Custer State Park Visitor Center — Attraction in South Dakota

Custer State Park for us was a quick drive through the Park. We didn’t have time to go hiking, boating, paddling, horseback riding, or cycling. The wildlife loop drive is worth the admission. It is a slow drive that takes you through the park to see the rolling plains. We first encountered prairie dog communities. We stopped and watched them communicate and work for about 10 minutes. Next up we enjoyed watching bison cross the road in front of us. Other animals you might see are elk, pronghorn, deer, mountain lion, and turkey. Finally, we were stopped at a traffic jam made by the resident burros. The begging burros have been in the park for generations. They are fun to socialize with and will stop you on the road hoping for carrots, apples, and other food that keep them coming back for more. They are friendly and it is acceptable to feed them and socialize with them. All pictures are from within...

Worth the stop--1/2? 2/3 mile from the visitor center. On Mt Rushmore Road head towards Post Office--and stay on Mt Rushmore Rd--keep going straight. Turn into Comfort Inn/Suites driveway on the right and park. There is a beautifully painted buffalo statue---in honor of fire departments and in support of preventing wildfire in SD. Where?

Go inside the Lobby Door . Walk into Lobby about 10 feet. Stop, look back at the Lobby Door and Up At The Loft----ABOVE The Front DOOR. Isn't that buffalo statue stunning?

BTW: Custer Fire Dept is a Volunteer Department. Brought back volumes of memories of a highest professional, wonderful, tenacious chief and his unique, skilled and highest of community -minded crew. (another state). Required-- to truly respect and support strong volunteer departments with sincere and passionate fire industry skilled and community-minded volunteers. ...

Today we did 1.2 miles around Sylvan Lake!

This park was beautiful! We drove thru 3 tunnels caved out in the rocks. They were about 9 ft in height and varied from 8 to 9 feet wife. One of them we had to pull our mirrors in!!🤣🤣🤣

Needles highway was amazing! Worth the drive! We stopped at the visitor center first and turned off to see the Buffalo. They had a herd of around 400 nicely right there!

For me, being blind was a challenge. This was not an accessible hike. My Thea was the BEST GUIDE, giving me step by step instructions on where to walk and navigate over those big rocks!

It costs $20 to get in, and you can return with it for 7 days! There are no military discounts here. If this review helps you, please give us a thumbs...