If you love the great outdoors, horseback riding, wildlife and are a history buff, then Custer State Park in South Dakota should be added to your destination list. The sights and fragrances of the Park will leave you in awe.
The Park
Custer State Park is located in the Black Hills of South Dakota. It consists of 73,000 acres of majestic scenery and abundant wildlife. If you want a holiday filled with adventure, this is the place to go. Activities include a jeep tour to view magnificent bison herds in their natural habitat, hiking up majestic Harney Peak which stretches 7,242 feet into the sky, horse back riding, rock climbing, chuckwagon suppers, fishing and mountain biking.
The Needles Highway
The Needles Highway (South Dakota 87) twists and curves its way through narrow tunnels and giant rock formations. The Needles Eye stands at the end of one of the tunnels. It is a giant granite spire that stretches approximately forty feet into the air with a slit that is about four feet wide. This natural wonder is breathtaking.
French Creek
Custer State Park is full of history. You can hike the banks of French Creek and see the area where Custer and his expedition discovered gold in 1874 or visit the log cabin that Badger Clark, South Dakota’s first poet laureate called home.
Moving the Buffalo
In Autumn, the park’s staff saddle their horses and move the 1500 buffalo that reside in the park to corrals. This event is slated for October and is open to the public. The roundup moves the entire buffalo population into corrals along the Wildlife Loop Road. Then, park staff sorts the animals. Most are released but some are kept in the corrals until November when they are sold at auction. The animals that are kept to be sold are tested for tuberculosis and brucellosis. Calves are branded and female calves are vaccinated.