Korczak Ziolkowksi began his mountaintop sculpture of Crazy Horse in 1948 but died in 1982 before its full completion. The head and face of the Lakota leader was commemorated in 1988, and Ziolkowksi's widow and family are continuing this project. First commissioned by the Lakota tribe and Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear, the finished monument will be 563 feet high and 641 feet long. A helicopter tour will allow you to see up close all the monument's details.
Mt. Rushmore is the symbol of the Black Hills of South Dakota. This national treasure features the six stories tall heads of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, and was constructed by Gutzon Borglum in 1941. The helicopter tour takes you 24 miles around the Black Hills to this masterpiece of democracy. Mt. Rushmore is 23 miles southwest of Rapid City, South Dakota, and the faces look expressive at late-afternoon and in the early morning.
Granite peaks and 71,000 acres of pristine terrain are features of Custer State Park. A helicopter tour will take you over this open landscape and watch the herd of 1,300 bison that roam free. Fly over Mount Coolidge, the highest point in the park at 6,023 feet. The awe-inspiring natural beauty and other wildlife, such as elk and mountain lions, can be found in a Custer State Park helicopter tour.
An old stone tower stands on top of Harney Peak in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Originally built as a fire tower, it is now open to hikers. A helicopter tour will save you a lot of climbing and give you an aerial view of nearby Cathedral Spires and the Needles that cannot be seen from the ground. Black Elk, a famous Lakota Holy-man, had a vision when he was 9 years old at Harney Peak. He saw the whole world below him and felt the sacred spirit of all things.
Helicopter tours offer an all encompassing 35-mile tour of the entire Black Hills region of South Dakota. Crazy Horse and Mt. Rushmore monuments are highlights, and you will fly over the 70-mile Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway. The byway was named one of 10 Most Outstanding Byways in America. Norbeck Wildlife Preserve and Sylvan Lake are located here, and wildlife here truly roam free. Majestic scenery abounds in this ultimate helicopter tour.
