Feb 12 Custer State Park

Hello Everyone

Located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, Custer State Park features awesome scenery and prolific wildlife. At 71,000 acres, it is one of the country’s largest state parks as well as one of the largest wildlife refuges. Even a short trip there of two or three days demonstrates to visitors that its recreational opportunities and scenic views rival those of our great national parks.

A LITTLE HISTORY

The area’s history dates to the summer of 1875 when Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer led an army expedition into the Black Hills. His group found traces of gold at French Creek triggering the Black Hills Gold Rush.

As settlers streamed into the territory, men built sawmills to produce lumber for houses and ties for the railroad. In the 1890s, a number of forest fires occurred causing concerns over lumbering practices.

To protect the timber, President Grover Cleveland created in 1897 the Black Hills Forest Reserve as public land. According to the Custer State Park Site, its purposes were to “reserve from entry or settlement and to protect the land from fires, wasteful lumbering practices, and timber fraud.” In 1912, Custer County Land was designated as Custer State Forest. In 1913, it grew to 50,000 acres becoming the State Forest and Game Preserve. The preserve became South Dakota’s first state park in 1919.

When Governor Peter Norbeck assumed office in 1917, Custer State Park was still the State Forest and Game Preserve. At that time, an 8-foot-tall fence enclosed elk, beavers, antelope, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, wild turkeys, and buffalo. During his term in office, Norbeck not only protected these animals but increased their numbers. The preserve is now called Norbeck Wildlife Preserve.

The State Game Commission decided in 1918 to build a game keeper’s home in the park. The lodge opened officially on August 8, 1921, burned down 72 days later, and was reopened on June 15, 1922. Visitors to the park stay at the State Game Lodge today.

In 1927, President Calvin Coolidge made this lodge his summer home. He was supposed to stay for three weeks but resided there for three months. Grace Coolidge knitted on the porch accompanied by the family’s two border collies and her pet raccoon. President Coolidge worked weekday mornings on the nation’s business from a local office at Rapid City’s high school building. However, he took the time to enjoy frequent fishing and horseback trips, hosting visitors, and attending local festivals.

In 1953, President Dwight D. Eisenhower stayed at the State Game Lodge. He visited for three days spending his time on formal dinners, speeches, and trout fishing.

Constructed in 1893, the Sylvan Lake Hotel drew visitors nationwide. Under Norbeck, the park added the hotel and lake area in 1921. Though fire destroyed the original building in 1935, it was rebuilt at a site designated by Frank Lloyd Wright. It’s another lodge visitors enjoy today.

Several American Legion Posts leased a house in the area around Galena Creek and built a number of cabins in 1913. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) moved the house in 1932 to higher ground where they built a dam forming Legion Lake. The state added the home to the state park, transforming it into Legion Lodge which operates today.

The CCC also worked on improvements and erecting buildings. They created campgrounds, picnic grounds, bridges, and stone towers for fire lookouts on Harney Peak (now called Black Elk Peak) and Mount Coolidge. They also erected what is now the Peter Norbeck Outdoor Education Center, the Gordon Stockade, and the Wildlife Station Visitor Center.

Another place to stay in the park is Blue Bell Lodge. C. L. Jensen, a pioneer and executive of the Bell Telephone Company, built this log-cabin lodge in the late 1920s at the base of Mount Coolidge. He named it after the company’s symbol, a blue bell. His son, Governor Leslie Jensen, sold it to Custer State Park in 1935.

In 1967, the South Dakota Legislature created the first park license. It was a $2 fee for any vehicle entering any of the state parks. Fees have grown over the years. A weekly park entrance pass now costs $20 and an annual pass $36. In 2019, Custer State Park celebrated its 100th birthday.

WILDLIFE

On the northern edge of the park, the 56,000 acre Norbeck Wildlife Preserve can be visited today. However, since animals are free-roaming, they’re viewed throughout the park.

Visitors see a wide variety of species. Pronghorn antelope are viewed on open grassland while prairie dogs are seen on the prairie. Look for white-tail and mule deer in the timberlands. Mountain goats, bighorn sheep, a variety of birds including wild turkeys, and smaller wildlife also greet visitors. Though it’s rare to see them, you might spot mountain lions and coyotes. The best route to see the different animals is along Wildlife Loop Road. The best times to drive it are during the early morning or later in the evening, just before sunset, when wildlife are most active.

