ROAD TRIPS Wild Wonders CUSTER STATE PARK WILDLIFE LOOP MILES 18 ROUTE Accessible from Custer via S.D. Highway 87 or U.S. Highway 16A 16A Safari Jeep Tour Visitor Center 87 Wildlife Loop Road Safari Jeep Tour CUSTER STATE PARK VISITOR CENTER Start at the main visitor center for a park overview and a deeper understanding of its resident species, the American bison. A 20-minute fi lm plays every half-hour in the visitor center theater. SAFARI JEEP TOUR Picture being off-road in the open air as you view pronghorn, elk and buffalo! Reserve your spot on the tour through the State Game Lodge at Custer State Park Resort . BUFFALO ROUNDUP Visit the park for the Buffalo Roundup (September 27, 2019), when wranglers drive one of the country’s largest bison herds in a scene straight out of the Old West. Visitor Center Watchable Wildlife You’ve read about the buffalo of Custer State Park , but two South Dakota national parks shelter free-roaming herds, too: Badlands National Park and Wind Cave National Park . At all three parks, watch for cinnamon-colored calves in spring, and other native species: diminutive prairie dogs, bighorn sheep, the antelope-like pronghorn and elusive elk, all perfectly adapted to South Dakota’s Black Hills. There are also the beloved “beggin’ burros” of Custer State Park. These donkeys were introduced in the 1930s to give pack tours within the park, but now freely roam (and often beg for snacks). 20 // #HiFromSD
South Dakota Vacation Guide South Dakota Vacation Guide 2019: Page 20
