Custer State Park

Information Center  is on the East side of the park.  

The Park has 4 Lakes:

Center, Legion, Bismarck, and Sylvan
Sylvan lake has rentals for watercraft.
Swimming is allowed on all the lakes in the park.

Numerous Trails.
Sylvan Lake Trails:
Black Elk Peak (Harney Peak) (Appx 4 hours)
Little Devils Tower (about 2 hours)
Sunday Day Gulch
Trails can be found on all the lakes in the park and take about an hour to hike.
Mt. Coolidge Lookout Tower
I believe that you can drive to this in the summer but I would not swear by it. Tom and I enjoy the walk. (see blog for more information)

Needles Highway Don’t forget to stop and do some climbing at the Needle’s Eye.

Wild Life Loop:
The wild life loop is best if taken shortly after sunrise and before sunset. buffalo, elk, Pronghorn antelopes, deer, turkeys, big horn sheep and prairie dogs. Oh I almost forgot the burros! Don’t forget to bring a treat of the burros. Depending upon the time of day and year you may not see all the animals. There is horse back rides and buffalo jeep tours.

Wind Cave National Park:
Is a short distance to the south of Custer State Park. Cave Tours are schedule throughout the day. Check ahead for times.

Hot Springs is a few miles south of Wind Cave National Park:
They are known for the Mammoth Site (see blog for more information), Hots Springs swimming center with natural spring water and just south of the city of Hot Springs is the Horse Sanctuary (see blog for more information).

One of our favorite things to do when we are in the Black Hills is to drive through Badlands National Park. Tom and I love to take the side roads and see where they lead us. Almost all the pictures shown below are taken on the main highway through the park. Click on an image to view them in a slide show.

The Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, South Dakota will spark the imagination of young and old alike.  Visit where the fossils are dug from the earth; then explore the Ice Age Exhibit Hall.  The Mammoth Site is an active paleontological dig site, which boasts the largest concentration of mammoth remains in the world!  The current mammoth count is 61, with 58 Columbian and 3 woolly mammoths.  For more information visit the home page of the Mammoth Site.