Dark clouds appeared overhead as a storm began to roll in at Custer State Park. Uncertain if the weather would put a damper on my afternoon, I continued on with my plans to explore the Wildlife Drive.  Known for its amazing animal sightings, I was looking forward to seeing bison, burros or even a mountain goat.

Custer State Park is both a state park and wildlife reserve.  Located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, it is named after Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer providing a home to many wild animals on its 71,000 acres.  The park is most known for its large Bison population of 1500, its prairie dog towns and burros.   Other animals residing in the park include elk, mule deer, white tailed deer, mountain goats, big horn sheep, pronghorn and mountain lions.

Here are some of the amazing sites I had the opportunity to see while exploring the Wildlife Drive at Custer State Park.

Fisherman Ponds

Views from the Lookout

Groundhog

American Bison

Prairie Dog Town

White-Tailed Deer

Wild Burro

Spectacular Landscape

Nearby attractions I was not able to visit included the Crazy Horse Memorial, Jewel Cave National Monument and Wind Cave National Park, but one day, I hope to make it here.

Have you had the opportunity to visit Custer State Park?  Did you drive the Wildlife Loop Road?  I would love to hear about your adventure if you kindly leave a message in the comments section below!  Many thanks for reading my post and Happy Travels!

What to See and What to Do:

Custer State Park
13329 US Highway 16A
Custer, SD  57730
Telephone:  605 255 4515

Don’t miss the Wildlife Loop Drive for the opportunity to see the park’s wildlife up close in their natural habitat.

• Admission Fee:   Weekly Park License:  $20 per vehicle, $10 per motorcycle, motorcoach license: $3 per person per visit.
• Hours:  Open daily, 24 hours;  Visit the website for the hours of the Visitor’s Centers.
• Amenities:  Hiking, biking, bird watching, camping, canoeing/kayaking, fishing, cross country skiing, horseback riding, rock climbing, swimming, scenic drives; buffalo auction and buffalo roundup
• Scenic View:  The Wildlife Drive provides opportunities to see a wide variety of animals in their natural habitat.
• Length of Visit:  1 – 2 hours
• Tips for Your Visit:  Drive slowly through the Wildlife Loop and be cautious of animals crossing the road.  Take the drive early in the morning in the late afternoon for best viewing opportunities.  Do not feed the animals and maintain a safe space between yourself and the animals.

Where to Stay:

Custer State Park Resort
The Blue Bell Lodge
Telephone for Reservations: 888 875 0001

While I spent the night at the Blue Bell Lodge, there are several other properties around the park to book as well.

Where to Eat:

Ruby House Restaurant
124 Winter Street
Keystone, SD 57751
Telephone: 605 666 4404

I wanted to visit a place with an Old West feel that served steak and I came to the right place! The Bourbon Ribeye was fantastic!

So many other options along Mt. Rushmore Road.

What to Eat: 

• Buffalo:  A meat substitute for beef which is much healthier to eat.
• Chokecherries are a Native American cherry that is made into jam, preserves, butter, wine, jelly and sauce.  Wojapi is a chokecherry sauce.
• Dakota Martini is made of three-fourths beer and one-fourth tomato juice
• Fleisch Kuchele is a meat pie originating from Germans who lived in Russia.  The dough is filled with meat and onions, then deep fried until the pastry is hot and flaky.
• Hot Beef Commercial, also known as hot beef sandwich, beef combination, hot beef combo and hot beef combination.  This is a sandwich made of real mashed potatoes and chunks of seasoned roast beef sandwiched between two pieces of white bread and smothered with homemade gravy until it floods the plate.
• Indian Fry Bread is the state bread of South Dakota, a recipe of the local Indians.
• Indian Tacos are made with a specially spiced beef and beans, cheese, lettuce, sour cream, tomatoes, onion, black olives and house made picante sauce on the top.
• Kolache is an amazing Czech dessert made from pastry and filled with fruit filling such as apple, cherry, lemon, apricot, prune and strawberry.
• Kuchen is German for cake and in South Dakota, visitors can enjoy this pastry filled with custard and fruit.
• Lefse is a flat potato bread coming from Norwegian-American origin and served with butter
• Mocha Cakes, also known as Blarney stones, are square or rectangular blocks of light and airy white cake.  Frosted on all sides with vanilla buttercream, they are rolled in lightly salted crushed peanuts for ideal flavor and texture.
• Pasties are savory hand pies.
• Tiger Meat is South Dakota’s answer to steak tartare.
• Wasna is a buffalo and berry dish passed down by the Lakota Indians.
• Zebra Donuts are marbled chocolate and vanilla donuts that is fried, dunked in sweet glaze and hand-dipped in homemade chocolate frosting which feeds 15.

Photo Guide for Custer State Park, South Dakota: 

• Use a telephoto lens for capturing animals far away in the distance.
• Explore the Wildlife Drive for opportunities to see wildlife
• Take a Jeep Safari tour to gain closer to access to the amazing wildlife in the park
• Take your photos at dawn and dusk for excellent time to see wildlife.

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