Visitor Center Construction Project

Rendering of a single story building comprised of curved stone and wood design motifs. Sidewalks and a lawn are in front. — Architectural rendering of the new visitor center.
NPS

The Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument Visitor Center Project, supported by Tribal Affiliates, Friends of Little Bighorn Battlefield, local communities, and stakeholders, aims to enhance the visitor experience and honor the site’s history.

The new building will provide ample space for visitors to walk through exhibits, visit the bookstore, and experience new venues like an outdoor viewing deck to take in the landscape. New exhibits will highlight a more comprehensive story of not only the battle, but focus on factors that led to the conflict and ultimately how the aftermath of the battle is still reverberating through communities and the west today. The new exhibits have provided the park the opportunity to work with Tribal Affiliates to highlight undertold stories, emphasize new research, and highlight Tribal Nation's continued resiliency and culture to the public.

Park Closures

The park is closed Monday through Thursday. Open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

This is a full park closure Monday through Thursday. There will be no visitor access to any portion of the park on days the park is closed.

If you are looking for alternative activities while you are in the area, please visit the nearby attractions page. This contains a list of local Chamber of Comerce, state parks, and other national parks. There may be outside entities in the local community that offer tours of the battlefield not in the National Park boundaries. Although the park does not recommend one business over the other, a quick internet search will yield a couple of options.

Services During Full Park Closures (Monday to Thursday)

During full park closures, anyone interested in watching the park film, purchasing souveniers, or getting the passport stamp can visit the Big Horn County Museum in Hardin, Montana. The museum is currently open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. Be sure to check www.bighorncountymuseum.org for the musuems latest hours.

Temporary Closures

Areas of the park may be temporarily closed due to construction.
Anticipated closures are listed below:

November 25 to project completion: Partial closure of visitor center parking lot. Oversized vehicles will not be allowed to park in visitor center parking lot and will need to use oversized vehicle parking along main park road. Oversized vehicles will not be able to turn around in vistor center parking lot.
November 9 to Present: Deep Ravine Trail is closed.
November 9 to Present: Access to Last Stand Hill and Indian Memorial is by vehicle only. Walking up to Last Stand Hill and the Indian Memorial is unavailble.

National Cemetery and Tribal Sites

Although the national cemetery is not located directly in the construction zone, guests should proceed with caution while visiting. The cemetery will not be accessible Monday through Thursday. If you have any questions, please ask National Park Service staff. For requests during closures related to visits, internments, or ceremonial activities, please contact e-mail us.

Parking

Traffic patterns around the visitor center have been adjusted. Parking will be limited throughout the park, including around the temporary contact station and along the Battle Tour Road.

Oversized Vehicles

Parking for oversized vehicles will be extremely limited. Please note that RVs, large vehicles, and any vehicles towing trailers will not be able to enter the parking lot near the temporary contact station. There is no place to turn around oversized vehicles at the park entrance. The only option to turn around oversized vehicles will be at the end of the tour road, 4.5 miles from the entrance.

Questions

The most up-to-date information will be on this webpage. If you have additional questions please call the park at 406-924-9167. Staff will respond as soon as they can, but given the closure responses may be delayed.

Will the park be open during the anniversary on June 25 and 26? Yes, the park is planning on having the Tour Road open and accessible on June 25 and June 26.
Is any part of the park open during Monday through Thursday? No, visitors cannot access any part of the park during the closure. The park is an active construction zone Monday through Thursday.
Where can I get my passport stamp? During the closures, visitors can get the passport stamp at the Big Horn County Historical Museum in Hardin, MT.
How long will the closure last? We are anticipating the closure will last the whole 2025 summer season, which runs through September. The park realizes this may be an inconvience, but closing ensures the project is able to progress at a quicker pace and impact visitor operations for a shorter amount of time.

Project Updates

Progress continues on the foundation and walls of the new visitor center. Visitors are not permitted to walk around the old building and should stay outside of chainlink fence.

Construction crews have also began tearing up the visitor center parking lot and entrance road.

Construction will be ongoing through 2025 and the new building will not be completed during 2025, visitors should plan on limited access and parking through the summer 2025.

There is a temporary visitor contact station for visitors to ask questions and purchase souveniers available when the park is open.