The trip was worth it just to see all the bison and other animals along the way! Jim was our guide and was very knowledgeable. He drove us to the bison (at least a 100 of them) and gave a lot of information on the animals. The only thing I'd caution to families is that the tour/dinner was a bit pricey. The tour without the dinner would have been a better value for us, but it was a combo deal. The dinner included entertainment, but it rained part of the way through the dinner and we missed half the show.

Custer State Park is an iconic place to visit in South Dakota and you should not underestimate the size of it. The entrance fee is for a full week and you could easily visit every day as there is so much to see and do. The scenery is spectacular and the are numerous hiking and gentler walking trails for all levels of fitness. Plenty of opportunities for spotting wild life as well as horse riding, various sports or just sitting in the sun. We enjoyed driving along the wild life loop where we saw plenty of buffalo close up as well as other animals such as prairie dogs and burros. The weather was very hot when we visited but we did a couple of hikes including one at Sylvan Lake. We also stopped numerous times when driving through the park just to enjoy views and for photo opportunities. The hikes are marked with levels of difficulty and approximate timings but we found these to be very generous and we always completed them a lot quicker than suggested. We could easily have spent a lot longer in the park but we were only staying in nearby Custer for 4 nights and there are other attractions that you can't miss such as Mount Rushmore & Crazy Horse memorial. If you are considering a trip to South Dakota make sure you allow sufficient time and put Custer state park on the list!

Each September Custer State Park has a Bison Roundup which drawes over 20,000 people. Custer State Park can sustain 1500 Bison. Cowboys and Cowgirls round up the bison and herd them into corrals. They all get a health check and vaccines if needed. Some are sold to people who have ranches and want to increase their herd and some are sold for commercial food. Bison 🦬 has less fat than regular beef. It is amazing to see so many bison in one place. If you go, check out the UTube of the 2024 roundup and their web site will tell you what to bring. It’s a long day. Waiting in car lines to park. They have plenty of volunteers to help. Take water and snacks. They have a breakfast at 6:30 AM But food runs out quickly. People line up in their cars at 4 AM, sleeping until the gates open at 6:30 AM. We were in line for 2 hr. To park. Take a blanket to sit on if you’re flying in and don’t have chairs to sit on. There is a lot of info on the web site. It is a one time experience to see.

Take the wildlife loop and the needles highway/Sylvan lake route! If you take the loop, there are tons of bison on the east side of the halfway point. Then the needles highway loop is beautiful with some challenging hikes. The cathedral spires trail looks simple but is no joke. Bring water and be prepared to climb. You're on the honor system to purchase a week or annual pass at one of the automated kiosks.

Custer State Park is a huge expanse of Black Hill geography with open prairie grasslands, pine covered mountains, and beautiful views. The circle road better known as the wildlife loop road is very long maybe about 18 miles. It took us about 2 or 3 hours because we kept seeing wildlife. There were many turnouts, so we would stop and check out the deer, antelope, and of course Buffalo. We came in the west entrance and saw a sign for the Coolidge Fire Tower. We were ready for an adventure, so we drove up a narrow fire access road which offered wonderful vistas as we wove our ways through hairpin turns. The road z. was climbs up to fire Tower and offers wonderful views of South Dakota. At the base of the fire tower, there I is an observation tower as well. Definitely picture taking spot. After a thrilling ride back down the dirt road, we rejoined the wildlife loop road. As we said earlier, plenty of wildlife and beautiful natural vistas. We kept looking for the buffalo grazing on the hilly grasslands, but the herd was not to be found until mile post 17. Believe me all 1500 Buffalo were on both sides of the road as well blocking traffic. Awesome sight to see fields covered with Buffalo! A couple eyed us looking out the truck at them. Also saw many calves as well. If one is in The Black Hills, Custer State Park is a great place to enjoy nature. Please be aware the 20 dollar entrance fee is good for 7 days.

