The Crazy Horse Memorial becomes more of a destination every year. When I drove through the Black Hills in 2005, his nose was still relatively undefined. The mountain was still spectacular, but is now more so as sculptors and stoneworkers have finished the face and have now started in earnest on the horse.
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Crazy Horse is more than just the sculpture itself – though most of us would consider that enough – it’s also a potential future destination for Native American scholarship. For now, though, just enjoy the fact that you’ll see this mountain
The observation decks provide ample room even on a crowded day, and don’t miss the gift shop, which is full of authentic Native American crafts and art. But for the best view, sign up for the $4 bus tour which takes you up to the mountain itself.
Crazy Horse may be a major tourist destination but it is not run as a tourist trap – the place is quite authentic, with an important mission within the greater Native American communities which participate and support the monument. Within the visitor building there are numerous historic exhibits and photographs, as well as a scale model of the Native American oriented university that may sit below Crazy Horse some day.
Our bus tour was led by a middle aged man who was articulate, informed, and gave just the right information to enhance the experience. Kudos to the Crazy Horse organization for having such high quality staff.
It’s hard to explain how enormously impressive the sculpture is close up, as photos really do not do it justice (it’s a lot bigger than Rushmore, for starters), but here’s an attempt:
In terms of best time of day to visit, I have to say the monument looked good every time we drove past it, which was about a dozen times over the course of our trip. So unlike Rushmore, it appears you’ll be in luck any time there’s at least a little sun out. I would note that in the evening, as the sun sets, the granite outcroppings just south of Crazy Horse (toward Custer) on the highway are STUNNING. I didn’t have anywhere to pull over and take a picture, but it’s one of the prettiest sights you’ll see.
While we are at the memorial, workers initiated an explosion to break up a pile of debris. I got this on film, below. Clip is only about 30 seconds long.
In the visitor area there’s a full size sculpture of the original vision for the monument. It’s easy to see how this will become one of the wonders of the world when it is complete. Note that according to our guide, the gap between the body/arm and the horse’s head will be much smaller due to physical requirements of the rock and, well, gravity. In addition, there will be a single 40 foot tall feather at the top of Crazy Horse’s head (in real life, Crazy Horse wore only one such feather, eschewing the honors associated with decorated men, who often had many feathers).
For more information, see the Crazy Horse Memorial web site.
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