Crazy Horse vs Mount Rushmore
If you are thinking of visiting South Dakota then maybe you want to visit Mount Rushmore or Crazy Horse Memorial. It can be hard to decide between the two if you have only time to visit one, but in this post, I will show you Crazy Horse vs Mount Rushmore to help you make that decision.
If you have time to visit both, then I would recommend visiting both, as they are different from each other and offer different experiences. They are only a 30-minute drive from each other, and it’s easy to get from one to the other if you have a car.
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Mt Rushmore vs Crazy Horse Size
Crazy Horse Memorial South Dakota once completed, will be much bigger than Mount Rushmore. For comparison, just the head of Crazy Horse is 26.7m high, and the heads of Mount Rushmore are just 18m high.
If you put all 4 presidents’ heads from Mount Rushmore on top of each other, they still wouldn’t reach half the size of Crazy Horse.
Crazy Horse Monument size compared to Mount Rushmore is huge. Once Crazy Horse Monument is finished, it will be 171m tall and 195 metres wide, which would have made it the largest sculpture in the world, but that is now the statue of Unity in India, which is 182m high and was completed in 2018.
How far is Crazy Horse monument to Mount Rushmore?
Mount Rushmore to crazy horse distance is only about 9 miles apart as the crow flies, though by road it is 18.7 miles and will take you around 30 minutes to drive.
Both Crazy Horse Memorial and Mount Rushmore are in the Black Hills of South Dakota, and Mount Rushmore is built on land which was originally owned by the Lakota tribe.
Crazy Horse Memorial vs Mount Rushmore Visitor Numbers
Mount Rushmore is the most popular of the two and has the most visitors, with just over 2 million visitors a year. A lot of visitors to Mount Rushmore are ex-military or current military who like to go to experience the lighting ceremony in the evening.
Crazy Horse Memorial is still very popular, though with over 1.2 million visitors a year.
Mount rushmore and Crazy horse Light Shows
Crazy Horse used to have the nightly Crazy horse laser show in the summer, and Mount Rushmore has a lighting ceremony during summer, too, though they are both very different.
The Mt Rushmore lighting ceremony involves listening to a ranger give a bit of history behind the 4 presidents chosen for Mount Rushmore, and then a short video about the history of the US, and towards the end of the video, you will see that the 4 presidents are lit up. It also involves veterans and active servicemen coming onto the stage at the end to help lower the flag and fold it for the night.
Unfortunately, at the end of the 2023 summer season, the Crazy Horse laser show was stopped. It was something different in that everything goes dark, and you hear music, and lasers that are directed onto the mountain where the Crazy Horse Memorial stands. You would see images and writing projected onto the mountain telling the story of the native Americans who lived in this area, and hear music and songs about the history of the Native Americans and why Crazy Horse Memorial is being built, and the story behind that.
Since the laser show was stopped at Crazy Horse, no replacement has been talked about, which is a shame, as the show was great to stay and watch. Now in the area, the only evening show during summer is the one at Mount Rushmore.
How were Mt Rushmore and Crazy Horse funded?
Mount Rushmore was completely funded by government money, with 400 workers, and was finished in 14 years at a cost of just under $1 million in 1941. It was actually declared completed as they had run out of money. They were originally going to carve from the waist up, but decided against it as money was running out; they were also people petitioning for them to add a fifth head, but again, the idea was rejected due to lack of funds.
Crazy Horse has so far been worked on for 76 years, with no government funding, and for many years, Korczak Ziolkowski worked on the monument by himself. It has now cost millions of dollars, and people do wonder when will Crazy Horse Monument be finished.
The local native Americans were against Mount Rushmore being built, and the mountain on which Mount Rushmore is carved actually belonged to the Lakota Indians. The Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear then decided that they should have their own monument to one of their own, and sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski was brought in to carve Crazy Horse.
Nowadays, the local native Americans are not all in support of Crazy Horse Memorial, with some saying that we should not be destroying the natural mountain, but others saying that it is not right that a non native family is benefiting from a memorial to a Native American.
Entrance fee for Crazy Horse Monument compared to Mount Rushmore
To enter Crazy Horse, the price is $15 between May 25 and September 30. Outside of these dates, it is $12. If you would like to get a closer look at Crazy Horse Mountain, you can get a bus to a viewpoint closer, which is $5, or you can pay $125 as a gift to visit the actual site and stand by the face of Crazy Horse and walk along his arm.
Visiting Mount Rushmore is free, though you will need to pay $10 as a parking fee, though the ticket lasts for one year if you would like to visit again.
Mount Rushmore has an audio guide for $6 that tells you the history of the site, with different points to stop, or a multimedia guide at $8. There is no audio guide at Crazy Horse, though there is an orientation film that they recommend you watch as soon as you enter. Crazy Horse also has 3 museums, cultural shows, and a viewing platform. You can also pay $5 to get a bus closer to the mountain.
