What a beautiful park. It is hard to believe it is a state park and not a part of NPS. Sylvan Lake is a great place to stop if you don't have time to spend the whole day in the park. Fun hiking trails for the family and more intense ones for adventurers. Includes black elk peak (formally Harney Peak) the tallest point in the state. Neat wildlife loop and needles Highway is a must-see. The lake has kayak, paddle board, canoe rentals and swimming. Will always make time to include Custer State Park into our trips to the area. read more

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Custer State park was the main focus of our western camping trip one year. We stayed here several days, and hiked many of the trails, and ate in a few of the lodges. The Park: Custer state park is very large, with lots of different things to see and do, and with lots of varied hiking trails. There are 3 lodges,with camp stores, and restaurants. The lodges. We at at two of these, and the food was very good, although not the widest range of dishes. They seem to really like Broasted chicken, with if you don't know is a pressure, deep fryer. The wildlife: There is wild life every where you go here. You may see, I think a moose just hanging out lying next to the road, or donkies, etc. Near here: You have the crazy horse memorial, and Mount Rushmore, and several towns. Keystone has all the neat touristy stuff like, Alpine slides, and a steam locomotive, which I didn't get a chance to try. Custer, SD: We ate dinner here one night. This is a very small, touristy town with a nice selection of resturants, a few gas stations, and a small grocery store. The Campgrounds: Busy, crowded, but nice. Summary: I would say you would want to spend AT LEAST 3 days here if you wanted to try to take advantage of this park! You can watch a video I took while at this park by copying and pasting the below web address into your address bar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpHFGmTMjf4&t=712s read more

My husband and I visited from California and loved Custer State Park. We took the wildlife loop and are able to see bison, prairie dogs, deer, coyotes, and other animals. It was really fun to keep our eye out and spot the animals. Make sure to bring a camera and drive slow. Next time we would love to do a guided tour. Fun for all ages! read more

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WOW! Just a spectacular ride...loved every about this place!! See my picture, the buffalo just roam up the highway about 4 foot from you. Incredible adventure! read more

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Less well-known or promoted than nearby Badlands National Park, this State Park is in many ways MUCH better choice to visit for most people. And while the wildlife loop is probably most popular, followed by either the needles or the tunnels, I thought what should really be recommend to see was the overlook - of the entire Black Hills area and beyond. If you are going to drive around the park, be sure to allow a little extra time and look for the dirt road to the fire overlook. A visitor permit is good for 7 days. If planning on coming back before the following June, an annual pass would be a better buy but if coming late in the calendar year, an annual pass might not allow access for a full year. It is also possible to see at least some of the park without paying from either of two highways that pass through the park - as long as you do NOT stop. Fines for getting caught stopping even briefly can be quite large so unless you really are just trying to get through the park on the way to some other destination on the other side, it may be better to just pay the fee and either take a scenic detour and/or have the option of spending more time within the week after getting to or returning from wherever else in the area you may be traveling/visiting. read more

Our family of seven (4 generations) from Texas visited Custer State Park while in the Black Hills of South Dakota. We were so bummed to realize we missed the buffalo roundup by exactly 1 week... We visited the Peter Norbeck Education Center and talked with a volunteer..she was so friendly and shared several stories with us about staying the summer at the campground! We also stopped at the Visitor Center and watched the Park Film. It was so entertaining and informative, everyone in our family enjoyed it. We were able to see buffalo, antelope, deer, burros and LOTS of prairie dogs while in the park. The highlight was stopping at an overlook and climbing stairs to a ridge and while at the top we heard elk bugling..so cool!! We all just stood at the top in a little cooler drizzly weather just listening to them for about 20-25 minutes!! We had actually thought about doing the Friday night elk bugle tour but we got that accomplished on our own!! The leaves were starting to change and the scenery was Gorgeous!!! Would absolutely recommend visiting Custer State Park..the entry fee is well worth it!!! read more

