South Dakota Vacation Guide - 2026 South Dakota Vacation Guide
Custer State Park
2025-12-18 07:46:17
The spirit of adventure is calling. Visit state parks & recreation areas and find rolling hills, unique geological formations, and vast outdoor adventures around each turn.
Venture into a Black Hills natural playground with trails, abundant wildlife, panoramic views of granite outcroppings, pines, and lakes
TOP THINGS TO DO
● Find yourself in a bison jam! Custer State Park is home to more than 1,300 bison, the second largest public free-roaming herd in the U.S.
● Cruise around pigtail bridges and drive through one-lane, rock-walled tunnels along the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway.
● Roam hiking trails that wind through the forest, leading to epic views and lasting memories. After, cool off at one of the Park’s several lakes.
● Drive the Wildlife Loop and view prairie dogs, deer, pronghorn, mountain goats, elk, bighorn sheep, and the infamous beggin’ burros.
● Those burros love attention, so don’t be surprised if they come right up to the car window to say hello!
● Stay at a historic lodge or campground for an authentic experience. Choose from Blue Bell Lodge, Creekside Lodge, Legion Lake Lodge, State Game Lodge, and Sylvan Lake Lodge, or from campsites throughout the Park.
● Each offers unique amenities to add to your adventures! Experience live theatre at the Black Hills Playhouse/Theatre 605, where top-notch performances are set in a historic environment with modern amenities.
● Take part in seasonal events throughout the Park like the renowned Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup & Arts Festival in September, an event that mesmerizes visitors as cowboys and cowgirls thunder across the plains, rounding up the Park’s bison herd. The event is open to the public and draws more than 14,000 spectators each year, with the entire herd passing just a few hundred feet from your seat.
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