Custer State Park, South Dakota: Buffalos in the Wild [Updated May 2024]
As part of our 7-day trip to the Dakotas, Urmi and I made several drives through Custer State Park in South Dakota. I personally believe state parks are overlooked all too often – they are usually much better funded yet offer a much more raw experience! In this particular case, we made time for CSP specifically to see buffalos. The buffalo population in Teddy Roosevelt National Park is smaller, yet spread over a much larger area. The low population density makes it hard to find them in the wild. Moreover, it is hard to get up close to them. In CSP, you can get so close you might even get a little afraid!
Custer State Park, SD: Buffalos in the Wild
- Basic Info about Custer State Park
- Sylvan Lake at Custer State Park
- Needles Highway
- Wildlife Loop Road in Custer State Park
- Final Thoughts on Custer State Park
Basic Info about Custer State Park
The park is very reasonably priced – $20 for a 7-day ticket per standard vehicle, at the time we visited. As always, check the official website for details. There are campgrounds and lodges within the park grounds if you so prefer. If you are the outdoorsy type, you will have no shortage of activities in the park. Hiking, fishing, scenic drives, water sports, biking, horseback riding are just a selection! Just writing this article makes me want to return for an extended stay!
Since Urmi and I primarily saved our hiking for Teddy Roosevelt National Park and Badlands National Park, most of our time in Custer State Park was spent on scenic drives. If I were to return to South Dakota, I would most certainly allocate several days to spend in CSP, expanding my time to hike the excellent trails around the park.
Sylvan Lake at Custer State Park
The “crown jewel” of CSP, Sylvan Lake is a gorgeous lake perfect for boating, fishing, hiking, or even swimming. We did a short and flat hike around the lake. The trail was not too crowded, despite it being the week of July 4.
Of course, for those seeking out water sports such as boating or fishing, Sylvan Lake would be a main highlight.
If you are seeking lodging, Sylvan Lake is also the location of a historic lodge. Campgrounds are also present at Sylvan Lake.
Needles Highway
Needles Highway is so named because of the tall, thin granite rocks that pierce the horizon. One of the many scenic drives in CSP, we enjoyed seeing the unique Needle’s Eye Tunnel. Definitely be sure to check out this scenic drive! There are also numerous hiking trails that break off from the road in different locations. However, we didn’t attempt these hiking trails, in an attempt to save some energy to hike Badlands National Park the next day. Knowing what we know now, we would have hiked a lot more in CSP!
Wildlife Loop Road
Perhaps the highlight of our trip to CSP, due to the young buffalo attempting to climb our car! We specifically spent several hours driving the Wildlife Loop Road at slow speeds hoping to catch some great sights. We unfortunately did not get to see any other “exotic” wildlife this trip.
Notably, we found it particularly easy to get up close and personal with the buffalos. No doubt this is because of the population density, spreading 1,300 buffalos over a relatively small area (compared to much larger parks such as Teddy Roosevelt National Park). Be careful if you choose to do so! Buffalos are wild animals, and while they look cuddly, there is no shortage of videos of tourists overstepping their boundaries.
Final Thoughts on Custer State Park
I really, really enjoyed CSP. My number one regret is not having more time to spend here. On a future trip, I would spend several days to include some more time for hiking, boating, and horseback riding.
On a related note, if your primary interest in South Dakota is hiking rather than photography, I would even recommend you skip Badlands National Park to spend more time at CSP. The weather was more tolerable, and the trails were more “raw”. (By comparison, the Badlands was far more procured for an easier, more touristic experience.)