This park is so beautiful! Lots places to pull off to view wildlife and take pictures. Just about every curve we rounded we saw wildlife, some even just standing in the road blocking traffic. The weekend we went was the annual Bison roundup. Cowboys and girls from all over come to help round up the 1500 or so Bison who roam the park. On the day we were there, the Bison were in large holding pens to be vaccinated and sorted to be sold or sent back out to roam. Simply amazing to see these huge animals up close and personal. The park has many lodges to stay in, camping sites, trails and more. There are many activities also. We did the jeep tour. Fun and informative. This is going to be a definite stopping place anytime we are in the area. read more

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Beautiful gorgeous state park. I don't know how to express how I feel except to say I was stunned by the endless amount of green trees, pastures, hills, and wildlife here. We drove for hours and stopped a bit along the way, saw wild donkeys, birds, and then of course the buffalo herd. It was 8am in the morning and the air had that wonderful cool crisp--- and then---the herd came into view and we all dropped our jaws! It was amazing. You have to do the wildlife loop. It was amazing to step out of the car when we stopped by the mini stop area there and I took out my ginormous camera lol to take some shots. The baby buffalos were so adorable! And be careful to not be an annoying tourist and try to get out of your car or honk or stop right in the middle of the road. They are use to seeing humans but summer is baby season so be mindful! And of course Custer state Park stuns me again with her beauty when we saw the wild donkeys and beautiful endless emerald green hills further up the drive. Again and again, I was blown away. Just beautiful beyond words. My favorite place so far in South Dakota =) read more

The park is beautiful! We stayed in the Blue Bell campground in cabin 14 and it was amazing! The view is exceptional. The bathroom/showers were clean and close to the cabin. We did not see any wildlife at the cabin but on the wildlife loop there was quite a bit. We ate at the blue bell lodge and that was good food. The blue bell general store was also convenient and friendly! read more

So we did this yesterday, we did the wildfile loop, we saw a lot of Buffalo, sheep and donkeys and a few deer. The loop itself is so pretty, leaves changing colors and just overall very soothing and relaxing drive. At one point there were about 10 donkeys walking in the road, holding up traffic, but it was fine as they were so comical, they came up to cars and you could pet them, the one that came to my window tried to eat my hand when I went to pet it, lol. I highly recommend going here. read more

Phenomenal place deserving of National Park Status. Hiked, explored, ate at the lodges,and stayed in a cabin. All around fantastic place.

As if this place needs another 5 star review. Awesome lakes, trails, drives, and staff. I'd recommend bringing your own food or eating at one of the places outside the park. Resort places are not very good and we had undercooked/raw chicken at one. Otherwise, this is a gem of a state park. Animals everywhere and roaming right up to your car read more

We paid the $20.00 entrance fee expecting to see wildlife. We saw buffalo that were corralled. THATS IT. We asked the park ranger will they be letting them out, he said we just happened to pick one of the days when they are corralled. We drove the loop and literally saw 2 goats on the way out. Complete waste of money! The only reason I'm giving it a 1 star is because that's the only way I can submit the review. Very dissatisfied and disappointed. read more

We got a flat tire in the middle of the wildlife loop and let me tell you - only in Custer State Park does a real cowboy with his horse stop to lend some assistance. Incredible park with lots of wildlife and even more amazing staff! We called the overlook tower to ask for help and a real cowboy who works for the State Park, stopped within the next 5-10 minutes. What an experience!! P.S. - avoid during the Annual Bike Rally - all the wildlife are terrified of those bikers and we barely saw any. read more

We took the route, it was raining so we didn't think we would see much. But we did! Bison and got to feed donkeys! Great time

*RV'S BEWARE* Overall a great park, however the only problem is that there are places motorhomes cannot go on the Needles Highway, meaning through very thin one lane tunnels (2), and Needles Highway basically connects the sections of the park. Other than that, it is a great place to go to if you are looking to just see wildlife or are wanting to go on a weekend adventure while tent camping. With 72,000 acres, it boasts many different experiences, from old stockades to many different species of animals, from whitetail and mule deer to mountain goats and bighorn sheep. If you are visiting in the nearby areas of Custer, Rapid City, or Hermosa, it is a must see, and you will get your worth out of the few to get in. It also has a laser light show at different times everyday, so be sure to check on their website for that! read more