Be sure to stop to see and feed the wild burros. They are descendants from the herd that once hauled visitors to the top of what is now called Black Elk Peak. When the rides stopped in the 1920's, the burros were released into the park. Though feral, they are tame enough to approach visitors and will even stick their heads into your car. They are looking for treats such as apples, celery, and carrots which tourists often feed them. The burros are found near the buffalo corral.

The park’s best known residents are buffalos since the area is home to one of the largest American buffalo herds in the United States. In 1889, as few as 1,000 buffalo survived in North America. In 1914, 36 animals came to the Custer Wildlife Preserve from Scotty Phillip’s herd at Ft. Pierre. It consisted of six bulls, 12 cows, and 18 calves. By the 1940s, the park’s herd had reached its maximum size of 2,500 animals. In 1949, the herd started being culled since park rangelands were in poor condition and there were too many buffalos and other large grazers to sustain them. The staff decided in 1966 to sell some of them as a way to manage the herd’s size. Today, the herd is about 1,300 strong and is one of the primary reasons why people visit the park. About 400 babies are born each year.

A major event at the park each year is the Annual Buffalo Roundup. It’s held the third Saturday in September and is open to the public. Two viewing areas are set aside for visitors - the north and south viewing areas. If you are attending, plan to arrive between 6:15 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. The buffalo are usually corralled around noon with sorting starting at 1:00 p.m. Food concessions are on the site.

Herdsmen on horseback spur the buffalo over the ridge, down the hill, and into corrals for sorting. The herd passes only a few hundred feet from your seat. After they are corralled, you can take a shuttle to see them sorted, branded, tested, and treated.

The event attracts around 14,000 people a year and has played a role in the repopulation of buffalo throughout the United States. At this auction to sell buffalo, buyers from throughout the country purchase 300 to 500 buffalo annually.

The number of buffalo sold depends on the range conditions each year. They are not fed by the park but forage on their own. Their number has to be compatible with the available land and resources. Most of the herd returns to the park’s grasslands. According to the park booklet, Tatanka, the plan is to increase the buffalos to around 1,400.

The Buffalo Roundup Arts Festival is held on the same weekend from Thursday to Sunday at the State Game Lodge grounds. It includes food, entertainment, and art booths.

One way to see these animals is to drive the park yourself. We soon learned we could see the animals up close on our own. Buffalo literally walked in front of our car and gathered along the side of the road. This made for great photo shots.

Some choose to take the Buffalo Safari Jeep Tour which leaves from the front desk of Creekside Lodge, on the grounds of the State Game Lodge. These vehicles take visitors on a drive lasting from 1-1/2 to two hours. Besides following the roads, they drive on land located off of the highway which you are not allowed to do in your vehicle.

Tours depart daily from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. They do provide educational and historical information on the state park and wildlife. Cost is $55 for adults and $50 for children under age 12. Reservations are advised and can be obtained by calling (605) 255-4541.

While summer is the most popular time to visit, other seasons provide special opportunities. During the winter, the animals can be more clearly seen as they search for food. While in the spring, you are likely to see baby wildlife. Calving season for buffalos arrives from March’s last week to the first week in April. It continues through mid May.

GREAT SCENIC DRIVES

The beauty of this park can be enjoyed on three scenic drives. You’ll receive a park map and the Tatanka book, which also has a map, when you pay the entrance fee. Use the map to guide you around the park.

The 14-miles Needles Highway (SD 87) is an hour drive through ponderosa pine and Black Hills spruce forest, meadows, and rugged granite mountains. Governor Peter Norbeck planned it, marking the entire course by foot and horseback. It was completed in 1922.

It closes to vehicles with the season’s first snow and does not reopen until at least April 1 depending on weather conditions. It remains open year round to hikers, bikers, and skiers.

Needles Highway is named for the needle-like granite formations along the highway. You’ll find such granite formations as Little Devil’s Tower, Cathedral Spires, and Needles Eye. It also has two tunnels. The Needles Eye Tunnel is 8'4" wide by 11'3" high while the Iron Creek Tunnel is 9'0" wide by 11'4" high. The tunnels are only one car lane as are such places as the Needle’s Eye. The Eye is an opening formed by erosion. This route is not recommended for Rvs.

