South Dakota
Custer State Park Ride
About this riding route
Custer State Park covers 71,000 acres of the southern Black Hills, and the riding takes you through granite spires, ponderosa forest and open prairie where a free-roaming bison herd of about 1,500 animals lives. Sylvan Lake sits at the base of the Needles, the granite formations the park is best known for, and the ride works south and east from there into more open country.
Black Hills granite and ponderosa pine from Sylvan Lake down toward the park core.
Highlights
What earns the trip
- The Needles, granite spires rising directly out of the forest
- A free-roaming bison herd of roughly 1,500 animals
- Sylvan Lake is the most photographed spot in the Black Hills
- Open prairie and dense pine within the same ride
Stops
- 1
Sylvan Lake
Trailhead at the base of the Needles.
- 2
Custer State Park core
Open country where the bison herd ranges.
When to go
Best time to go
May through October. The bison rut in late summer changes herd behavior noticeably.
Planner estimate for the mapped line: 1h 10m
Before you go
Know before you go
- Bison are unpredictable and fast. Give the herd a wide berth on horseback.
- A park entrance license is required for vehicles.
- Afternoon thunderstorms build quickly over the Hills in summer.
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