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Custer State Park is South Dakota’s largest and first state park, named for Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer, of the infamous ‘Custer’s Last Stand’ in the American Indian War. The park protects 71,000 acres in the Black Hills. The Black Hills name is translated from the Lakota Pahá Sápa, who called them that because the dense pine tree forests make them appear dark when seen from a distance.
We were staying at Custer’s Chief Motel (a clean, no-frills family run motel with the advantage of family suites with separate bedrooms and a big indoor pool for the kids) and they offered us a free pass to visit Custer State Park. It had been on our itinerary anyway, but we appreciated the perk.
We entered the park from highway 16 and pulled over in a few places to walk around and admire the views of the Black Hills.
Next we headed to the State Game Lodge for a snack and the gift shop. This was Calvin Coolidge’s Summer White House in 1927. President Eisenhower also spent some time here in 1953.
Then we drove the park’s Wildlife Loop. The park is home to a large herd of bison, pronghorn, deer, elk and most thrilling for the kids: the Begging Burros.
Please note, we did NOT feed the burros, though it obvious these feral donkeys are comfortable around cars and humans and used to being fed by them. Once these fellas realized we had no food, they moved on to the next group.
The wildlife loop is 18 miles long and took us almost two hours to drive because of the frequent stops and wildlife crossings, but we enjoyed every minute of it, keeping our eyes peeled for bison (who hid from us until the very end of the loop.)
Location: 13329 US Hwy 16A, Custer, SD 57730
Designation: State Park
Date designated or established: 1912
Date of my visit: 7/31/2009
We LOVED Custer State Park! Such a spectacular place for viewing wildlife!
Thanks! We did too🧡
We just returned from our road trip through Montana, the Dakotas and Wyoming and spent a night at the State Game Lodge – a wonderful and historic lodge with an outstanding dining room and a bartender who knows how to make a great gin martini (up and with olives….)
Unfortunately, we had only about a little less than a day to explore, but Custer is the most outstanding State Park we have ever visited. The scenery and wildlife were great. Thanks for the post.
Ah yes, I did read your post. We loved that area…hopefully can go back someday
Stunning landscape with a sad history / legacy. Read your text with interest. It is now on our list of must visit. Loved the final photo of the milkweed.
Thanks! Yes, the history of the land in this area is quite sad.
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We too sure did enjoy being there. So many breath taking views.
Yes indeed!
Great photos! Thanks for sharing your adventure.
Kudos for not feeding the wildlife!
Thanks!
Awe so special. There are pronghorn antelope near where I live and they are not native to this area. They belong to a farmer and I don’t know the whole story but they stay since there is an abundance of food to be found there. ❤️
Interesting!
Truly is and always love to see them. ❤️
It looks so lush and green. 2009 must have been a wet year in the Black Hills!
Traveling around that part of South Dakota, there was a striking contrast between the desert like Badlands and the Black Hills. They must have micro climates like Northern California
We tried to hike in Custer while we were there last year, but did not want to pay the fee for such a short visit. It looks wonderful. The burros definitely have been used to being fed. Too bad most people do not understand the Do Not Feed rule. Allan
Yes we were lucky to have the use of the hotel’s park pass. It is a large park, difficult to see in just a few hours
So, so pretty! I wasn’t aware of the burros. Wow, they really are too tame, aren’t they?
Custer SP is on my South Dakota/North Dakota parks tour, which I’d planned for this summer but fell through because my husband couldn’t get to time off work (instead I took a solo trip to NM & AZ and crossed of a few more national parks and monuments). I’ll make it up there one day!
So much to see up there. Someday we’ll get back to see the places we didn’t get to before
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