The road includes corkscrews and S-curves as it runs from Sylvan Lake to Blue Bell Lodge. Watch for bighorn sheep and mountain goats. Some sheep are fitted with collars so their whereabouts can be traced.

On the 18-mile Wildlife Loop Road, which is open year round, travelers traverse the southern prairies of Custer State Park. You’ll pass through prairie and ponderosa-pine studded hills as you drive from Blue Bell Lodge to the Game Lodge. This is where buffalos and wild donkeys graze.

Stop at the prairie dog town to see these animals scampering around or standing on top of the mounds serving as lookouts. Underneath the mounds are burrows where a coterie lives - a male, several females, and pups. Each contains bedrooms, nurseries, and a bathroom. Prairie dogs can move up to 500 pounds of soil per burrow.

Burrowing owls choose towns not to eat prairie dogs but to occupy the burrows and because prairie dogs have an alarm system when a predator is near. Prairie dogs use many different calls to communicate, including ones for danger and safety.

The third route is Iron Mountain Road (US Route 16A). It runs for 17 miles from the visitor center at Highway 16A to Mount Rushmore, taking about an hour to cross. Only part of this road is in the park. Governor Norbeck constructed it in the 1930s. This route closes periodically during the winter depending on weather conditions.

Iron Mountain Road is famous for its “Pigtail Bridges” allowing drivers to climb or descend the altitude quickly. Sections were designed to avoid disturbing the landscape by becoming one-lane, one-way ribbons. Drivers wind over loops of wooden bridges with one-way tunnels framing Mount Rushmore in the distance. These tunnels are C. C. Gideon Tunnel, 13'0" wide by 11'0" high; the Scovel Johnson Tunnel, 13'2" wide by 12'4" high; and the Doane Robinson Tunnel, 13'2" wide by 12'2" high.

Complementing these drives is the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway. It consists of the Needles Highway and Iron Mountain Road but also incorporates SD 89 and SD 244. Travel time is two to three hours for the whole byway.

VISITOR CENTERS

The Custer State Park Visitor Center is open year round. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. It is located at the junction of Wildlife Loop Road and Highway 16.

Upon your arrival here, take time to view a 20-minute film narrated by Kevin Costner summarizing the park. It is shown on the hour and half hour and worth your time.

Look for the posted schedule of ranger talks. While they are given at 4:00 p.m. daily here, you’ll find them also at campgrounds during the evening and the Wildlife Visitor Center at 2:30 p.m.

Be sure to take time to explore the two touch screens. Interactive sections cover points of interest, special events, park resorts, visitor centers, campgrounds, and trails. You’ll also learn information about wildlife.

Look for the bronze head of Peter Norbeck sculpted by Gutzon Borglum. It is one of three from an original clay sculpture. The others are displayed in the state capitol building and in the Old Main building of the University of South Dakota campus.

You’ll find displays tracing all aspects of the area’s history starting with Custer’s cavalry camp. These include the CCC, mining and logging, and the State Game Lodge.

The center has extensive exhibitions about buffalo. You’ll learn that they are the largest land mammals in North America. Cows average 1,100 pounds while the bulls’ average weight is 1,900 pounds. They have poor eyesight but excellent senses of smell and hearing. Cows live with calves and young males while the older bulls live alone or in small groups.

One sign warns visitors to safely stay 100 feet back of these animals. They can run 35 miles an hour and can get agitated when calving and mating. Pawing the ground, snorting, and raising their tail are signs that you are too close to them. Be sure to back off for your own safety.

The Wildlife Station Visitor Center is located on Wildlife Loop Road. It is only open from Memorial Day to October 1. You’ll view taxidermied exhibits of a bighorn sheep, porcupine, elk, and coyote. Read such interesting facts as porcupines have 30,000 quills for defense and cannot “throw their quills.” Coyotes use lone howls, groups howls, and group yips to find and call pack mates. Mates identify individual howls from more than a mile away.

Check out the sign relating how the Native American used all parts of the buffalo. It’s amazing the number of ways every inch of the animal was used from hooves to bones to bladders.

