Visiting Devil's Tower National Monument and Crazy Horse Memorial

South Dakota and Wyoming Travel Tips

When you’re planning a vacation to South Dakota or Wyoming, you’ll want to be prepared to drive long distances across these vast, open, and rural states. While there are many outdoor and tourist activities to be had, the most essential aspect you’ll need to remember is to consistently map out where you will go in a location that you have decent wi-fi. 

Wyoming is a big state, with very few accommodations in between cities as there are many farms and thousands of acres of open space. This is definitely a place where you’ll need to do some planning ahead for your activities - mainly because the drive-in between them can be lengthy. In addition, Wyoming doesn’t have very many places that are gluten-free friendly, which adds to the amount of planning you’ll need to do in advance of your trip.
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Devil’s Tower National Monument

If you are a fan of the Steven Spielberg movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind, you’ll definitely want to take a trip out and experience Devil’s Tower National Monument. What I love about this monument, besides the fact that I became completely enamored with this geologic feature when I first saw the movie at the age of five in 1977, is that you can easily see the entire park on the weekend!

From the park entrance, check out the visitor center, which offers you views of the different sides of the 

monument. The Tower Trail and other hikes offer changing views of the Tower. When you drive in from the highway, you can see the one side of the Tower with the amazing and beautiful landscape surrounding this geologic feature. Definitely pull over and get a picture of the Tower a few miles out before you get into the park. Once inside the park, you’ll be able to hike around the entire Tower with the ability to see many perspectives of the geologic formation. To truly see the Tower, one must observe it from all perspectives.

​Before white settlers came into the area and gave this geological feature its American name, our Native American peoples celebrated and lived around the Tower for thousands of years; their modern descendants still maintain a connection with this place on a physical and a spiritual level. “Oral histories passed down by various American Indian tribes, as well as their present-day ceremonies, offer us important perspectives of the Tower.”
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Crazy Horse Memorial

The Crazy Horse Memorial is the largest carved monument to date, and if you placed it on top of Mount Rushmore, it would easily consume the entirety of this monument. Over one million people visit this unique and beautiful work of art, which was started in 1939 when Chief Henry Standing Bear met Korczak Ziolkowski 1939 at the World’s Fair. Chief Henry hired Korczak to build and construct this massive undertaking. Along with his wife Ruth Ross and their ten children, Korczak worked daily on their new life project.

You can easily see the mission of Crazy Horse Monument in practice today, “The mission of Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation is to protect and preserve the culture, tradition, and living heritage of all North American Indians. With their mission leading the way, the original sculpture has expanded into a visitor complex of over a dozen buildings, including an educational and cultural center for Native Americans, history and cultural museum, and several carving rooms. 

Crazy Horse Memorial is definitely a must-see if you are in South Dakota or Wyoming, so make sure to put this monument on your list. It’s definitely an all-day experience that you won’t want to miss!

Other Fun Activities in Wyoming

Since you’re already in Wyoming, you may want to stop at other locations besides Devil’s Tower and Crazy Horse. One of the other activities I took part in while on my vacation in Wyoming is the Badlands Helicopter Tour we took to see Mount Rushmore National Monument. This was a great choice to view the monument as you avoid all the traffic on the way up. However, you’ll have a hard time getting good pictures of the memorial from a helicopter, but the ride-up is definitely fantastic!

I didn’t get to see a few places but looked like a great option: The Mammoth Site of Hot Springs, South Dakota, the Reptile Gardens, The 1880 Train, The Prairie Berry Winery, which is the region’s most awarded winery. I’d also recommend a hot air balloon ride, which always gives you a fantastic bird’ eye view of the landscape and geology. Fly the Black Hills offers the opportunity for you to soar in a hot air balloon. Also, check out Tatanka, the Story of the Bison, and find out how the bison almost went extinct.

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