The Crazy Horse Memorial near Custer holds its Annual Spring Volksmarch today and tomorrow. The Spring Volksmarch is one of just 2 opportunities each year for visitors to reach the top of the in-the-round mountain carving
No advance registration is needed. The gates open at 6:00 am, registration on the upper parking lot begins at 7:00, and the first walkers can start at 8:00. Hikers must check in at the starting point before 1:00 and be off the trail by 4:00.
The Volksmarch is a non-competitive 10-kilometer or 6.2-mile round trip that rises about 500-feet on dirt trails and gravel work roads, It takes most people 2 to 4 hours, but hikers are warned to pace themselves due to the terrain and 6,500 foot elevation.
The turn-around point is on the arm of Crazy Horse, directly in front of the 9-story face, which was completed June 3, 1998. Work continues on the rest of what will be the largest sculpture in the world.
Members of the carving crew will be at the top to take pictures and discuss their work, giving hikers a good opportunity to find out what kind of work is currently going and what is planned for the future.
Participants are urged to dress appropriately and wear sturdy footwear. Water stations and port-a-potties are available along the trail with roving trail monitors and medical professionals available for those needing help.
The Crazy Horse Volksmarch is the most popular organized hike in the United States with a record of some 15,000 walkers. Due to the popularity, parking can be some distance from the starting point, but shuttle buses operate between the outlying parking lots and the start-finish area.