Custer State Park - A Must See

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I probably would not have normally thought to drive through Custer State Park. With so much to see in the Black Hills, sometimes state parks get overlooked. Located in the Black Hills area, this Park could easily be part of the National Park system.

You'll need to take your time going through the Park because there are a number of winding roads as you climb through the Black Hills and there are plenty of one vehicle rock tunnels as well. Many of the tunnels have views through them of Mount Rushmore.

The star of the Park, in my opinion, is the Needles Highway Scenic Drive which includes the Cathedral Spires and Needle's Eye Formation. Very unique granite mountain tops. I drove the Drive pretty slow so I could take frequent stops to look at the scenery. There are also lots of hiking trails, including one to the Little Devil's Tower which I didn't get a picture of.

There are also several lakes and camping sites located in the Park which make for beautiful photo stops to see the water surrounded by the rock hills.

The tunnel views of Mount Rushmore on Iron Mountain Road makes them very unique. The road is very windy and you sometimes piggyback over the road below. There are about 3-4 tunnels just south of Rushmore which were cut so you could see Mount Rushmore through them. If you're going south and don't look back, you'll miss it! Most of the tunnels are for one vehicle only so make sure you're honking as you go through!

The southern portion of the Park will take you to Wind Cave National Park. This southern part of Custer State Park is the so-called Wildlife Loop where you'll see buffalo, antelope, deer and lots of prairie dogs.

Glad I took the time to take the drive. Park passes are good for seven days so plenty of time to explore. Will definitely be back.

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Photos

Tunnel View of Mount Rushmore
There are 3-4 of these views as you go through various tunnels.

A One Vehicle Tunnel
One of several they created.

Comments

[deleted_44479]

CSP Almost National Park
I love Custer State Park, too. If you can, you should try and come back in the fall. The tree colors are amazing, and so is the annual Buffalo Roundup. The park corals its 1500 bison for vaccination and auction, and the animals stampede through the hills. It's very impressive. I thought your note was interesting about CSP having the potential to be a national park. The way I understand it, the U.S. government was seriously looking at making it a national park in the first decades of the 20th century, but the state wanted to maintain control, so they quick made it a state park before the feds could act. Ultimately, it doesn't really matter who administers it - it's a beautiful park. Your pictures attest to that.

[capsfan2002]

Thanks!
Appreciate the info on the Fall. I have to travel to Rapid City a few times a year and will make sure I stop by on a trip in the Fall. It really is a hidden gem in South Dakota and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Appreciate you stopping by :)