Custer State Park

Custer State Park is one of the largest and most celebrated state parks in the United States — 71,000 acres of rolling granite hills, ponderosa-pine forest, clear lakes and open grassland in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Its crown jewel is a famous free-roaming herd of about 1,300 bison, among the largest publicly owned herds in the world, that range across its prairies and often across its roads.

The park is laced with spectacular scenic drives — the Wildlife Loop Road through the bison country, and the Needles Highway and Iron Mountain Road winding among granite spires and through narrow tunnels framing Mount Rushmore. Visitors find hiking to granite peaks, fishing and paddling on mountain lakes, historic lodges, and abundant wildlife including pronghorn, elk, bighorn sheep and the park’s famous ‘begging burros.’ A magnificent Black Hills landscape, Custer State Park is a treasured icon of South Dakota.

Custer State Park offers spectacular scenic drives (the Wildlife Loop, Needles Highway and Iron Mountain Road), abundant wildlife watching (especially the bison herd), hiking to granite peaks and among the Needles, fishing, swimming and paddling on its lakes (Sylvan, Legion, Stockade and Center), camping, horseback riding, and historic lodges. The famous annual Buffalo Roundup draws crowds each fall. Driving the scenic loops, watching the bison and hiking the granite country are the signature draws. The combination of a great bison herd, granite scenery and superb drives makes Custer one of America’s premier state parks.

Summer is the peak season, with all services open, warm weather for the lakes, and active wildlife (and the largest crowds), while late spring and early fall offer pleasant weather and thinner crowds — fall brings golden aspen, the elk rut and the famous late-September Buffalo Roundup. Winter is quiet, cold and snowy. Wildlife is most active and the light best at dawn and dusk. Summer for the full experience, and fall for the color and the Buffalo Roundup, are the highlights — drive the Wildlife Loop early or late for the best wildlife viewing.

The Black Hills are sacred to the Lakota (Sioux) people, whose history is deeply tied to the land. Established in 1912 and named for George Custer, the park grew into one of the nation’s largest state parks under the vision of South Dakota leaders, who built its scenic roads (including the ingenious Needles Highway and the Mount-Rushmore-framing tunnels of Iron Mountain Road) and restored its bison herd. The annual Buffalo Roundup became famous. Custer State Park preserves this magnificent Black Hills landscape and its wildlife, a treasured icon of South Dakota.

Custer State Park lies in the granite core of the Black Hills — ancient rock pushed up into a dome and exposed by erosion, with the spectacular Needles and Cathedral Spires formed where the hard granite weathered along vertical cracks into tall, slender pinnacles. Clear streams and lakes (some dammed) fill the valleys among the pine-clad granite hills, which rise from the surrounding plains. The ancient uplifted granite, the weathering into spires, and the forested hills created the park’s dramatic and varied landscape.

Custer State Park is famous for its free-roaming bison herd (about 1,300 head), along with pronghorn, elk, mule and white-tailed deer, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, prairie dogs, coyotes, and the park’s well-known ‘begging burros’ (wild burros that approach cars on the Wildlife Loop), plus a rich birdlife including wild turkeys and raptors. The mix of grassland, forest and granite supports abundant wildlife. Custer is one of the finest wildlife-watching destinations in the country, with the bison herd and the burros among the unforgettable highlights.

Custer State Park protects a Black Hills ecosystem where mixed-grass prairie meets ponderosa-pine forest among granite hills and clear lakes and streams, supporting a great diversity of wildlife including the keystone bison and prairie dogs. The park manages its bison herd, forests and grasslands for ecological health (including the fall roundup). The forests, grasslands, waters and wildlife form an interconnected system. Protecting the bison herd, the prairie and forest, the lakes and streams, and the wildlife sustains both the ecology and the magnificent scenery of Custer State Park.

Custer State Park holds a treasured place among the icons of South Dakota — one of the great state parks in America, famed for its free-roaming bison herd, its spectacular scenic drives through granite spires, and its annual Buffalo Roundup, set in the Black Hills that are sacred to the Lakota people. Its wildlife, scenery and history embody the wild beauty of the Black Hills. Custer State Park is a cherished natural icon of South Dakota and a model of state-park grandeur.

Custer State Park is in the Black Hills of southwestern South Dakota, near the towns of Custer and Hermosa, about an hour from Rapid City and adjacent to Wind Cave National Park and near Mount Rushmore. A park entrance license (fee) is required. The park has visitor centers, the Wildlife Loop, Needles Highway and Iron Mountain Road scenic drives, several lakes, campgrounds, historic lodges and many trails. Some tunnels on the scenic roads have size limits. Check South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks for fees, the Buffalo Roundup dates, road and tunnel info and conditions before visiting.

South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks manages and protects Custer State Park, its bison herd, forests and lakes. Visitors help by keeping a safe distance from bison and all wildlife (bison are dangerous; never approach), not feeding the burros or any animals, staying on trails and roads, protecting the lakes and forests, packing out everything, preventing wildfire, and following all rules. The bison herd, the wildlife and the forests are carefully managed. Protecting the herd, the wildlife, the granite country and the lakes sustains both the ecology and the grandeur of Custer State Park.

Bison are large, fast and dangerous — never approach them, stay in or near your vehicle when they are close on the Wildlife Loop, and keep a wide distance on foot (people are injured every year). Do not feed the burros (and beware of them crowding cars). The scenic roads are narrow and winding with tight tunnels and steep drop-offs; drive slowly and mind size limits. Black Hills weather brings storms, lightning and winter snow. Watch for wildlife on the roads at dawn and dusk. Respect the bison, the narrow roads and the weather.

A park entrance license (fee) is required. Keep a safe distance from bison and all wildlife; do not approach or feed animals, including the burros. Stay on trails and roads; observe tunnel size limits on the scenic drives. Camp only in designated campgrounds (reservations recommended). Pets must be leashed. Drones are restricted. Fishing requires a South Dakota license. Prevent wildfire; follow fire restrictions. Pack out all trash. Check South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks for fees, the Buffalo Roundup, rules and conditions before visiting.

The town of Custer, Wind Cave National Park just to the south, Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial to the north, Jewel Cave, the Needles Highway and Iron Mountain Road, and the rest of the Black Hills lie near the park. The Black Hills define the region. Custer State Park anchors the southern Black Hills, a centerpiece of a South Dakota adventure, easily combined with Mount Rushmore, Wind Cave, Crazy Horse Memorial and the scenic drives of the Black Hills.

Drive the Wildlife Loop Road early in the morning or near dusk for the best chance to see the bison herd (stay in your car when they’re close — they’re dangerous), and don’t miss the spectacular Needles Highway and Iron Mountain Road (whose tunnels frame Mount Rushmore; mind the size limits). Hike to Sylvan Lake and the granite spires, cool off at a park lake, and if you visit in late September, catch the famous Buffalo Roundup. Get the park license, and combine with Mount Rushmore and Wind Cave nearby.