The Peter Norbeck Outdoor Education Center is also only open from Memorial Day to October 1. It’s located on Highway 16 near the State Game Lodge. In season, it has weekly programs on the park’s history, beauty, and wildlife. If you are interested in the Junior Naturalist program designed for ages seven to 12 or the Pups Program geared for ages four to six, this is the place to head at 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

OTHER SITES TO EXPLORE

The Poet Laureate’s cabin is open during the summer where Badger Clark, South Dakota’s poet laureate lived. Governor Jensen named him to that position in 1937. Clark moved to the cabin in 1925 and lived there for 30 years writing poetry. His work was published in Sunset Magazine, The Pacific Monthly, Arizona Highways, Colliers, Century Magazine, the Rotarian, and Scribner's. When he died in 1957, the park obtained the cabin.

One of the last projects completed by the CCC in the late 1930's was the Mount Coolidge Lookout and Fire Tower. The turnoff for it is located on SD 87 as the Wildlife Loop turns back to the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway. The tower rests on top of the 6,023-foot peak. Visitors may proceed to the top between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. during the summer if the gate at the base is open. A 1.7 mile gravel road leads to the top which large vehicles and motorhomes should avoid.

It’s the tallest point in the park. On a clear day, you can see the Badlands which are 60 miles away. It is still used as a fire lookout and dispatch center today.

The Gordon Stockade can be visited from June through August from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. It’s a replica of a fort built by the Gordon party of 28 people to protect against Lakota attacks during the 1874 Gold Rush. Visitors can read signs telling of this short-lived occupation in 1874-1875. It was illegal as it violated the Fort Laramie Treaty. It is located just off Highway 14A right before you reach Custer State Park’s west entrance.

WATER RECREATION

With five lakes in the park, there are plenty of opportunities to go swimming, boating and fishing. While swimming is allowed in each lake, beware there are no lifeguards on duty. Jumping from cliffs and rock into the water is illegal and pets and glass containers are prohibited from all zoned swimming beaches.

Boating is allowed with some restrictions. At Sylvan Lake and Legion Lake, only electric motors are permitted. At Center Lake, you can use only slow, no wake boats. Stockade Lake permits all boats. Personal flotation devices are mandatory for all people riding in a boat on South Dakota waters.

The park provides water sport rentals: canoes, kayaks, and paddle boards. These are available at Sylvan Lake and Legion Lake. Cost is $14 a person for a half hour and $24 a person for a full hour. Life jackets are provided. All persons under 18 years of age must have an adult sign for the rental and have adult supervision while in the water

While fishing is allowed anywhere in Custer State Park, to be legal, you must have a valid South Dakota fishing license. All four resort areas carry licenses, bait, and tackle in their stores. As to daily limits and rules, a 2020 Fishing Handbook is available at visitor centers and the park office. It is legal to use artificial lures, flies, worms, or other bait.

In Stockade Lake, northern pike, large and smallmouth bass, perch, crappie, bluegill, and bullhead reside. Fishermen will find rainbow, brown, and brook trout in other lakes.

HIKING

The Park has 14 trails to explore which are listed in the Tatanka book. These range from one to 12 miles. Only one is paved. That and two others are marked easy (mainly follows flat ground). The others are moderate (parts follow steep slopes and rocky areas) or strenuous (much of the trail follows very steep slopes and rocky areas). Mountain climbing of Black Elk Peak is popular with mountain climbers.

HORSEBACK RIDING

Guided horseback rides depart from Blue Bell Lodge from mid May through September. Trail options include a 1-hour trail ride, 2-hour trail ride, half-day trail ride with lunch, or a full-day trail ride with lunch. Pony rides for children are also offered. Maximum weight to ride the horses is 230 pounds for each individual under six feet. If you are taller, ask about weight limitations when you call. Reservations are required and can be made by calling Blue Bell Lodge Stables at (605) 255-4700. For more information, go to Custer State Park Resorts.

CAMPING

Camping can be found at nine campgrounds. All have showers and toilets though Center Lake has a vault toilet instead of the flush toilets located at the others. The only dump station is near the Game Lodge. Blue Bell, Center Lake, Game Lodge, and Stockade Lake have evening programs from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Blue Bell, Game Lodge, Stockade Lake South, and French Creek Horse Camp (for those with horses) do have camping cabins which sleep four to five people. These do not allow cooking or provide linens. Most campgrounds offer electric sites.

Reservations are required and can be made a year in advance by calling (605) 255-4515. Camping fees for the entire time must be made at the time of the reservation. Cancellation fees consist of one night’s camping fee for each campsite reserved. Fees run from $19 to $35 per night depending upon location.

