Custer State Park

Custer State Park

After an awesome day at the Badlands, we made it to our second stop – Custer State Park.  We had reservations at the Stockade North Campground and arrived just as it was getting dark.  The campground is a quiet campground, as all of the sites are pretty spaced out.  We were still pretty worn out from all the driving, so we just had a little campfire, while the girls rode their bikes.  Tomorrow was going to be another long day, so we hit the sack about 10:30 or so.

The Scenic Loop

Today, we headed out about 7:00 a.m. and spent the whole day driving the Scenic Loop around the park.  This is a beautiful park with many points of interest.  We started by heading East and going clockwise around the lower Loop.  Our first stop was the ranger station on southeast end, so that we could ask where the buffalo herds were.  The rangers are normally a good resource to start with if you are chasing buffalo, however, it must have been a little too early for good info, as we were pointed down Fisherman’s Flats Road without seeing anything.  

After back-tracking on Fisherman’s Flat Road, we continued west and exited the park at Blue Bell Entrance with reports of buffalo a couple miles out.  Jackpot!!! This was our first buffalo herd and, man, were we happy to see them.  There were about 30 in the herd, which included several young buffalo, born within the past few months.  They were all walking right beside the road directly towards us, so we were really able to get up close and personal with them.  This was our main mission of the day and we did not get disappointed.

As we continued, we saw several more herds of buffalo on the lower loop on the west side.  If you are wanting to see buffalo, the lower loop is where they are.

 

Mount Coolidge Fire Tower

Moving north, we stopped at the Mount Coolidge Fire Tower for some incredible views.  It sits atop a 6,000′ peak and is the highest point in central Custer State Park.  Through binoculars, you can see the profile view of Washington’s head on Mt Rushmore.  You can also see Crazy Horse, Badlands, and a few other points of interest.  To get to the tower, you must drive (or bike/hike) up a long 1.7 mile windy, gravel road with drop-offs on the sides.  To me, it wasn’t very scary, but other reviewers have said it is, so just be warned.

 

 

Crazy Horse

From the fire tower, we headed west on 16A and checked out Crazy Horse Memorial.  There is a $30 entrance fee per carload.  To be completely honest, I could have skipped this stop.  You can see as much from the road as you can from the viewing area, so I would have been completely satisfied with moving along.  Once inside, there is a short film that tells you some history about the memorial and then there are several historical artifacts inside the museum.  Being short on time, we opted to skip the native american dance, that performs daily, in an effort to see more around Custer State Park.  There are mixed online reviews on this point of interest, so if you are really into native american history, by all means, stop by.  It just wasn’t my family’s cup-of-tea.

Sylvan Lake

After being a little disappointed with Crazy Horse, we headed north and then caught 87 back down to Sylvan Lake.  Ahh, now THIS is what I’m talking about.  You want to talk about beauty.  This place was magical!!!  Seeing places like Sylvan Lake is EXACTLY what we came out West for.  We started out by having a picnic on the edge of the lake.  The kids walked around the east side to play and climb on the rock boulders while we grilled the food.  Afterwards, we hiked the 1.1 mile loop trail that circles the lake.  This is one of the pretty lakes I’ve ever seen and can clearly see while they call it the “crown jewel” of Custer State Park.

After hiking the Shore Trail, we attempted to hike Little Devil’s
Tower, but it ended up being much further than we anticipated from Sylvan Lake parking lot and we were running out of time.  We turned around at the Little Devils Tower trail head, which I believe was about 2 miles in.  Had the girls been a little more interested in the hike, we may have completed it, but they were throwing fits and whining, making it a little difficult.

 

 

Needles Highway

From Sylvan Lake, we entered Needles Highway, which is 14 miles of sharp turns, narrow tunnels, and fantastic views.  Plan at least an hour for this stretch, as there are several turnoffs that you’ll want to get out and enjoy the views.  The first stop was at Needles Eye Tunnel, which is only 8’4″ wide and 11’3″ tall, in other words, not RV friendly (thank God we had the Jeep).

 

Mt Rushmore

From Needles Highway, we cut off onto Playhouse Road to head towards Mt Rushmore.  This is, of course, one of the most familiar attractions in the area and features the 60′ sculpted faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln, which represent the birth, growth, development, and preservation of our great nation.  There is no entrance fee to the monument, but there is a reasonable $11 parking fee.  When you get there, there is a flat, paved surface (about a 1/4 mile) that leads you to the main viewing platform.  We only had enough time to take in the majestic view, but there are a few others things to do, such as taking the short hike around the monument (Presidential Trail – 0.5 mile), participating in a Junior Ranger program (if you have kids), visiting the Sculptor’s Studio, or staying after dark for the nightly lighting ceremony (May-Sept).

Mt Rushmore concluded our day at Custer State Park.  We really enjoyed this park – the wildlife, scenery, and history was phenomenal.  I feel like we were really able to cover the majority of this park packed into one full day.  Our favorite area of this park was Sylvan Lake.