Buffalo Safari Jeep Tours — Attraction in Custer

The last review on my trip out West is the Custer State Park Resort Buffalo Safari Jeep Rides. This is a great way to see the land and animals in the park. We started the tour at the parking lot of the Coolidge General Store. It was a great place to top off drinks, snacks, and souvenirs. It is also the only place to go to the bathroom for the next few hours. They have a paved parking lot but few handicapped spaces. Inside the store are clothes, candy, chips, water, and other drinks. We rode through the park in a stretched Jeep Wrangler. The seats were comfortable and the speaker system was easy to understand. I do not remember the exact timeline but the information will be there for you. The State Game Lodge is known as the Summer White House. President Calvin Coolidge lived here in 1927 and President Dwight D. Eisenhower stayed there during June 1953. The park Visitor Center is along our drive. We did not stop there, but I am sure a pit stop could be arranged for emergencies. The park has rolling grasslands and trees giving it a very peaceful feeling. We met one of the park's star attractions at one of the park's camping grounds. They are quite large when I get this close. We were warned several times about how dangerous and unpredictable the bison are, especially if calves are around. Pay close attention to the safety briefings. Later down the loop, there were Pronghorn Antelopes. It is amazing to crest a hill and see a large herd of buffalo. The closer we came to the herd, the more defined the herd became. It makes me happy to see so many calves. I think the efforts taken to bring them back from close to extinction are working well. Mixed in with the herd were some prairie dog mounds. It surprised me the buffalo avoided stepping in the holes. I enjoyed this tour. Getting close to the animals and learning about them and their environment made the tour enjoyable and entertaining. The superb quality of the tour guides made the trip informative and fun. If you are in the area, it is worth taking the time to...

We went on this safari with Merle as our tour guide and were really hoping to catch a glimpse of buffalo from a distance, but we received the best gift ever! We looked for buffalo for about 45 minutes and could not find them, but Merle was persistent and continued and thankfully he did. We came across a herd of about 200 and they allowed us to drive right down in the middle of the herd for over 45 minutes. They were so close to the open jeep that we could have reached out and touched them (obviously we did not). Merle has been a cattleman before, so he shared so much knowledge with us about everything buffalo, herding, Native history, impacts of people, the vegetation ,etc. It was truly an experience that I don't think we will ever be able to duplicate again in our lives. I was hesitant to post because honestly I don't want people to start going to this little well-kept secret (we plan on returning in future years), but if anyone else can have the experience we had, it is life changing. He did tell us that our experience was not the norm, and that this had only happened a handful of times for him, however, even if we could have gotten a quarter of a mile or so from them, we would have been happy. But, maybe you will be as lucky and get the magical experience we did where there are hundreds of these majestic creatures walking 3 feet from you for 45-minutes. It was absolutely breath-taking and one of the most memorable moments we have ever had. If you can ask, I would request to ask for Merle to be your tour guide; he is exceptionally educated on all things bison, herding, and Native history as well. You cannot get from a textbook, the lessons learned that day from Merle and the herd. It was an entire course on Native history, folklore, herding, the history of the bison, the sad parts of US History that no one wants to talk about, Native vegetation...

We recently took part in the Buffalo Safari Jeep Tour at Creekside Lodge, and it was an experience we won't soon forget. Our guide, David, was an absolute gem. Not only was he incredibly informative, sharing a wealth of knowledge about the history of the buffalo, their preservation efforts, and the rich history of Custer and Native Americans, but he was also exceptionally kind and thoughtful.

David made sure we were comfortable throughout the tour, offering blankets to keep us warm, which was a thoughtful touch. His passion for the wildlife and history of the area was evident in every story he shared, making the tour not just a visual delight but an educational one as well.

The tour itself was thrilling, especially when we went off-road. It felt like a roller coaster ride, filled with laughter from both the kids and adults. David's interaction with the children was heartwarming; he answered all their curious questions and even let them feel buffalo fur and pronghorn "antler" keratin, which they found fascinating.

Seeing the buffalo, longhorn sheep, prairie dogs, and pronghorn in their natural habitat was a sight to behold. It's one thing to see these animals in books or documentaries, but witnessing them up close was an entirely different and awe-inspiring experience.

In summary, the Buffalo Safari Jeep Tour at Creekside Lodge, guided by the wonderful David, was a memorable adventure for our family. It was not only fun and educational but also highlighted the importance of wildlife conservation in a very engaging way. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone looking for an unforgettable experience with nature, history,...