Should really be a national park to include Mount Rushmore and the drive on the Iron Mountain Road. Needles Highway and Sylvan Lake are worth the entry fee alone. But when you take in the wildlife loop this elevates it into something really special.

We spent a day (5 hours) visiting Custer State Park. Sykvan Lake and Needles Highway were our two main attractions due to their popular scenic drive. In addition to the beautiful drive along Route 87, Sylvan Lake was the first lake we visited. The lake was beautiful and peaceful, with rock formations surrounding the lake. There were people boating and fishing at the lake. After Sylvan Lake, we drove along the beautiful Needles Highway. The Needles Eye Tunnel was something you don't want to miss taking pictures.

Custer State Park in the southern side of the Black Hills is easily accessible from multiple directions. Approaching from Needles Highway, you should take the Wildlife Loop and enjoy prairie dogs to bison. The State Game Lodge was lovely. Comfortable room, large dining facility and comfortable outdoor seating with fire pit. Keep in mind - this is not “Little Big Horn/Custer’s last stand” but it is a beautiful place to hike, camp and/or fish. Your state park pass is $20 for 7 days or $35 for the annual pass.

Since this area is very diverse, we spent almost 3 days here. Custer itself as a location was ideal and offers everything you need. The Visitor Center is very informative and helps with planning. In addition to the very nice winding roads Iron Mountain and Needle we were also enthusiastic about the Wildlife Loop. We were able to drive this without problems and with little traffic. We saw a lot of bison like never before. You should also do some hiking, such as the Cathedral Spires trail. The beautiful rock formation can be really enjoyed. Sylvan Lake is most beautiful in the early morning. There are just as many, beautiful smaller trails. We will come back.

A must-see attraction Go for more than one day. One day start near the Hill City entrance & the next the wildlife loop entrance furthest south near Wind Cave national park. First visit, near Hill City entrance stop at Sylvan Lake & walk around. Then continue south on Needles Hwy. Note due to the twisty road your driving speed will only be around 25MPH. There are lots of switchbacks on the road but it’s not as scary as the million-dollar highway in Ouray, CO which we have done. Stop at all of the lookouts which have awesome scenery & each one is a different view. Stop at the visitor center to see the film & talk to the rangers. Than go into the wildlife loop driving very slowly looking for bison, prairie dogs & pronghorn. Stop at the bison center & the small visitor center. This will be an all-day trip! Next visit starts at the wildlife south entrance & go north for the same areas but different views going up north. Bring apples & carrots to feed the begging burros near the bison center. They are hilariously funny begging for food. Stop to see the prairie dog towns- near the bison center – they are awesome to watch. Listen to them warning other prairie dogs with their voices if you approach close. Do NOT feed them. Bring a picnic lunch as there is no food in the park. There are water bottle filling stations in the visitor center. Hike at Prairie Trails. It’s 2.5 miles & took us 2.5 hours. The hike is moderately difficult. There is one very steep section – if going counterclockwise you would go downhill at this point. I would recommend going counterclockwise. The trail is mostly out in the open so lots of sun & it was hot! You need to cross a small stream at the beginning of the trail but there’s rocks in the stream to walk on so it’s not too difficult. Another day drive up Iron Mt Road & stop at each tunnel pass as there is a view of Mt Rushmore from here- each is a little different, but some have no places to stop. We spent 3 full days in the park & were glad we did. I would recommend 3 days with the third day going to Mt. Rushmore after driving uo Iron Mt Road. So, what’s the best place to see bison? Ask a ranger but before 9am on two different days they were at the permit station near the south end of the wildlife trail. The scenery is awesome. Be prepared to arrive very early am or late pm for a better chance to see wildlife. It’s worth every penny of the $20 admission charge which is good for seven days. IMHO, it’s better than Wind Cave & Jewel Cave- those belong to the federal government, Custer is a SD state park. If you like my review, I hope you’ll click the “helpful” button; those of us who write reviews live for those and it motivates us to do more.