History of the Black Hills Tour

The Black Hills aren't just carved from granite—they’re carved from human ambition, obsession, and grit. If you want to experience the real story of American and Native history here, you have to look past the stone faces and understand the men and women who shaped them.

Here's the ultimate driving route to take in these iconic monuments, historic museums, and military sites in a single logical trip.

Stop 1: Custer — Crazy Horse & Custer's Oldest Cabin

From Keystone, drive southwest along Highway 16/385 to the Crazy Horse Memorial. In 1939, Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear wrote a letter to Boston-born sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski, stating: "My fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know the red man has great heroes, too." Korczak made his first blast on the mountain on June 3, 1948, and dedicated the rest of his life to the carving. Refusing all federal funding, his family continues the work today. When complete, the sculpture of the Lakota warrior will stand 563 feet high—making its scale so immense that all four 60-foot Rushmore presidential heads could easily fit inside Crazy Horse's head alone!

Drive five minutes south into Custer, South Dakota, to visit two combined historic gems. Step inside the 1881 Courthouse Museum, housed in the original Dakota Territory courthouse. Right across the street in Way Park, you can step foot inside the 1875 log cabin—the oldest standing log building in the Black Hills, built by miners right after Custer's 1874 expedition.

Check out restaurants and lodging in Custer and soak up more of Custer’s charm and history.

Stop 2: Hill City — The Men Who Built the Parks

Heading north along Highway 385 brings you to Hill City. Stop at the Visitor Information Center and go upstairs to the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Museum of South Dakota. During the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the CCC, sending over 30,000 young men aged 17–28 into South Dakota. These men built the roads, wooden bridges, stocking ponds, and hiking trails in Custer State Park and the Black Hills National Forest that millions of tourists still drive on today.

Right next door, you can explore railroad history at the South Dakota State Railroad Museum or book a ride on the steam-powered 1880 Train.

Stop 3: Keystone — Mount Rushmore & Pioneer Roots

Start your journey in Keystone at Mount Rushmore National Memorial. The story of this mountain comes down to a fiery, eccentric Danish-American sculptor named Gutzon Borglum. Starting on October 4, 1927, Borglum and nearly 400 local miners used dynamite and jackhammers to remove 450,000 tons of rock, carving the 60-foot heads of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. Borglum died in March 1941, leaving his son Lincoln to finish the monument just before America entered World War II.

After taking in the view from the Grand Overlook, head down the hill into Keystone to visit the Keystone Historical Museum. It's housed in the original 1899 Victorian schoolhouse where Carrie Ingalls—the younger sister of Little House on the Prairie author Laura Ingalls Wilder—graduated and lived for decades as a local newspaper writer.

Stop 4: Rapid City — Presidents, Cold War Slabs & Scandinavian Heritage

Head east to downtown Rapid City for the City of Presidents Walking Tour. As you stroll the street corners taking pictures with 44 life-sized bronze presidential statues, think back to 1927 when President Calvin Coolidge brought his entire White House staff to the Black Hills for a three-month summer vacation. Coolidge famously fished for trout in Custer State Park while dressed in a full three-piece suit and cowboy hat before attending the formal dedication of Mount Rushmore.

While in downtown Rapid City, stop by Memorial Park to touch actual concrete slabs of the Berlin Wall, brought directly from Germany as a Cold War memorial. To understand the 2.5-billion-year natural history and Lakota culture of the region, spend an hour at The Journey Museum & Learning Center. Before leaving town, drive up to the Chapel in the Hills, an exact wooden replica of the 12th-century Borgund Stave Church in Norway, built as a tribute to Scandinavian settlers.

Take in all that Rapid City has to offer and stop for drinks and a bite to eat! Support the heartbeat of the Black Hills by booking your stay at a local hotel or lodging.

Stop 5: Sturgis & Deadwood — American Heroes & Buffalo Legends

Finish your tour by driving north toward Sturgis and Deadwood. Stop at the Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis to honor fallen military heroes. Among those laid to rest here are two WWII Lakota Code Talkers—John Bear King and Clarence Eugene Wolf Guts—who used their native language to send secret tactical radio messages in the Pacific Theater, alongside Sergeant Charles Windolph, a Medal of Honor recipient from the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

Finally, pull into Deadwood to visit Tatanka: Story of the Bison. In the Lakota language, "Tatanka" means "bison" or "buffalo." Founded by actor Kevin Costner and sculpted by artist Peggy Detmers, this site features 14 massive bronze bison jumping over a cliff while pursued by three Lakota horseback riders, honoring the deep relationship between the Lakota tribe and the bison herds.

Tip: You can map out this exact driving route, check museum hours, and customize your daily schedule using the "Plan Your Vacation" interactive itinerary feature here on thingstodointheblackhills.com!

Mount Rushmore National Memorial: Locations & History

Where is Mount Rushmore located?

Mount Rushmore National Memorial is located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, roughly two miles outside Keystone and 23 miles southwest of Rapid City along Highway 244.

Who carved Mount Rushmore?

Danish-American sculptor Gutzon Borglum designed and carved the Mount Rushmore sculpture alongside nearly 400 local miners between 1927 and 1941. Borglum died in March 1941, and his son Lincoln Borglum finished the final touch-ups on the faces later that year.

What are the four Mount Rushmore Presidents?

The four U.S. presidents carved into the granite mountain are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.

What is the Mount Rushmore meaning?

Gutzon Borglum selected the four presidents to symbolize the first 150 years of American history: Washington represents the nation's birth, Jefferson its growth, Roosevelt its economic development, and Lincoln its preservation through the Civil War.

Crazy Horse Monument: Size, Progress & Details

Where is the Crazy Horse Monument in South Dakota?

The Crazy Horse Monument is located along Highway 16/385 in Custer County, South Dakota, sitting roughly five miles north of Custer and 17 miles southwest of Mount Rushmore.

Who is the Crazy Horse Monument sculptor?

Polish-American sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski began carving the mountain on June 3, 1948, after receiving a personal invitation from Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear. Today, Korczak's children and grandchildren continue the carving progress.

What is the Crazy Horse Monument size comparison to Mount Rushmore?

When finished, the Crazy Horse Monument will stand 563 feet high and 641 feet wide. Crazy Horse's carved head alone stands 87 feet high, compared to the 60-foot-tall presidential heads on Mount Rushmore.

What is the current Crazy Horse Monument status?

Work on the mountain carving continues daily using precision blasting and diamond-wire saws. Crazy Horse's 87-foot face was completed in 1998, and current work focuses on carving the massive horse's head and the warrior's outstretched hand.

How much are Crazy Horse Memorial tickets?

General admission tickets range from $15 to $35 per vehicle depending on the number of passengers, which includes entry to the Indian Museum of North America and the Native American Educational and Cultural Center. Optional bus tours to the foot of the mountain are available for an extra fee.