Custer is a great location to stay when visiting the Black Hills of South Dakota. It is ideally located to see most of the Black Hills sights, other than Deadwood or Sturgis, and has plenty of bars and restaurants when not sightseeing. We last visited in 2018, so opted to not see some of the same attractions as before. Instead we focused on new sites and revisited favorites, like Custer State Park.
Custer
At 5,315 feet, Custer is the highest city and has the mildest climate in South Dakota. Around 2,000 people live here. Mining, timber and tourism are their main sources of economy. Walking the streets and exploring the restaurants and shops was fun.
Lunch at the Custer Wolf was delicious. We went after a cave tour and were ready for a glass of wine and some food.
We stumbled across this junk bicycle sculpture along the road in Pringle.
Sunset RV Park, Custer
We had 50-amp service, good water pressure, sewer, and fast enough WIFI to stream. Our site was very private and in the trees. It’s a small, well maintained RV park with only 9 sites, but far enough off the main highway to not hear it. The owners, Tami and Bill are very personable and give plenty of suggestions on what to see and do in the area. Sunset RV Park is only 2 miles from downtown Custer.
Custer State Park
It encompasses 71,000 acres of the Black Hills. The scenic drive loop is a great opportunity to see wildlife and enjoy the natural beauty of the Black Hills.
The annual buffalo roundup and auction happen in the fall. The roundup has been occurring since the 1960s. There were an incredible number of buffalo. They try to maintain the herd at 1,400 head of bison. Lucky for us it was birthing season.
A coyote in the distance. Their diet is varied, but mainly consists of small mammals.
There were large prairie dog towns, which kept Jake amused. We saw a badger trying to dig them out, but weren’t able to get a photo of it.
There were quite a few turkeys.
Pronghorns were visible throughout the park. They can run at 60 mph.
Bluebirds on a barbed wire fence.
Bighorn sheep are in Custer State Park, but there was a reduction in the herd from around 200 to 40 from pneumonia. The pathogen has been eliminated and new sheep introduced from the Badlands, but it will take time to rebuild the herd. We only saw a handful of females.
Red-winged blackbird.
There were many white-tailed deer.
Sylvan Lake was picturesque and we had a nice short hike along its banks.
Wind Cave National Park
The National Park was established by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1903 and was the first cave designated as a National Park in the world. Unlike other caves we have visited, this one is a dry cave.
It has the third longest cave system in the United States, although the passageways are densely packed in a small area. We took the Garden of Eden and Natural Entrance tours. Both lasted about an hour.
Wind Cave gets its name because when the outside barometric pressure is higher or lower than the inside pressure, air flows in or out of the cave. A natural opening was discovered and there are interesting stories regarding it.
Boxwork and frostwork are calcite cave formations that are almost unique to Wind Cave.
No valuable minerals were discovered in the cave, but the caves tourism and natural resource value were recognized early and that led to it’s preservation.
Needles Highway
A beautiful 14 mile scenic highway that winds through the Black Hills. There are numerous twisting curves, granite tunnels, scenic viewpoints and tall spires.
There are a few tunnels, just wide enough for the truck tow mirrors.
Hill City
There are a few wineries and breweries in addition to a lot of tourist shopping in Hill City. We had a delicious lunch and sampled wines at Prairie Berry.
