Custer State Park

Midwest > South Dakota > Custer State Park

Tristan Loper, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted

General Information

Hours:
Fees:
Pet Policy:
No pets allowed
Closest cities with hotels:
Seasons:
All year
Rating:
★ 5.0
Wall, SD Weather Forecast

How to Get There

Overview

Custer State Park is a South Dakota State Park and wildlife reserve in the Black Hills. The park is South Dakota's largest and first state park, named after Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer. The park covers an area of over 71,000 acres (287 km2) of varied terrain including rolling prairie grasslands and rugged mountains.

Wall Drug Hallway
Die-Trauer-Karte.de, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted

The park is home to a herd of 1,500 bison. Elk, coyotes, mule deer, white tailed deer, mountain goats, prairie dogs, bighorn sheep, river otters, pronghorn, cougars, and feral burros also inhabit the park. The park is known for its scenery, its scenic drives (Needles Highway and the wildlife loop), with views of the bison herd and prairie dog towns. This park is accessible by road from Rapid City. Other nearby attractions are Wind Cave National Park, Mount Rushmore, Jewel Cave National Monument, Crazy Horse Memorial, and Badlands National Park.

Museums

The Peter Norbeck Center is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is located on U.S. Route 16A in Custer. Exhibits focus on the park's natural history and cultural heritage, and include wildlife dioramas, a CCC bunkhouse and a gold prospecting display. The center is named for South Dakota Governor and Senator Peter Norbeck. Many of the park's naturalist programs begin at the center.

Badger Hole, also known as Badger Clark Historical Site, was the home of Charles Badger Clark (1883-1957), who was named South Dakota's first Poet Laureate in 1937 and was noted for his cowboy poetry. The house is maintained as it was when Clark lived there. Visitors can tour the home and hike the adjacent Badger Clark Historic Trail.

Opened in May 2016, Custer State Park's visitor center has information on the animals of the park, as well as a 20-minute film detailing the history and layout of the park.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Custer State Park", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0

Featured Trails

Badlands Bighorn Sheep Sage Creek Road

Black Elk Peak

 Rating

Badlands Bighorn Sheep Sage Creek Road

Jeff P from Berkeley, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted

Jeff P from Berkeley, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted

The Needles of Black Hills

 Rating

Provides access to several overlooks and the Sage Creek Campground, as well as opportunities for backcountry access and wildlife viewing

Badlands Bighorn Sheep Sage Creek Road

Needles Highway

 Rating

Badlands Bighorn Sheep Sage Creek Road

Sylvan Lake

 Rating

Acroterion, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted
Wall Drug Statue
NatalieMaynor from Jackson, Mississippi, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted
Ritosito, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted
Wall Drug Statue
Grenzlandstern, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted