Hike Up The World's Largest Mountain Carving Tucked Away In South Dakota's Beautiful Black Hills

America has no shortage of amazing places to hike, from a hidden trail in Colorado with stunning views to the stunning and underrated long hike that is the 3,100-mile Continental Divide National Scenic Trail. And every year millions of visitors enjoy the Black Hills National Forest, located in South Dakota and Wyoming. At 125 miles long and 65 miles wide, the Black Hills are one of America's treasured forests. People come from all over the world to hike the 450 miles of trails. A special area of the forest is only available two days year: the hike up the arm at the Crazy Horse Memorial, one of the park's main attractions, which greets over 1.2 million visitors a year. 

While the memorial is still under construction, the first stone was struck on June 3, 1948 — many people have called it the eighth wonder of the world. It was commissioned in 1939 by Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear to honor his cousin, Chief Crazy Horse, killed in 1877 resisting imprisonment by U.S. solders. He hired sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski, who had worked on Mount Rushmore, for the project that would go on to become the world's largest mountain carving.

While people usually marvel at this important statue from afar, in June and September every year, you can join the Crazy Horse Volksmarch hike onto the statue to get up-close look. This semiannual organized hike draws as many 15,000 hikers each year, making it the most popular event of this type in the country.

A volksmarch is non-competitive and can be a solo or group activity. "Volksmarch" means "the people's march" in German, and is has a set length of either 3.1 miles or 6.2 miles long. The Crazy Horse Volksmarch is the latter. The hike is estimated to take most people two to four hours to finish. As the weather can vary during the spring and fall hikes, you are advised to prepare for changing conditions and wear proper gear.

The hike to it is considered moderate. The round-trip hike is generally an uphill climb with some steep parts, rising 500 feet in elevation. Hikers go through a variety of terrain including woods and dirt on the well-marked trails. As the weather can vary during the spring and fall hikes, you are advised to prepare for changing conditions and wear proper gear.

A hiker on All Trails in September 2024 said: "A very nice and fun hike...I would do again just to see any progress." In June 2024 a hiker remarked: "A must do! Just incredible to see this sculpture up close. Well done Volksmarch."

The Crazy Horse Volksmarch trail changes yearly, allowing returning hikers to enjoy a new view of the park and the statue's progress. Hiking the Alps between Zurich and Liechtenstein will always be there, but the chance to see a wonder of the world as it's being constructed will not.

If you decide to do the hike last minute, you're all set as registration only happens the day of the hike, opening at 7 a.m. and continuing until 1 p.m. Hikers are charged the regular viewing fee — which varies from $7 to $35, depending the time of year, your mode of transportation (walk, bike, or car), and how many people are in the car – to see Crazy Horse; however, if you bring three cans of food to donate it will cover the cost of admission. Also, each hiker pays the American Volkssport Association $4 fee. 

If you can't make either the June or August hikes, there are many other hikes in the area — you just wont be going up the world's largest mountain carving.  The area at Custer State Park has 16 trails that vary in difficulty, with elevation gain varying from 39 to 5,734 feet. With construction of the memorial expected to continue for years to come, you still have plenty of time to catch the statue's progress at the Crazy Horse Volksmarch.