Little Bighorn Battlefield
National Monument

Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument is the site of the June 25, 1876 battle between the U.S. Army's seventh cavalry and several bands of Lakota Sioux, Cheyenne and Arapaho.

VISITATION:

The heaviest visitation occurs during the summer months. Visitation averages 2500 persons per day, with peak visitation of 4000 per day during the two-day anniversary of the battle (June 25-26). Annual visitation is 370,000 (1998).

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LOCATION:

Exit 510 I-90 and Highway 212, Crow Agency, Montana.

ADDRESS:

Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
P.O. Box 39
Crow Agency, MT 59022

TELEPHONE:

(406) 638-2621
FAX: (406) 638-2623

OPERATING HOURS, SEASONS:

Memorial Day to Labor Day: 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Spring and Fall: 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Winter: 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

CLIMATE, RECOMMENDED CLOTHING:

The climate is typical of the high plains. In the summer, daytime temperatures reach 90- 100 degrees, with 50 degrees as the night-time average. Winter temperatures average 20 degrees during the day and around 0 at night. Spring and fall exhibit variable temperatures, 50-60 degree highs and 40 to below freezing lows. Clothing commensurate to the weather should be brought along. Layering is advisable as wide temperature fluctuations occur.

DIRECTIONS:

Sixty-five miles east-southeast of Billings, MT and 70 miles north of Sheridan, WY.

TRANSPORTATION:

Little Bighorn Battlefield is not accessible by public transportation. Private or rental vehicles or commercial bus tours are the usual means of reaching the site. The nearest commercial airports are Billings and Sheridan. Commercial bus service is available in Hardin, MT. 17 miles NW of the Battlefield.

FEES, COSTS, RATES:

An entrance fee of $6.00 per vehicle is charged for private transportation. Pedestrian traffic is charged, $3.00 per person. Golden Age, Golden Eagle, and Golden Access passports are accepted. Commercial bus and private bus tours are charged $3.00 per person. A fee waiver can be applied for if a visit is to be made by an educational institution.

FACILITIES AND OPPORTUNITIES:

Visitor Center/Exhibits:
The visitor center contains a museum pertaining to the battle and related topics and personalities. Southwest Parks and Monuments Association provides the public with a wide array of theme-related materials related to the site.

Trails, Roads:
From Memorial Day to Labor Day the public may access Deep Ravine and Keogh/Crazy Horse walking trails. The Reno/Benteen walking trail is open year round. A five mile self-guiding tour road connects the two units of Little Bighorn. The tour road has a weight restriction of eight tons.

Programs/Activities:
During the summer, scheduled interpretive tours and programs are conducted daily by the park staff and Apsaalooke Bus Tours. During the off season, personal services are limited. The park commemorates the anniversary of the battle, June 25-26, by hosting a two day event on the battle of the Little Bighorn. Other special events are held during the year, including a Friday night lecture series, sponsored in July and August in Hardin, MT.

Lodging and camping facilities:
Little Bighorn Battlefield offers no lodging or camping facilities. Lodging and camping facilities are available in Crow Agency and Hardin, Montana. Inquire through the local Chamber of Commerce.

Food/Supplies:
Food services are offered at Crow Agency, and outside of the park entrance on Hwy. 212.

Other Concessions/NPS Managed Visitor Facilities and Opportunities:

Apsaalooke Bus Tours
Little Bighorn College
P.O. Box 370
Crow Agency, MT. 59022
406) 638-7211 Ext. 23
Fax (406) 638-2229

National Cemetery
Custer National Cemetery is located within the park. It is administered by the National Park Service. The cemetery contains burials that are historic to northern plains events as well as burials of veterans and dependents from 1879 to the present.

White Swan Memorial Library
Little Bighorn houses the office of the park historian in the historic stone house (original superintendent's headquarters). This facility contains the finest collection of research materials available on the battle of the Little Bighorn, as well as other related historical events.

Accessibility:
Public access to the park is limited to designated roads and trails. No off-road or off-trail travel is allowed. With the exception of the Deep Ravine and Keogh/Crazy Horse trails, the park facilities are handicap accessible.

RECOMMENDED ACTIVITIES/PARK USE:

Little Bighorn offers a wide range of interpretive opportunities. Talks on the battle and related themes are presented at the Visitor Center during the summer. Guided bus tours are offered through the concessionaire Little Big Horn College. Self-guided walking tours are available for the battle related sites and the national cemetery. A self-guiding, 5-mile tour road enables visitors to follow and observe the sites related to the battle. The tour road also interprets the unfolding course of the battle, from beginning to end.

RESERVATIONS/PERMITS:

Reservations to visit Little Bighorn are not required, and permits are not needed. If bus tours are planned, it is helpful if the battlefield staff are notified of day and time of arrival. Commercial tours are not allowed beyond the visitor center or over the battlefield tour road.

BASIC VISIT RECOMMENDATIONS:

The visitor center maintains exhibits about the battle, and related historical movements and events. Interpretive talks enable visitors to understand the battle and its participants; about the culture and life of the northern plains tribes involved in the battle; about the U.S. army and its cavalry arm as it lived and campaigned on the northern plains in the 1870s; about the weapons and tactics used by both the U.S. army and plains Indian warrior; and about the significance of the battle in the context of the movement of western European culture onto the great plains and its clash with the Plains Indian culture.

Opportunities exist, to explore the actual grounds on which the battle took place. Three walking trails have been established: Reno-Benteen Defense Site, five miles south of the Custer field; Keogh/Crazy Horse position on battle ridge, and along Deep Ravine, west of battle ridge.

The National Cemetery incorporates a self-guiding tour to some of the more significant historical figures buried there. The cemetery was established in 1879 and is a final resting place for many veterans and dependents and U.S. Scouts.

Visitors may elect to take a bus or self-guided auto tour over the battlefield to gain an understanding of the terrain over which the battle progressed, as well as a spatial sense of the location of the Indian village and various tactical movements and points of combat.

SPECIAL EVENTS/PROGRAMS:

Each anniversary of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, June 25-26, a two-day commemoration is held. Events include programs by present-day representatives of the Sioux, Cheyenne, Arapaho and Crow tribes as well as the Seventh Cavalry. During the year other events are held, including a moonlight tour along battle ridge. In December a spectacular luminary display is presented.

VISITOR IMPACTS:

During the summer parking is a problem because of increased visitation and limited parking spaces. Parking for RVs is limited during the peak summer season. The scheduled interpretive programs are heavily attended during the summer season. Those programs presented during mid-day, may be in excess of 100 attendees. All programs are held outdoors.

ADJACENT VISITOR ATTRACTIONS:

Two re-enactment's of the Battle of the Little Bighorn are held off-site during the anniversary, June 25th. The Hardin Chamber of Commerce at nearby Hardin, Montana (17 miles northwest of Little Bighorn) and the Real Bird family conduct re-enactment's (off I90, Garryowen Exit 514, East Frontage Rd.).

During the summer, a Friday night lecture series is presented by leading authorities on topics related to the battle. The talks are held on the grounds of the Bighorn County Historical Society, southeast of Hardin. The Crow Indian Fair and Rodeo is held in nearby Crow Agency on the third weekend of August.

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Last Updated:Monday, 21-Jun-99 16:16:24
http://www.nps.gov/libi/
Author: Ken Woody