
PEAK SEASONS
Summer (June to August) to Early Fall (September) are the peak seasons.
LANDSCAPE
On Thunderhead Mountain in the Black Hills.
ATTRACTIONS
Crazy Horse Memorial, Tourist Center, Nature Gate, and Laughing Water Restaurant.
PLANNING
While there is an abundance of lodging options in Keystone, it will be much cheaper to stay in Rapid City. Custer (south of the Crazy Horse Memorial) is a very small town, but it has numerous lodging options as well.
Ideally, plan to visit both the Crazy Horse Memorial and the Mount Rushmore National Memorial.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Special “face-to-face” tours (i.e. heading to the face of Crazy Horse) can be scheduled on the official Crazy Horse Memorial website.
Attractions Overview
- Brighten Up Your Day: You will be taking photos against a picturesque landscape. Depending on the focus of your camera, the background or your profile might be dark. I recommend focusing on the background and turning on the flash. The flash will brighten your image, and the focus will capture the background adequately. Naturally, you can skip the flash if your objective is to draw more attention to the scenery.
- Just a Little Longer: The Crazy Horse Memorial is special in the sense that you can visit it in a relatively short amount of time, or you can easily spend the whole day while participating in the activities (i.e. taking a bus tour to the base of the mountain or to the top of it) and reading up on the history and culture.
- Why the Rush?: Most people visit both the Crazy Horse Memorial and Mount Rushmore. The Mount Rushmore National Memorial is about 40 minutes northeast of the Crazy Horse Memorial.
Attractions Overview
- Brighten Up Your Day: You will be taking photos against a picturesque landscape. Depending on the focus of your camera, the background or your profile might be dark. I recommend focusing on the background and turning on the flash. The flash will brighten your image, and the focus will capture the background adequately. Naturally, you can skip the flash if your objective is to draw more attention to the scenery.
- Just a Little Longer: The Crazy Horse Memorial is special in the sense that you can visit it in a relatively short amount of time, or you can easily spend the whole day while participating in the activities (i.e. taking a bus tour to the base of the mountain or to the top of it) and reading up on the history and culture.
- Why the Rush?: Most people visit both the Crazy Horse Memorial and Mount Rushmore. The Mount Rushmore National Memorial is about 40 minutes northeast of the Crazy Horse Memorial.
Crazy Horse Tourist Center: This Tourist Center is completely unlike most conventional tourist centers. It is simply massive, comprised of a visitor center, museum, small theater, and cultural center all in one. Not only does the center depict Crazy Horse’s wild and crazy life, but it also showcases many other Native American works.
Cost: For more information, refer to the official Crazy Horse Memorial website. Recommended Duration of Visit: 1 – 2 hours.
Crazy Horse Memorial: At 87 feet (26.5 meters), Crazy Horse’s face is taller than any of those on Mount Rushmore. And while the memorial remains mostly unfinished, the project has been ongoing for decades (it only took 14 years to complete Mount Rushmore). Visitors can pay a small fee for a short tour (via bus) of the landscape at the base of the mountain.
Cost: For more information, refer to the official Crazy Horse Memorial website. Recommended Duration of Visit: The tour is about 30 minutes.
| Stories about Crazy Horse’s life are in a area with numerous framed documents (i.e. white sheets of paper). Since Crazy Horse was never photographed, people can only deduce his appearance based on stories and descriptions. |
| Buses leave every 30 minutes. Again, buses do not actually reach the top of the Crazy Horse Memorial. That is a separate package that costs considerably more. These special tours must be booked well in advance. |
Laughing Water Restaurant: With an assortment of great meals and arguably the best outdoor dining in all of South Dakota, the Laughing Water Restaurant is much more than a place for a meal; it’s also an experience.
Conveniently placed alongside the Tourist Center, it allows visitors to lounge around and enjoy a phenomenal view of the memorial.
Cost: Variable. Recommended Duration of Visit: 30 – 60 minutes.
Nature Gate: The Nature Gate, Ziolkowski’s last great work, features 270 of South Dakota’s native animals. It is also conveniently located alongside the Tourist Center and its shining brilliance is hard to miss.
Cost: Free to visit. Recommended Duration of Visit: 5 – 10 minutes.
| The restaurant is connected to a different part of the museum that is inaccessible from the main section, making it easy to miss. |
| If you can plan for it, the gate (and the entire region in general) looks the best during the evening (about an hour before sunset). |
Crazy Horse Tourist Center: This Tourist Center is completely unlike most conventional tourist centers. It is simply massive, comprised of a visitor center, museum, small theater, and cultural center all in one. Not only does the center depict Crazy Horse’s wild and crazy life, but it also showcases many other Native American works.
Cost: For more information, refer to the official Crazy Horse Memorial website. Recommended Duration of Visit: 1 – 2 hours.
| Stories about Crazy Horse’s life are in a area with numerous framed documents (i.e. white sheets of paper). Since Crazy Horse was never photographed, people can only deduce his appearance based on stories and descriptions. |
Crazy Horse Memorial: At 87 feet (26.5 meters), Crazy Horse’s face is taller than any of those on Mount Rushmore. And while the memorial remains mostly unfinished, the project has been ongoing for decades (it only took 14 years to complete Mount Rushmore). Visitors can pay a small fee for a short tour (via bus) of the landscape at the base of the mountain.
Cost: For more information, refer to the official Crazy Horse Memorial website. Recommended Duration of Visit: The tour is about 30 minutes.
| Buses leave every 30 minutes. Again, buses do not actually reach the top of the Crazy Horse Memorial. That is a separate package that costs considerably more. These special tours must be booked well in advance. |
Laughing Water Restaurant: With an assortment of great meals and arguably the best outdoor dining in all of South Dakota, the Laughing Water Restaurant is much more than a place for a meal; it’s also an experience.
Conveniently placed alongside the Tourist Center, it allows visitors to lounge around and enjoy a phenomenal view of the memorial.
Cost: Variable. Recommended Duration of Visit: 30 – 60 minutes.
| The restaurant is connected to a different part of the museum that is inaccessible from the main section, making it easy to miss. |
Nature Gate: The Nature Gate, Ziolkowski’s last great work, features 270 of South Dakota’s native animals. It is also conveniently located alongside the Tourist Center and its shining brilliance is hard to miss.
Cost: Free to visit. Recommended Duration of Visit: 5 – 10 minutes.
| If you can plan for it, the gate (and the entire region in general) looks the best during the evening (about an hour before sunset). |
The Crazy Horse Memorial is, quite possibly, the most ambitious rock sculpture in history. Once completed, it will be a world-class attraction that not only entertains but also serves to showcase the incredible Native American way of life and culture.
Like the memorial itself, this guide is still waiting to be perfected. I will revise it more as the memorial nears completion.
On a final note, make sure to share this page so others will know more about the Crazy Horse Memorial!
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