Are the mountain carvings realistic – Mount Rushmore vs Crazy Horse
The 4 presidents’ heads of Mount Rushmore have been taken from photos of the presidents, and we know that this is how they actually looked. The faces are very detailed, even including President Lincoln’s mole.
There are no actual photos of Crazy Horse as he refused to have his photo taken, and so the face of Crazy Horse is a representation of how a Native American looks rather than of one particular person.
The reason for creating Crazy Horse Monument vs Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore was built to attract tourists to South Dakota. The original idea was to have the heads of famous local people from South Dakota, but then it was decided to pick 4 presidents, as that would attract more tourists to the area.
Crazy Horse Memorial is being built as a memorial to Crazy Horse and to represent the Lakota tribe, who are from the area, so very different reasons for being built.
Hikes at Crazy Horse compared to Mount Rushmore
At Mount Rushmore, there is the Presidential Trail Mount Rushmore, which is only half a mile long and takes you closer to the mountain and the heads of the presidents. The trail is quite difficult from the head to the sculptor’s studio with 422 steps, though it is accessible from the Grand View Terrace to the base of the mountains for anyone with mobility issues.
At Crazy Horse, there are no hikes, though you can take the bus, which costs $5 to get closer to the mountain, or even choose to donate $125 to get a bus up to the face of Crazy Horse and walk along his arm.
Twice a year, at Crazy Horse Memorial, they have the Crazy Horse Memorial Volksmarch, where it is possible to hike from the visitors centre up to the face of Crazy Horse and back a total of 6.2 miles. This event normally happens on one day in June and one day in October and is just $4. Thousands of people take advantage of this hike to get a closer look at Crazy Horse Memorial, as normally it would cost a minimum donation fee of $125 to get a van up to the face.
Biggest difference between Mount Rushmore compared to Crazy Horse
The obvious difference between the two is that Mount Rushmore is finished and Crazy Horse is still years away from completion.
Mount Rushmore was started in 1927 and took 14 years to complete, with 400 workers working on it. It was finished in 1941, 6 months after the death of the sculptor Gutzon Borglum.
In 1948, Korczak Ziolkowski started work on the carving of the mountain to create Crazy Horse, working mainly on his own for 34 years before his death in 1982. Even now, there is generally only 1 foreman and 3 workers working on Crazy Horse, though generally in summer this number increases.
If Crazy Horse had 400 people working on it now, how long would it take for them to finish it? Maybe then it would be finished in our lifetime!! But this will never happen as Ziolkowski vowed never to accept government money, and no money has ever been accepted from the Lakota casinos towards this project either.
Things to pack for visiting Crazy Horse & Mt Rushmore
What you pack for a trip to the Crazy Horse Memorial and nearby Mount Rushmore will depend on the season.
In summer, expect hot, sunny weather ideal for light, breathable clothing like shorts and t-shirts. Still, it’s smart to bring a light jacket or fleece, as temperatures can dip in the early mornings and evenings, especially if you’re lingering to enjoy the views near closing time.
- light fleece
- Shorts
- T-shirt with UPF 50+ protection
- Sun Hat
- Hiking Shoes
- Day Backpack
- Mosquito Spray
- Lipbalm
- Sunscreen
If you’re planning to visit Crazy Horse and Mount Rushmore in winter or during the cooler months, make sure to pack a few essentials to keep warm and comfortable while exploring both sites:
Hotels near Crazy Horse Memorial & Mount Rushmore
If you are looking for hotels near Crazy Horse Monument and close to Mount Rushmore, then there are a few little towns close by each, the closest town to Mount Rushmore is Keystone and to Crazy Horse is Custer.
Here a few options of hotels in Custer:
- EO Bungalows – Self-Catering Bungalows
- Rocket Inn – Budget Motel in the heart of Custer
- Holiday Inn Express – chain hotel
Frequently Asked Questions about Crazy Horse vs Mt Rushmore
Mt Rushmore is much smaller than Crazy Horse, with each head on Mt Rushmore only 2/3 of the size of Crazy Horse’s head!!
It is 16 miles between the two, and it should take you between 25-30 minutes to drive between them.
To visit Crazy Horse in high season, it is $15 per person for 2 people in a vehicle but 3 or over is $35 for the vehicle, and outside of this tim,e it is $12 per person, whereas Mount Rushmore has no fee to enter, but there is a parking charge of $10 per vehicle.
For more information on Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial, check out these guides:
- Hotels near Crazy Horse Monument
- When will Crazy Horse Monument be finished?
- Best time to visit Mount Rushmore
- Places to visit near Mount Rushmore
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