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Custer State Park is South Dakota’s largest and oldest state park. It is named for Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer, best known for his role in the American Indian Wars. The park protects more than 71,000 acres in the Black Hills. The name Black Hills comes from the Lakota phrase Pahá Sápa, which refers to the dark appearance of the pine-covered hills when viewed from a distance.

We stayed at Custer’s Chief Motel, a clean, no-frills, family-run property. It offered family suites with separate bedrooms and a large indoor pool for the kids. The motel also provided us with a free pass to Custer State Park. We had planned to visit anyway, but we appreciated the extra perk.

We entered the park from Highway 16 and stopped several times to stretch our legs and take in the scenery.

Our next stop was the State Game Lodge for snacks and a visit to the gift shop. The lodge served as Calvin Coolidge’s Summer White House in 1927. President Eisenhower also stayed there during a visit in 1953.

From there, we drove the park’s Wildlife Loop. The park supports bison, pronghorn, deer, elk, and the kids’ favorite, the Begging Burros. We did not feed the burros, though it was clear they felt comfortable around cars and people. When they realized we had no food, they quickly moved on.

The Wildlife Loop stretches 18 miles and took us nearly two hours to complete. Wildlife crossings and frequent stops slowed our pace, but we loved every minute. We scanned the landscape for bison, who finally appeared at the very end of the drive.

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Location: 13329 US Hwy 16A, Custer, South Dakota
Designation: State Park
Date designated/established: 1912
Date of my visit: July 31, 2009