We were in the Bluebell campground. Really nice setting. We were camping with a tent and enjoyed our set up. Saw wild turkeys, deer, rabbits. Nice that there was a facility with showers within walking distance. read more

If you want buffalo sighting, morning is the best time to start, and begin at the southeastern part of the park. We didn't see many of them as we started at the northwestern part. By the time we arrived at Wildlife loop, it was a little after noon, and we suspected the afternoon heat had driven the herds to rest. We had seen our share of buffalo living in other parts of the country so we weren't too upset. And we more than made up for that by lingering amidst the most breathtaking sights of Custer at the northwestern part (coming from Hill City, I believe) The famous Needle Eye, Cathedral Spires, hairpin turns and tunnels dug through rock faces greet you within minutes of entering the park. Fret not if you find that there's no space to park your car and document the breathtaking scenery. The Park System is so efficient that they figured out for you where the best photo ops are by providing ample shoulders at strategic locations. read more

Beautiful drive down the Iron Mountain Road to get to the park. Very well maintained with a large herd of bison; you will need to take marked gravel roads to actually find them at their watering holes. The Wildlife Loop is an extraordinarily scenic drive showing off both the high prairie and Black Hills. Don't miss this park if visiting the Black Hills/Mt Rushmore! read more

We didn't get to do any of their activities or experiences but I would highly recommend EVERYONE experience this state park at least once in their life. We encountered every animal imaginable in that part of the world including numerous up close herds of bison that thrilled our boys. The ranger we encountered was outstanding as well, helping us map the best route to avoid tunnels. read more

There was so much to see at Custer state park, loads of great photo's. We saw so many animals, great views, great road, it was just great. I would come back here in a heartbeat. It was rainy & foggy the day we came but it was still fantastic. We went along the Wildlife Loop and then Needles Hwy which bought us out on a road towards Mount Rushmore & Crazy Horse Memorial. read more

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When you first get to Custer State Park you are amazed that you see a buffalo and stop to take a million pictures. By the time you pack up and leave you are unfazed with them along the side of the road. That's how much wildlife you see, it's pretty amazing. Beyond the buffalo the park is huge and has plenty of options depending on how much you want to "rough it". Lodges and gift shops are close by, right inside the park, but the camping loops are separate enough that it doesn't feel like you are in anything but a campground. We found the park to be in a perfect location for our vacation to the Black Hills. We parked the camper here and took day excursions to Devil's Tower, Mount Rushmore, Deadwood, The Badlands and more. Make sure you take the drives in the park as well. Wildlife Loop, Needles Hwy and Iron Mountain roads are a must. Just make sure to break for wildlife which you are bound to come across. read more

We could spend days in this park and not see everything it had to offer. A breathtaking and beautiful park. The National Park service has really done an amazing job in South Dakota and this is one of its gems that should not be missed. If you visit this park, make sure you drive on the Needles Highway. The natural and man-made sites are not to be missed. read more

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This is a beautiful park! We saw some wildlife (many many Bison walking in the middle of the road) coming into the park at around 6:30 PM, but very little on the Wildlife Loop a few days later. Just a few Buffs and antelope. If you can avoid Needles Hwy, it's probably worth it if you're strapped for time. Harney Peak is a great hike (recommend hiking up & down trail #9 - Sylvan Lake). Trails #4 & #3 (Little Devil's Tower) are nothing special, especially toward the bottom - not very interesting landscape, and it's very barren. I strongly recommend staying at Sylvan Lake, or Legion Lake in the cabins. So cute, and they provide really nice shampoo, etc., though the beds are bouncy and not very comfortable (but, hey! It's a cozy cabin in place of a tent or camper!) The KOA campground, which we visited during the day for some family stuff, is great for families with kids, but not so much if you are not into children. Lots of things for the youngsters to do. read more

