You're driving through the Black Hills of South Dakota, and the granite starts to look different. It’s jagged. It’s ancient. Most people come here for the four famous faces on the mountain, but the drive from Crazy Horse Memorial to Mount Rushmore is actually a journey between two completely different versions of American history. Honestly, if you only see one, you’re missing the point of the other. They are only about 17 miles apart, roughly a 30-minute drive depending on how many slow-moving RVs you get stuck behind on Highway 16/385, yet they feel like they’re on different planets.
Mount Rushmore is the finished product. Mostly. It’s the "Shrine of Democracy," clean, patriotic, and scaled to a size that feels manageable from the viewing terrace. Then there’s Crazy Horse. It’s massive. Like, mind-bogglingly big. They’ve been carving it since 1948, and it’s nowhere near done. You look at it and realize you’re watching a multi-generational obsession unfold in real-time.
The Weird Tension Between Two Mountains
It is impossible to talk about the trip from Crazy Horse Memorial to Mount Rushmore without acknowledging the elephant in the room: one mountain was carved to celebrate the expansion of a nation, and the other is being carved as a direct response to that expansion's cost.
Gutzon Borglum, the guy who did Rushmore, was a complicated character with some pretty questionable associations. He wanted something "heroic." On the flip side, you have Korczak Ziolkowski, who started Crazy Horse after being invited by Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear. Standing Bear famously wrote to Korczak saying, "My fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know that the red man has great heroes, too."
That’s the core of it.
The drive between them is short, but the mental shift is huge. You go from the manicured walkways and the "Avenue of Flags" at Rushmore to a dusty, sprawling construction site at Crazy Horse where the sheer scale of the vision makes you feel tiny. If you’re doing the math, the entire 60-foot heads of the Presidents at Mount Rushmore would fit inside just the head of Crazy Horse. That’s not a knock on Rushmore—it’s just a reality check on the ambition of the Ziolkowski family.
Logistics of the 17-Mile Gap
Don't overthink the route. You’re basically taking US-16 and SD-244.
If you start your morning at Mount Rushmore—which I highly recommend doing because the morning light hits the faces much better for photos—you’ll likely spend about two hours there. You walk the Presidential Trail, grab a dish of Thomas Jefferson’s original recipe vanilla ice cream (it’s actually really good, don't skip it), and then you head out.
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Heading toward Crazy Horse, the road winds through Custer State Park territory. Keep your eyes peeled. You might see bison, but more likely you'll see wild burros or bighorn sheep. The transition is fast. One minute you’re in the land of federal park rangers and gift shops that feel like a museum, and the next you’re entering a private non-profit mountain carving project that refuses federal funding on principle.
Why Crazy Horse Takes Forever
People always complain. "Why isn't it done yet?"
I get it. Since 1948, they’ve really only finished the face. But here’s the thing: they aren’t using taxpayer money. Not a cent. They rely on admission fees and donations. This is a massive point of pride for the foundation. When the federal government offered them $10 million—twice—Korczak turned it down. He was worried the government would take over the vision or change the intent.
So, it moves at the speed of money and stone.
The granite in the Black Hills isn't uniform. It's full of "schist" and seams that make blasting unpredictable. When you visit Crazy Horse after Mount Rushmore, you see the engineering struggle. They are currently working on the hand and the horse's mane. It's a slow, grinding process of "precision blasting." They use specialized explosives to pop off pieces of rock the size of a suitcase without cracking the main structure. It's art via dynamite.
The Experience Gap
Mount Rushmore is "done." You look at it, you admire the craft, you visit the museum. It’s a polished experience. The National Park Service runs a tight ship.
Crazy Horse is a working site. It’s noisy. There’s a massive orientation center that feels a bit like a sprawling lodge/museum/workshop. You can actually take a bus to the base of the mountain or, if you pay for the "Vanishing Outpost" trip, you can sometimes get a bit closer. The Indian Museum of North America is located right there on the grounds, and honestly, it’s one of the best collections of indigenous artifacts in the country. It gives the mountain context. Without the museum, the carving is just a big rock; with the museum, it’s a story about survival and identity.
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Common Misconceptions About the Route
- "It’s a quick stop." No. If you try to do Crazy Horse Memorial to Mount Rushmore in a single three-hour block, you’ll hate it. You need a full day. Rushmore takes 2-3 hours. Crazy Horse, with the museum and the film, takes at least 3-4.
- "The distance is far." It’s literally 20-30 minutes. You can see the back of Rushmore from certain points on the road near Hill City.
- "They are the same thing." One is a National Memorial. The other is a private memorial. One celebrates the state, the other celebrates a culture the state tried to erase. Seeing them together is the only way to be an informed traveler.
