View of the hills in Custer State Park – with evidence of the December 2017 fire that burned over 50,000 acres
State parks often get overlooked because people assume they’re less impressive than the national parks, but Custer State Park has it all – beautiful scenic drives, wildlife everywhere, and plenty of activities for the whole family to enjoy. It is located about two hours west of Badlands National Park, not far from Rapid City. We spent a few days in this corner of South Dakota, enjoying the tourist attractions of Rapid City and looking for wildlife in Custer State Park. Here are the highlights!
Mount Rushmore
It’s iconic. We’ve all seen the photos of the faces carved into the side of a mountain, but driving up and seeing the massive scale and beautiful surroundings makes Mount Rushmore even more impressive. Jack, with his love of American History, was especially excited to visit and learn about how this national monument came to exist. We watched the video in the Visitors Center, browsed the exhibits in the museum, walked a portion of the Presidential Trail, and the boys completed their Junior Ranger badges. We visited at the end of a long day, so getting both boys to stand for a nice picture was nearly impossible, but we made it through without a full-blown Liam meltdown, so it was a good visit!
Crazy Horse Memorial
The Crazy Horse Memorial (and yes, those are trucks up there!)
The Crazy Horse Memorial is a lesser-known monument, created in memory of a Native American named Crazy Horse who was killed by the United States government in 1877 while defending the land occupied by the Lakota people. This memorial is still under construction, and once completed it will be the largest sculpture in the world. Progress is slow because the non-profit foundation in charge of the Crazy Horse Memorial refuses to accept federal funds. Ryan and I had visited back in 2009, and it was interesting to see how the monument had changed over the past nine years.
Bear Country USA
I love bears. They are such interesting and impressive animals, but it’s difficult to see them in the wild. And even if you’re lucky enough to catch a glimpse of one, it’s far too dangerous to get close enough to capture a great photo. Bear Country USA is a drive-through wildlife park where bears, bighorn sheep, bison, wolves, and dozens of other animals are allowed to roam (somewhat) free. Of course, you’re required to keep the windows rolled up and stay in the car, but driving through and seeing these amazing animals up close was awesome. A black bear walked right by our car, close enough to reach out and touch it! As our car slowly moved through, we were able to watch the bears splash around in their pool, run around and play with each other, and sleep in the shade. It was worth every penny! At the end, there’s a section where you park the car and walk around, seeing some of the smaller animals, including bear cubs!
Wildlife
Bison herd along Fisherman Flats
We chose to visit Custer because I read that it was one of the best places in the country to see bison. We had actually booked a Buffalo Safari, but after seeing so many bison in the Badlands, we decided to cancel and take our chances at finding them on our own. We stopped at the Wildlife Station Visitor Center and asked where we should go to see bison. They directed us down an unpaved road called Fisherman Flats. The scenery was beautiful, but we didn’t see much. Until we got to the end of the road. There was a huge herd of bison right by the road, lounging, grazing, and even a mother nursing her calf. It was better than we could have imagined.
In addition to bison, there are wild burros that roam around the park. They are very tame, and Liam especially loved trying to pet them. Many people were feeding them, though it isn’t allowed by park rules.
On our drives we also saw pronghorn deer, white-tailed deer, prairie dogs, and lots of birds. It was a great park for seeing animals in their natural habitat!
Peter Norbeck Outdoor Education Center
We spent so much time at this gem inside Custer State Park, that had to include it! It’s a new facility, designed for children to learn, explore, and play. Everything is hands-on, from the museum exhibits to the outdoor play spaces. They have programs for kids throughout the day, grouping them by age so that everyone can enjoy the activities. Ryan and I took full advantage of the little lounge room, relaxing while the boys were off learning about weather and bison and everything in between. Kids can earn a Junior Naturalist badge too!
So much more!
Jack has a new found love of rocks and gems, so he was excited to visit the Big Thunder Gold Mine. The boys were able to pan for gold, which is a lot more difficult than I expected, but we did leave with some tiny pieces. I thought the boys would be disappointed that they didn’t have a big chunk of pyrite at the end of it, but they both left with smiles.
While in Custer, we also took a drive up the Needles Highway. This is a scenic drive that is off limits to RVs and other larger vehicle. And for good reason. It was a nail biting, winding road up through the hills, with hairpin turns, big drop-offs, oneway tunnels, and amazing views. I was glad that Ryan was driving!
There are two amazing caves in the area, Wind Cave National Park and Jewel Cave National Monument. We visited Jewel Cave and took the Scenic Tour, which the whole family enjoyed. And two more Junior Ranger badges were earned there as well.
We packed so much into our three days in the Custer State Park area of South Dakota. You could easily spend a week here, and you would have PLENTY to do! There is a great mix of tourist attractions and untouched wilderness, making it a wonderful place to spend time with the family.
On The Road Together 