Amazing. Simply amazing. Have been drooling over this place for several years, and when we decided to take a last minute vacation to South Dakota...this HAD to be our spot for camping! Didn't stay as many days at this park as I originally wanted to...but the time we had at the park was breathtaking! Our absolute hands down favorite part was the Wild Donkeys on the wild life loop. These beautiful beasties are highly skilled in the arts of begging and stopping cars. They will hold you ransom until you pillage your cooler, just have to give in to those big brown eyes, and give them what you can. And even then, you better be quick with your escape! The buffalo were out in full force the day we did the loop. There was a good 50+ on the side of the road, blocking cars, sunbathing and just enjoying their home. They were magnificent...and for a while there, you can imagine petting their fuzzy woolen fur. The open prairie behind them gave you a glimpse of what life was at one time...when they ruled that area. The Prairie dogs were awesome...sitting on their hind legs with their little paws dangling. They tried to play coy, but knew you seen them. They were quick tho, when they ran off into their little burrow/mound. Harney Peak was amazing...and hair standing/ toe curling on some of those roads climbing up. Felt like we were standing on top of the world, with an amazing view of The Badlands, Rushmore, Custer and all of the black hills. The camp site we had was cute. LOVED their brick fire pit and the smell of the ponderosa pines in the back ground. The rangers were extremely friendly and helpful and so were the little scurrying squirrels that were coming around for pieces of our bread that fell. The bathrooms were great and completely accessible. There was one within reach on most roads and although they were outhouses, they were well maintained. I highly recommend this place to anyone who is looking to get back to nature. It's an amazing experience to see wildlife in their own element without being locked behind iron cages and paying a hefty admission price to the zoo. read more

I really liked this park. Nice, big. We went for road trip. We saw buffalos on the road, a lot animals. We even caught a fish. Is just plain gorgeous place. read more

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I won't say much here since Michelle R has pretty much said it all. We did the entire loop from Hermosa. It was absolutely gorgeous and breathtaking. We stopped at almost every turnout and saw most of the vistas. The view of Mt. Rushmore from up on one of the parking areas is spectacular. The wild life loop was full of animals especially the Mt. Goats and Bison. We ate a delicious lunch at the Blue Bell Lodge. Great place for a meal. read more

Not sure why so many stars in other reviews. The park is a little rustic overall and some of the driving can be a bit harrowing in the hills. I usually don't have motion sickness and had some on the way in. We saw only a few animals...early morning or early evening sounds like the better option. And after doing so much driving generally in the area, we didn't want to spend too much time in the loop. Plus, with an older adult not in great shape in our group, hiking or climbing wasn't for us. The lakes weren't that big and service a little spastic at Sylvan Lake Lodge restaurant. If it helps for personality preference, our group of three consisted of two major city dwellers and one from a smaller city in the midwest, and all agreed that time would have been better spent hiking to a waterfall in Spearfish Canyon or going out on one of the other lakes, namely Sheridan Lake or Pactola Reservoir...the former for sure does boat rentals. If you like camping and being more removed from towns, then I imagine Custer State Park would be for you, but for us we could have done without the visit. read more

There are some amazing views on the drive to custer state park! From all the ones we had taken, the Needles Highway on the way to the park was one of my favorite. It is in the heart of the black hills and you get some breathtaking views. You definitely want to take your time driving through, as the roads are a bit swirly. There are stopping points where you can park your car and get out to take pictures. Beautiful to see on a clear sunny day if you are into natural scenery. read more

Custer State Park - Parks Near Me - Custer, South Dakota

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The animal sitings were fantastic! We encountered Bison on the road, as well as deer and prairie dogs. The drive is beautiful and worth the time. read more

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Family loved the awesome views. Drive through Custer park took most of the day for us. read more

Custer State Park - Wild burro - Parks Near Me - Custer, South Dakota

BISON! This review focuses exclusively on the Wildlife Loop. The scenery, burros, and antelope are neat. But the star attraction is the bison. There was only one accessible herd when we went. Boy, was it cool to be parked on a road with these magnificent beasts walking by. Be sure to visit the main Visitor Center, too. It's filled with great info and even greater park rangers. One lady distributed junior badges, and two youngsters gave fascinating talks. read more