The road itself, SD-244, is a scenic byway. It’s beautiful. You’ll pass Horse Thief Lake, which is a great spot to hop out of the car and stretch your feet. The rock formations along the road—often called "hoodoos" or "needles"—are just as impressive as the carvings in some ways.
Which one first?
Light matters.
Mount Rushmore faces southeast. If you go in the late afternoon, the faces are in shadow. It looks flat. Go early. Like, 7:00 AM early. You’ll beat the tour buses, the air is crisp, and the sun illuminates the granite perfectly.
Crazy Horse is a bit more forgiving with light because the carving is so deep and the mountain is so massive, but I prefer it in the afternoon. They often do a "Legends in Light" laser show on the mountain at night during the summer. Is it a bit touristy? Yeah. Is it still cool to see a mountain lit up with lasers explaining Lakota history? Absolutely.
The Cost Factor
Let’s be real: these aren't cheap stops.
Mount Rushmore has no "entrance fee" because of your tax dollars, but they will hit you with a parking fee (usually around $10 per vehicle). That pass is good for a year, though, so keep it if you’re staying in the area.
Crazy Horse is pricier. They charge per person or per carload, and it can run $30-$40 for a family. People gripe about this, but remember: this is how they pay the guys with the jackhammers on the mountain. You’re literally funding the carving when you buy a ticket.
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What Most People Miss
Between Crazy Horse Memorial to Mount Rushmore, there’s a little town called Hill City. Stop there.
Everyone goes to Keystone (near Rushmore), but Keystone is a total tourist trap. It’s all fudge shops and t-shirt stores. Hill City has a bit more soul. There are actual art galleries, like the Prairie Berry Winery and the Alpine Inn. If you want a "real" South Dakota experience between the two big monuments, grab lunch in Hill City. The Alpine Inn only serves two things for dinner—filet mignon or pasta—and there’s always a wait. That tells you all you need to know.
Environmental and Cultural Nuance
It’s worth noting that not all Native Americans support the Crazy Horse Memorial. Some see it as a second desecration of the Black Hills. The hills are sacred—the "Heart of Everything That Is." To some, carving a giant statue into the rock, even if it’s a hero like Crazy Horse, is still scarring the earth.
Crazy Horse himself famously never allowed his photo to be taken. He didn’t want his likeness captured. There’s a deep irony in building the world’s largest statue of a man who refused to be photographed.
When you stand at the viewing deck at Crazy Horse, read the fine print. Listen to the indigenous guides. You’ll hear a mix of pride and complicated feelings. That nuance is exactly why the drive from Crazy Horse Memorial to Mount Rushmore is so important. It forces you to hold two conflicting ideas in your head at once.
Actionable Advice for Your Trip
To make the most of this South Dakota bucket-list trek, follow these specific steps:
- Reverse the Crowds: Most people stay in Rapid City, go to Rushmore first, then Crazy Horse. If you want more space, do Crazy Horse first thing in the morning when they open, then hit Rushmore around lunchtime when the first wave of early birds is leaving.
- Check the Blast Schedule: Call the Crazy Horse visitor center or check their social media. They don't blast every day, but if you happen to be there when they do a "public blast," it is a memory you will never forget. The sound echoing off the canyon walls is visceral.
- The Iron Mountain Road: If you have time, do not just take the highway back to your hotel. Take Alt US-16 (Iron Mountain Road). It has "pigtail bridges" and tunnels that were specifically engineered to frame Mount Rushmore in the distance. It is one of the best drives in America.
- Water and Layers: The weather in the Black Hills changes in six minutes. I’ve seen it go from 80 degrees to a hailstorm in the time it took to walk the Presidential Trail. Bring a jacket.
- Support the Artists: In the Crazy Horse museum, there are often local makers selling beadwork or quillwork. Talk to them. The stories they tell about their craft are worth more than any souvenir you’ll find in a Keystone gift shop.
This isn't just a trip between two big rocks. It’s a 17-mile stretch of road that connects the complex, messy, and soaring history of the United States. You've got to see both.
Final Logistics Checklist
- Fuel Up: Gas stations are plenty in Hill City, but sparse once you get deep into the park roads.
- Download Maps: Cell service is spotty at best once you get into the granite canyons. Download your Google Maps for offline use.
- Parking: At Rushmore, the parking garage is massive but can fill up by 11:00 AM in July.
- Pets: Most of these areas are not pet-friendly on the trails or in the buildings. If you have a dog, you’ll be taking turns sitting in the car with them.
By understanding the scale of Crazy Horse and the precision of Rushmore, you get a 3D view of American history. One is a finished monument to a growing nation; the other is an unfinished promise to a people who were already here. Enjoy the drive.