Guided Little Bighorn Tours | Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monu

LITTLE BIGHORN BATTLEFIELD TOURS

REMARKABLE TOURS, LED BY TRIBAL HISTORIANS, HONESTLY.

NOW BOOKING
SUMMER 2022!

Custer was on the offensive until the very last. When he reached the hill that would forever carry his name he traded victory for immortality, but his end was not like in the movies.

It's not true that Lakota and Cheyenne warriors rode around and around him in decreasing circles; some approached on foot, some fired from long distance, until finally Chief Comes in Sight led a charge that would ultimately end it for that day.

Did you know that right after the battle, warriors made a pact between themselves never to speak of the battle and who’s war deeds were whose… such was the trepidation of retaliation from the US government upon their families, that these stories were not told until relatively recently. So what does that pact mean for you?

It means that the stories passed to you from decades of telling are one-sided and sometimes flat out wrong. After all, if you don’t know both sides, how can you know the truth?

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:

This summer, most other Little Bighorn tours are not operating.
The bus ride that used to take people aong the 4.5 mile park road, re-enforcing the story offered by the NPS is not available, and neither are the ranger talks.

But for visitors who need to understand the truth of the story, and would like to hear it from descendents of those who were right there at the Little Bighorn battle, well, you would have needed to come out with us anyway.

Our guides will dispel often repeated myths for example, did you hear the one about how 10,000 warriors rode down Custer and his men? It's ABSOLUTE NONSENSE! But even the reason that rumor started is pretty interesting!

It is said that history is written by the victors, but the Battle of the Little Bighorn has proven to be the exception to the rule, and some say more ink has been spilled on the epic encounter than blood was on the battlefield! Yet of the thousands of books and articles, scarcely a handful have been published by Lakota and Cheyenne historians – the descendants who have kept the stories of the victors.

Custer was only one of many men who died at the Little Bighorn, fighting in the name and cause of their respective nations: All five companies with Custer were annihilated, and with associated 7th Cavalry casualties, the total fallen rose to 263. But do a google search about how many men were killed at the Little Bighorn, and you will see for yourself the Eurocentric sway of information, because for the large part, only military losses are noted. Actually, the Cheyenne lost 14 men on the field, including the great Lame White Man, and the Lakota lost closer to double that number. Where are their names?

One of the questions we are asked most is "why did Custer really lose?"

Come with us for to learn how it was that on June 25, 1876, when the 7th Cavalry were out-thought, and out-fought.

Or call 307 699 6015 now

FAQs

Why is it worth booking the Full Story Tour on the Battle of the Little Bighorn?

When we claim to offer the best tours at the Little Bighorn, we don't say so lightly. Its time the truth of events leading to this cataclysmic event on the plains was known and accepted. And remember although the battle at the Greasy Grass was won by the Cheyenne and Lakota, the reverberations of the war still continue to this very day around many Plains Nations.

Of course you will have a great time on your tour, but our guide's responsibility is not just to you. All Little Bighorn Tours guides relate this story for the ancestors, as though the battle participants are standing with you, listening. And their goal is to be sure the story (which cost so many their lives) is told in a way that would make those participants nod and agree that the truth is being told about their actions, deeds and sacrifices. Truth matters and we are dedicated to telling their truth.

To other tour companies who cover 'the Custer Battlefield', the mission is simply to have a guides learn enough basic information to entertain visitors, load as many mini buses from Billings as they can, and make money. They will 'throw in' excursions to nearby battlefields as a bonus, but they don't do those stories justice either. To us, this is the difference.

Will I get to walk or hike on the Little Bighorn Battlefield wherever I'd like to go?

Not just anywhere. The land of the battlefield is privately owned. The Park Service has a lease on the 4 1/2 mile road through the battlefield, and has access to 6 feet either side of the road and no further, and permission must be gained for anyone to venture onto the private lands. We get the permissions you need for you, but there are still some restrictions.

How much time to allow at the Little Bighorn?

The best tours we offer run approximately 5 hours. But for the first time we are offering HALF tours of the Little Bighorn Battlefield, however we ask that you consider your tour carefully. If you truly only have a morning or afternoon in your schedule and the alternative is that you can't go with one of our guides at all, then take a HALF tour. Or if you have kids, or other party members with a limited attention span, book the HALF, or evening tour. But before you do, please read the next FAQ down.

If I do a shorter Little Bighorn battlefield tour will I get the same information?

No. This story begins long before June 25th, 1876. It is an epic and fascinating tale of the clash of cultures that decimated Plains Indian peoples and it needs and deserves time. We can't tell a story that needs multi-hours in half that time, and we don't want to give you less than our best tour. However, sometimes needs must.

FULL STORY tours run from 9am - 1pm
HALF tours start at noon 9am - 11am

EVENING tours may be available 4pm - 6pm - please call to inquire.

Why do some people still call the Little Bighorn Battlefield 'the Custer Battlefield?'

Very strange that they do! Nowhere else in America is there a battlefield memorial story dedicated to the losers. But here in the West there are many descendants of the US military as well as Native descendants, which may account for the resistance in some quarters to move on and embrace the re-name that was authorized by Congress in 1991.

Tell me about the Indian Memorial at the Little Bighorn battlefield.

Native people had long asked for there to be something commemorating the battle that noted the Lakota and Cheyenne victory, but this had fallen on deaf ears until finally a competition was dreamed up to design a monument to the indigenous story. Many assumed it would be opened to Native people, so they could tell their own story (something that is lacking in interpretive signs talks at the site to this day) but actually it was opened to artists worldwide.

The architect who won was John R. Collins from Philadelphia, and he won the memorial design contest without ever setting foot in the West, beating 563 others designs. The Little Bighorn Indian Memorial is one of the most photographed areas of the battlefield, and is particularly striking with a sunset behind it. The most photographed however is the Custer monument on Last Stand Hill

Are there horseback tours at the Little Bighorn ?

Yes! if you would like to horseback ride at the Little Bighorn, we send rides out at 8am most days, but you MUST BOOK AHEAD! We do not accept walk-in bookings because this isn't the kind of nose to tail ride where horses are left saddled and tied all day in the hope that tourists will show up!

You don't need to be an experienced rider, but follow the word of your wrangler, wear shoes/boots with heels (absolutely no trainers or flipflops) and take water and a sunhat. No-one will be permitted on horseback without signing our waiver form, and even when ommissions occur and someone accidentally rides without signing, you are still agreeing to be bound by all conditions of the waiver. There is no riding experience in the western states that will accept your booking without an indemnification form being signed by every rider/responsible party.

More information about horseback rides at the Little Bighorn here.
Or book here