A Glimpse of the Crazy Horse Memorial

One of the most striking sights in the Black Hills is the Crazy Horse Memorial—and honestly, you don’t even have to pay admission to be impressed. On our recent trip through the area, we opted not to enter the paid visitor complex, but we still had a great view of the monument from the road. We were short on time, but next time we will pay to go see the Crazy Horse Memorial up-close.

Carved into the side of Thunderhead Mountain, the memorial has been under construction for as long as I can remember. It’s a massive undertaking—far bigger than Mount Rushmore in scale—and still very much a work in progress. You can clearly see the face of Crazy Horse, and if you look closely, his extended arm is taking shape. There’s even a crane towering overhead, a sign that work continues slowly but surely.

If you do choose to pay admission, you can get much closer to the monument. The Crazy Horse Memorial campus includes a museum, Native American cultural exhibits, a gift shop, and even the opportunity to hike or take a bus tour closer to the base. But even from the highway, the scale and ambition of this tribute to Native American heritage are hard to miss. Here is link to the Crazy Horse Memorial Website

This isn’t just a statue—it’s a story in stone that’s still being written.