Love this park! Stayed here in June after camping at Yellowstone. O This is one of the most organized parks I've seen...u can view a picture of each campsite on their webpage. The weather was beautiful (dropping to a lovely 52 degrees at night vs. the freezing 32 we experienced for three nights at Yellowstone) The staff love this park and are so nice and accommodating. We stayed at Grace Coolidge tent only site- 25 by the river. It was lovely - the stream a bit too small for fishing, but lovely. Every day the sink was wiped clean from the bugs that accumulated at night. The shower at the GC site across the road were immaculate and FREE...will just have to spend all my camp shower quarters on something else! Also was so nice to feel clean after the shower- at other parks have left the showers still feeling dirty because they were so cold and primitive. I have 3 kids and the junior ranger program is the best. It seems all the parks have these and most require the kids to attend a ranger talk, which can be boring for the younger ones. We went to 2 here- one on habitats and one on fish. These teaching times were fun and age appropriate. The one on habitats included a talk about the four things needed for a habitat, then a card game about the same,free animal cards to take home, and chalk drawings made by the kids of the habitats. Fabulous program! We stayed here when we saw mt. Rushmore- that was great but took all day- wish I had planned more time to see the park- plus there are tons of close attractions- a reptile house my son would have loved, Bear Country USA- which is amazing! Could spend plenty of time here. read more

I don't know what else I can say about this park that hasn't already been said. If my family had been up for it, I would have spent our entire vacation here! We drove the Needles Highway on a rainy afternoon and got up into the clouds where we could see the incredible spires of granite rising out of the trees like some kind of ancient fortress. It was like nothing I've before experienced! The highlight, though, was coming around a corner in the park to come face to face with 5 male bison coming straight up the road towards us; they came close enough to our car that we could have reached out and touched them through a window. We drove through the park to Hot Springs and saw many other wild animals including many more bison, pronghorn, coyotes, turkey vultures, and many deer. An exceptionally beautiful place! Will DEFINITELY be back! read more

This was a gorgeous park with a lot of wildlife! We spent 20-30 happy minutes stuck in a bison jam surrounded by 150 bison who were marvelously being bison! We caught a special ranger presentation with a young ranger at the visitor center that taught us a whole lot about Native American uses for buffalo. Our 9 and 12 y o kids really enjoyed that and could touch bison fur at the table and ask questions. We also saw mules and prairie dogs- lots of both! read more

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We rode the M/C through most of this park. Followed the Needles Hwy & loved the ride. The next day we rode the Wildlife route on our way to the Crazy Horse monument. If you grt a chance, do both rides. read more

We visited this place a few days after visiting yellowstone and if you compare this place to yellowstone, it's nothing. We only encountered bisons here and the traffic was seriously really long. The prairie dogs were also very shy unlike the ones in wyoming. We didn't encounter any other animals except for some deers. Kinda lowered my expectations read more

Custer State Park - Buffalos - Parks Near Me - Custer, South Dakota

It's inspiring to see the Buffalo making such a come-back. I don't know if Ted Turner is to thank at least in part, I understand he purchased vast swaths of land in these parts, including about half of the state of Montana.. The Wounded Knee memorial when I saw it in the 80s was sad, sad, sad, amigos. It was a dingy little card-board sign in the middle of the field saying, yup, "Wounded Knee". But the CSP is a thing of beauty. I've been to all 50 of the United States, and this and the Bad-lands make my top Ten for state parks, easily. read more

This state park is very nice and boy does South Dakota know it! Like all of the tourist traps in the area this place also wants a fee to enter and look around. You can get away with not paying a fee if you are going to drive through and boy will they sound reproachful AND scornful when you request JUST to drive through their oh so wonderful park. I think they got a bit of an ego there. Like I said the park IS very nice and beautiful and you will get a primo chance to see bison up close even if you are driving through...and damn it THAT is better what you do if you don't pay that fee!! read more

Custer State Park is gorgeous and a perfectly centrally located place to stay! If you love the wilderness and historical monuments, I would highly recommend it! Within close driving distance and a great driving loop is Jewel Cave National Monument, Crazy Horse Memorial, Mt Rushmore, Iron Mountain Road, and The Wildlife Loop. Be careful driving through the small town of Custer, there's a speed trap where the officers like to stop and "warn" tourists. We got lucky! Time your day to hit the Wildlife Loop as close to dusk as possible. Also try to stop at the Visitor Center and they'll let you know where in the park the herds were last seen. read more