HAYRIDE AND CHUCKWAGON COOKOUT

A 45-minute hayride takes travelers on a scenic wildlife tour on the park’s backroads to a canyon for a chuckwagon dinner. Each paying guest gets a souvenir cowboy hat and bandanna. According to a video I watched, entertainment was by a couple of performers playing sing along music.

The meal offers a choice of an 8-ounce choice sirloin steak or a 1/3 pound hamburger. Vegetarian options are available. It’s accompanied by cowboy beans, cornbread, potato salad, cole slaw, watermelon, and cookies. Beverages are a choice of coffee or lemonade.

Cost for the hayride and cookout is adults $58 and children (under age 12) $51. Children (ages three and under are free if they sit on a parent’s lap and eat from their plate). Reservations are required and must be made by 2:00 p.m. Call Blue Bell Lodge at (605) 255-4531. Late reservations and walk-ons are accommodated if there is space available. Check on the departure time when making reservations, since the hayride leaves between 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. depending on the time of year.

We did not go on this as we thought it was pricey compared to other chuckwagon dinners in the area. I talked with several people who shared that opinion when I inquired whether we should attend or not. In addition, seating is at picnic tables in the open air which is a problem if it rains.

An option is to take the jeep safari that will take you to the canyon and combine it with the dinner. Cost is adults $93 and children (under 12) $86.

LODGING AND DINING

Custer State Park Resort web site lists menus and restaurant hours for all of the lodges. The same link has information on accommodations, amenities, specials, and reservation information. Choose the one you are interested in for more details. Each has its own specialties.

The Creekside Lodge operates year round. The others and their restaurants are only open from the end of April through part of October.

Blue Bell Lodge has a restaurant and bar in an Old West saloon-style setting, and country store. It consists of only cabins. This is where to book horseback riding and the chuckwagon dinner. It is located one mile off of the Wildlife Loop Road.

Blue Bell Lodge Dining features a western flair with such classics as buffalo stew, buffalo meatloaf, and cashew encrusted walleye. They also have a wide choice of specialty burgers, sandwiches, and salads. You can eat inside or on the patio. Prices are reasonable.

At Sylvan Lake Lodge, you can stay indoors or dine on the patio. It has a lounge, general store, cabins, and lodge rooms. It’s one of the lodges offering boat and water sport rentals. It’s located along the Peter Norbeck Scenic Highway about half a mile from the Black Elk Peak trailhead.

Its restaurant concentrates on fresh locally-sourced ingredients. Cuisine features buffalo, elk, and fresh water trout. Prices are much more reasonable at lunch. At night, steaks and chops are added to the menu. For example buffalo ravioli is $17 for lunch and $25 for dinner. You can eat inside or on the veranda overlooking the lake

The State Game Lodge is the place to stay if you like a historic lodge. It’s the largest in the park. Presidents Coolidge and Eisenhower stayed here. It provides cabins, lodge rooms, and seven historical suites. It has a restaurant, lounge, and gift shop. It’s where you book your Buffalo Safari Jeep Tours. It’s located half a mile from the Visitor’s Center at the Wildlife Loop Road entrance.

For those seeking formal dining, go to the State Game Lodge. With everything from a pheasant stew to a New York strip and Elk Osco Bucco, the menu reflects the prices. Prices range for entrees from $16 to $32. They come with a vegetable, fresh salad, and bread. Breakfasts and lunches are elegant but much more reasonable.

The Legion Lake Lodge has only cabins with no lodge rooms. It provides a dining room with water views and lakeside dining patio, gift shop, swimming beach and playground, and boat and water sport rentals. Family-friendly cuisine has everything from specialty malts and coffee to specialty burgers, flatbread pizza, and broasted chicken. It’s located one mile from the Needles Highway entrance.

Legion Lake Lodge’s Dockside Grill is for the casual diner. You can eat inside or on the deck. It has reasonable prices with an emphasis on salads, sandwiches, and burgers for lunch. The evening menu is also reasonable but limited with a choice of six entrees. Prices range from $16 to $21 at night.

The Creekside Lodge, constructed in 2008, features modern rooms. It is located near the State Game Lodge and is open year round. It does not have a dining room.

Custer State Park is located at 13329 US 16A, Custer, South Dakota (just 30 minutes southwest of Rapid City). It is open year round. However, the season for lodging, dining, and activities is Memorial Day to October. For more information, call (605) 255-4515.