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What’s 641 feet long, stands 563 feet high, and resides in the side of a mountain?

Well, technically nothing yet. However, once completed, the Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota will lay claim to the title of the largest sculpture in the world and the answer to that question.



The project began in 1948 when sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski was invited to carve a mountain to honor the heritage, tradition, and culture of North American Indians. Its namesake, Crazy Horse, was a war leader of the Oglala Lakota Tribe and a prominent leader in the Sioux resistance to white encroachment on the Black Hills. His bravery and skill are greatly admired, and he is revered by the Sioux as one of their greatest leaders.

Along with nearby Mount Rushmore, seeing the Crazy Horse Memorial in person has always been on my bucket list. While the ongoing progress of this massive undertaking in the Black Hills — with frequent drilling and mountain blasts — is reason enough to make a visit to the Memorial, I wished for a more exciting experience than simply viewing the sculpture from the observation deck. That’s when I discovered the Volksmarch!

The Crazy Horse Volksmarch is an organized hike that allows visitors to make the 6.2-mile roundtrip journey to stand on the arm of the mountain carving and experience a one-of-a-kind closeup view of the nine-story Native American face. An event that used to only occur once a year in June, the hike is now open to the public the first full weekend of June and the last full weekend of September with the addition of the Fall Volksmarch in 2013.

I had the pleasure of taking part in the very first Fall Volksmarch and it was the perfect way to experience the Crazy Horse Memorial for the first time. Enjoy photos from my journey to meet Crazy Horse face-to-face!

The hike is relatively easy, but there are a few steep hills and a couple patches of rocky terrain. It’s best to pace yourself, which I made the mistake of not doing in my race to get to the top for the best light for photographs.

Almost to the top…

The payoff, Crazy Horse himself! The face was completed on June 3, 1998 and stands an incredible 87 feet high. In comparison, the heads of the Presidents on Mount Rushmore are each 60 feet high.

After making the hike to the top, how could you not get your photo taken with Crazy Horse? I decided to join in the fun!

Crazy Horse Memorial

12151 Avenue of the Chiefs

Crazy Horse, SD

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Crazy Horse Volksmarch Details

Admission: $3 or three cans of food donated to KOTA Care & Share Food Drive

Parking: Free

Start time: 8am-1pm

Time: Hike averages 2-4 hours

–Hikers must register by 1pm and be off the trail by 4pm

–Gates open at 6am

Where to Stay in Rapid City, South Dakota

• Comfort Suites – Ranked #1 of all Rapid City area hotels! And I really can’t dispute that. The rates were a little higher than I’m used to paying, but that is common for this area. For the condition of the rooms and location to downtown and attractions like Mount Rushmore & Custer State Park, I would gladly spend the money again!

• Click here for the most current Rapid City hotel deals.



If you’ve always wanted to visit the Crazy Horse Memorial, I highly suggest planning your trip around one of the Volksmarch events!

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