Custer National Forest

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Driving through Custer National Forest is one of my favorite routes to take from North Dakota to Rapid City. Custer National Forest is located in the northwest section of South Dakota so not to be confused with Custer State Park located in the southwest corner of South Dakota. Custer National Forest also runs in sections west into Montana as well.

I'm not sure why I like the route through the Forest so much. The striking white and pink bluffs with green trees just rise out of nowhere in the rolling grass hills of that section of South Dakota. In doing a little research on the parks site, they call them "castles" and they are made of limestone. They just don't look like they fit in at all.

The South Dakota section is the Slim Buttes Section and also has a historical marker noting the 1876 "Battle of the Slim Buttes". Route 20 (which I usually take) takes you through the northern section of the Forest. If you take Route 79, you will drive down the length of a larger section of the Forest and see more of the bluffs.

It's such a pretty route. There are also lots of picnic areas and trails to hike. The roads to the picnic areas are pretty rough so I wouldn't recommend trying in a regular car. That section of South Dakota doesn't have much for towns, though, so expect to see more antelope than people.

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Comments

[Jody]

Breathtaking!!
I could'nt believe my eyes when we came across this a few days ago on our way home from the Black Hills!! How is it that so few know of this place? My husband and I hated to admit that it was actually prettier than the Black Hills!