About Custer State Park
Encompassing 71,000 acres in the Black Hills of South Dakota, Custer State Park is the eighth largest state park in the United States. It is home to abundant wildlife and adventure and has plenty to see and do for the whole family.
Visit the park’s Bison Center, Visitor Center, and Wildlife Station Center to learn about the history of the park and its inhabitants, or hike to the top of Harney Peak, the highest point east of the Rocky Mountains, to cool off with a swim in Sylvan Lake.
Drive the 18-mile Wildlife Loop Road through the open grasslands with their colorful wildflowers and prairie grasses, and look out for bison, pronghorn, whitetail and mule deer, elk, coyotes, burros, prairie dogs, eagles, and hawks. We can arrange a guided off-road jeep tour for you, where your guide will take you to the private interior roads of the park to find the latest wildlife hang-out spots. Your tour will end with an old-fashioned hayride out to a mountain meadow for a chuckwagon feast. With live folk music, a scenic ride, and a delicious cowboy dinner, this is the perfect way to end your day!
Interesting Facts About Custer State Park
- Each September, an annual Buffalo Roundup event is held at the park during which the 1,300-strong herd is driven to corrals for health checks and branding.
- The park’s burros have earned themselves the name “begging burros” for the way they assertively approach vehicles to ask for food! Unlike other wildlife, it is okay to feed these guys!