My mom and I just roadtripped from the Washington all they way to South Dakota. My home state. We spent 11 days on the road and of course I had to see some of the best parts of South Dakota before heading back to my moms place for a bit. So let’s explore Custer State Park in South Dakota!
Not a lot of people see South Dakota as a place to vacation but the west side of South Dakota is quite beautiful and has a lot to offer. South Dakota is home to the Black Hills, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Custer State Park, Needles Highway, Wind Cave National Park, the Badlands, and more! So there’s plenty to explore.
Let’s talk about one of the pretties places in all of South Dakota Custer State Park.
Where is Custer State Park?
Custer state park is located within the Black Hills National Forest. It’s on the west side of South Dakota. You’re going to surrounded by the ponderosa pines, lakes, winding highways, bison, and more! The ponderosa pine trees can live for over 500 years!! If you’re interested in learning more about the native plant species in the Black hills I have linked the Forest Service website which explores the native plants.
Just for fun it’s coordinates are Latitude: 43.61433 Longitude: -103.689 if you’re into that kind of stuff.
What is there to do in Custer State Park?
Custer State Park is a wildlife reserve of 71,000 acres! It’s home to scenic drives, awesome rock formations, LOTS of BISON, lakes to swim in, multiple camp grounds, and horseback riding, lots of small towns nearby to explore!
Some of my PERSONAL FAVORITES to dos are the needle highway, the wildlife loop where you can lots of buffalo! We saw 3 herds! And we can’t forget to mention the beautiful lake Sylvan!
Oh and let’s not for get that there’s hiking trails and HORSE TRAILS.
Driving the Iconic Needles Highway in South Dakota
Look I know people want to see Mt. Rushmore but trust me it’s the most boring thing you can do in the Black Hills…. If I were to recommend anything to someone visiting South Dakota, Needles Highway would be top of my list!
So what is so special about Needles Highway?
Needles Highway is a 14 miles drive which will take AT LEAST 45 minutes to drive. It a super duper winding and hilly road where you will drive through rock tunnels and lots of fun view points! The roads are so tight and curvy the speed limit is only 25 miles per hour and some of the turns the speed limit is 10 miles per hour. You will go through some really cool one way road tunnels. So you need to be driving SLOWLY and CAREFULLY the whole time.
- Granite Tunnels
- Scenic overlooks – be on the lookout for wildlife!
- Hairpin turns
- Jagged Granite Pinnacles
How to get to Needles Highway?
Needles Highway is on SD highway 87. You have to enter Custer State Park to find the highway.
From Rapid City, SD (about 1 hour drive):
- Take US-16 W toward Custer.
- Turn left onto SD-87 S (Needles Highway) at the north entrance of Custer State Park.
- Follow signs for Needles Highway / Sylvan Lake.
From Custer, SD (closer – 15 minutes):
- Head east on US-16A.
- Turn left onto SD-87 N (Needles Highway).
- You’ll reach Sylvan Lake, which is the main starting point.
Finding the icon Needles Eye in Custer State Park
Obviously on your drive through Needles Highway you will find the icon NEEDLES EYE rock formation. It’s located right after you drive through one of the single lane tunnels. Needles eye was formed from many years of erosion from wind, rain, and snow!
Needles Highway restrictions and closures
Please keep in mind there are vehicle restrictions that can drive on Needles Highway. I believe no trailers, no RVs are allowed as well. There are some crazy sharp down hill and up hill 180 degree turns that you have to take at 10 miles per hour. Please double check with the park employees for more information if you are concerned whether or not your vehicle will be capable. I have listed the tunnel heights below.
–Iron Creek Tunnel: 8’9″ Wide / 10’10” High
–Needles Eye Tunnel: 8’0″ Wide / 9’9″ High
Needles Highway is not open in the winter months. According to the South Dakota Park’s and Recreation website the highway is closed at first snow fall and will not reopen until April 1st.
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Visiting the Beautiful Sylvan Lake in the Black Hills
At the end of needles highway you will stumble on the beautiful Sylvan Lake. It’s surrounded by beautiful granite rock formations.
Sylvan Lake Man Made?
Sylvan Lake is a man made wonder which was created in 1891! After the Sunday Gulch Creek was dammed Sylvan Lake was formed. The lake has an average depth of 12.8 feet and a max depth of 30 feet! Sylvan Lake sits at an elevation of 6,145 feet! It’s surrounded by beautiful granite rock formations as pictured.
What is there to do at Sylvan Lake?
At the lake you can swim, paddle board, kayak, fish and hike. Motorized watercrafts are not allowed on the lake! There is a lodge near by that offers rentals if you need!
There is a 1.1 mile hiking loop around the lake that you can walk around. This hiking loop connects to the Sunday Gulch & Black Elk hiking trails.
Fish: You can fish for trout in Sylvan Lake with a valid fish license!
If you find yourself needing a snack look for the Dakota Pretzel Company snack mix is was seriously so addicting!
Oh and bonus points if you knew National Treasure was filmed at Sylvan Lake!
Driving the Wildlife Loop in Custer State Park
If you’re wanting to find the buffalo you need to drive the wildlife loop in Custer State Park. We drove it in the afternoon and were able to see 3 herds of bison! One of the herds was right by the road with multiple baby bison there was well! The park has roughly 1300 free roaming bison so you’re bounded to see at least one herd!
You also will have the chance to pronghorn, whitetail and mule deer, elk, coyotes, burros, and some prairie dogs. Be sure to be on the look out for the prairie dog towns!
The loop is about 18 miles long and will take 45minutes-2 hours to drive through depending on traffic and animals. It’s a much easier drive compared to Needles Highway. It took my mom and I around 45 minutes to drive through the park. We had very little traffic when we went.
Best time to drive the wildlife loop?
To maximize you’re opportunity of seeing the wildlife you want to travel early morning or later in the evening near sunset is when the animals are most active.
My mom and I went in the middle of the afternoon and we thankfully still managed to see the bison!
If you’re interested in getting up close and personal with the wildlife you book a jeep tour with Custer Resort. They give 1.5-2 hour jeep rides and can take you deeper into the park!
Also please respect the wildlife within the park and do not put yourself in dangerous situations!
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