Custer State Park

Custer State Park is located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, and it is a very scenic and popular part of the state.  Being a few thousand feet higher in elevation than the Badlands, and being mostly forested, the park was pleasantly cool in comparison to the punishing heat of the Badlands.  Custer is also extremely well-maintained and well-equipped (free showers!) for weary campers like us. There are lots of different campgrounds, lakes, streams, scenic drives, and trails to choose from here; it would take weeks to see and do everything that this park has to offer.

We decided to break up our time between hiking and scenic drives. First we checked out the Cathedral Spires Trail and the Little Devil's Tower Trail, both of which came highly-recommended for views of the pinnacles and spires at the higher elevations in the park.  Many of the rocks in this area are packed with huge chunks of mica, so as we hiked, the ground literally glittered under our boots.  Afterward, we headed over to Sylvan Lake to eat a picnic lunch by the water.

    
Along the Cathedral Spires Trail

The Cathedral Spires from a distance

Cathedral Spires from up close

Mica chips

We also took a few scenic drives so that we could see more of the area and get a sense for the different landscapes of the Black Hills.  One our way into the park, we drove through Spearfish Canyon and over to the historic town of Deadwood.  From there, we went to Hill City, where there was a tiny museum at the Black Hills Institute with some of the most intricate and well-preserved fossils we've ever seen.  They also have the second largest T. Rex skeleton ever discovered and tons of other dinosaur bones packed into to what is essentially a side room off of the gift shop.  We spent a while peering into every display case and learning all about the collection.

We also drove through most of the major scenic byways in the park: The Needles Highway, Iron Mountain Road, and Wildlife Loop Road. Each road is a little different; Needles is high-elevation with stunning views, Iron Mountain boasts narrow rock tunnels and pigtail corkscrew loops, and Wildlife Loop has bison, burros, and prairie dogs on display.  

Some of the many bison in the park


There were a lot of baby bison, too!

While we were in the area, we decided to take a side trip over to Mt. Rushmore. Matt had been once on his cross-country trip to California after college, but I'd never been. Like many of the more popular parks, Mt. Rushmore is pretty crowded and considerably more developed than most of the other parks, but it was still an enjoyable trip overall. After seeing the monument and taking some photos, we bypassed some of the crowds at the viewing point and ducked in to the Artist's Studio to check out some scale models from the original sculptor. 

The famous view

More photos here.