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BUFFALO WHAT? – Custer State Park & Wildlife Reserve

October 10, 2020

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Custer State Park, located in the Black Hills of South Dakota at an elevation of 4,721 feet, is also a wildlife reserve. It is the largest and first state park in South Dakota. It was named after Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer.

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At once [the buffalo] is a symbol of the tenacity of wilderness and the destruction of wilderness; it’s a symbol of Native American culture and the death of Native American culture; it’s a symbol of the strength and vitality of America and the pettiness and greed of America; it represents a frontier both forgotten and remembered; it stands for freedom and captivity, extinction and salvation.
Steven Rinella

Our trip to this amazing place, CUSTER STATE PARK, began with a family-fun road trip from Michigan. We traveled to South Dakota with a tent, camping supplies, a grill, a cooler of food and water. It was in August, a few weeks prior to the beginning of the school year. We planned a big loop through South Dakota then on to Yellowstone, Rocky Mountain National Park, Grand Tetons and back. Our first stop was here in Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore, and the Badlands. We’ve done this trip twice. Once in 2012 and again a few years later. Each time it delivered such a great memory making experience!

We drove through the Badlands and approached Custer State Park from the Northeast from Rapid City, SD. We visited Mount Rushmore first. It was very impressive, but we moved along. We were excited to set up camp and get acquainted with our surroundings at Custer State Park slightly south of there, so we pressed on!

As you enter the park there are three cool tunnels you pass through on the Iron Mountain Road. The park is broken up into different areas. The Center Lake are, Legion Lake area, Stockade Lake area, and heading to the Sylvan Lake area you will pass through the Needle’s eye tunnel, the Game Lodge area, the wildlife loop, and off to the SW is the Wind Cave National Park (more on that later.) Crazy Horse is not too far away from here too! This architectural feat is amazing to gaze at!

Once we arrived, we quickly decided to rent a little cabin. There was an opportune vacancy! This campground was located alongside a creek and had a bathhouse with showers. It was very quiet and the buffalo would come down from the lodge area at dusk. We were able to sit around our campfire and enjoy this beautiful occurrence each night!

The cabin was around $40 per night! What a steal of a deal! I would highly recommend these to anyone! It had 2 single bunks and 1 full size bunk. Perfect for a family of 4! It rained at night and we were so glad to not be in a tent. Also, several campgrounds are RV only campgrounds, so renting the cabin was perfect for us!

North of the Legion Lake area is the famous Legion Lake Lodge that leads to Needles highway! South of the Legion Lake area is the Bluebell Lodge near the bluebell campground on the way to the wildlife loop. Heading east of Legion Lake Lodge area heads towards the State Game Lodge on the way to the other end of the wildlife loop.On the wildlife loop you can experience prairie dog town, wild mules that beg for food, buffalo, and many other surprises!

Heading northwest from the Needles highway towards Sylvan Lake Lodge you will pass through the Iron Creek Tunnel, the Needle’s Eye Tunnel, and the Hood Tunnel on the other side of Sylvan Lake Lodge. These tunnel’s are barely wide enough for 1 vehicle to pass through and often are situated to frame Mount Rushmore in the distance perfectly! Super picturesque! It was raining that day so the pictures are not great!

Custer State Park has several cool features! The fun of exploring, driving around to see everything was great! Another highlight of this area is Wind Cave National Park. It is well worth a visit and a tour of the Wind Caves. The story behind the discovery of the Wind Caves is truly remarkable. I highly recommend this cool historic place! They even offer an authentic candle lit tour. You can see the way the earliest explorers of Wind Cave saw the cave by candlelight. Tours are approximately $12 per person.

I couldn’t help but think about the historical significance of this area while here. The decimation of the American buffalo population through man’s greed coveting the buffalo hides. The sadness of this event was overwhelming. What would God think about this happening to His creation? How as a people do we remain doing this to other species even today? Definitely something to consider. A future in conservation is absolutely necessary!

Each season the buffalo have to be gathered up and corralled for the winter. The park holds an annual event the CUSTER STATE PARK ANNUAL ROUND-UP, “Feel the thunder and join the herd at the annual Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup. Watch cowboys and cowgirls as they roundup and drive the herd of approximately 1,400 buffalo (number of animals vary depending on rangeland conditions) to the corrals. Not only is the roundup a spectacular sight to see, it is also a critical management tool in maintaining a strong and healthy herd.” (Black Hills & South Dakota website) Wouldn’t this be an exciting event to watch or even participate in!!! WOW!!!

Many activities are available in the CUSTER STATE PARK area for your entertainment pleasure. What are your favorite Parks to explore? Leave me a reply below with where you enjoy exploring state or national parks. What are your favorite family-fun road trips that you have taken? When you think of family-fun road trips to a park, what comes to mind? REPLY BELOW!

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Inspirationally Yours,

Barbara

BIO: https://www.inspirationaltraveladventures.com/about-us/

ABOUT ME:

A 1993 graduate of Michigan State University, Barbara earned a BS in Social Science Pre-Law. She is a Business Manager/HR Director. Her passion is travel, discovering new places, experiences, cuisine, cultures while enjoying temperate climates. Barbara is a newly transitioning empty-nester who became a travel blogger. She’s a great photographer, talented writer, and has a great family to highlight in her high school/college athlete football sons.

WEBSITE: www.inspirationaltraveladventures.com

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