Mt. Rushmore National Memorial & the Crazy Horse Memorial

They’re worth seeing both, and they’re not too far from each other.

Here, where the air smells faintly of pine and stubbornness, can be found the enduring spirit of the American people. The Black Hills is where America went and carved its chin into the mountains. Yet these monuments in the hills are more than a testament to the past, they are a dedication of what remains to be achieved.

Mt. Rushmore stands in the east. It’s four heads peering out across centuries and tourists, their marble gazes noble, or at least bemused. Washington looks presidential, Jefferson full of ideas, Lincoln still brooding over a divided country, and Theodore Roosevelt wedged in like the one guy who brought a moose to the dinner party. Even in the stillness of the stone, the force of his tenacious energy, and his faith in the goodness of our country to do right by all, echoes throughout the ages.

Appropriately to the west and not far away, one chisel at a time, Crazy Horse rises slowly from the mountain. He’s not finished, and maybe that’s the point. You get the feeling he wouldn’t be in a rush. This is Lakota land, and this monument isn’t about manifest destiny – it’s about memory, pride, courage, and the long arc of justice that never runs as straight as it should.

Both monuments have excellent parking. Both have gift shops with the usual magnets and commemorative key chains. Yet these hallowed grounds are a reminder that history is not a possession of any one group of people. It is a shared inheritance of places and experiences, sometimes painful, always complex, and forever hopeful of the promise of a better future for everyone.  And through the big windows in each of the visitor centers, the Black Hills roll on, quiet and patient, as if they’ve seen it all before and know they’ll see it all again.

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Crazy Horse Memorial

Prices per vehicle:
$35.00 for 3 or more people in vehicle
$30.00 for 2 people in vehicle
$15.00 for 1 person in vehicle
$10.00 Per person on a motorcycle, bicycle, or walking

No parking fee.

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Mount Rushmore

Price

Mount Rushmore doesn’t have an entrance fee however it does charge for parking.

$10.00 per vehicle
$5.00 for Seniors (62 & Older)
Free for Active Duty Military