Before I got to Custer State Park I had done a little research so I thought I knew what
to expect but wow I was really taken off guard.
This place is a truly very unique experience that you've just got to see.
And if you only have a couple of days these are the top four things you must do and see
while you are here because you don't want to miss out on any one of these experiences.
Wildlife Loop is 18 miles of windy roads through open grasslands and hills covered with pine
trees.
It's a spectacular scenic drive but what makes it really special is this road travels through
the portion of Custer State Park where most of the Park's Wildlife freely roams.
Oh my gosh I hope we find some Buffalo.
Yes I have my fingers crossed that we find a herd of buffalo but the first animals we
saw were these friendly cute donkeys.
And these guys certainly weren't afraid of people and some of them even put on a show
for us.
Those donkeys were really cool.
When driving the Wildlife Loop you might come across buffalo, pronghorn, whitetail and mule
deer, as well as elk, coyotes, and prairie dogs.
And then we turned around this corner and there they were.
The buffalo.
And there were hundreds of them.
Watching these big guys roam freely so close up from our vehicle was such an amazing experience.
I think this guy was trying to put on a show for us too.
I've never experienced anything like this before.
If you are planning a trip to Custer State Park I want to know what is the number one
thing you're most excited about seeing or doing.
And they kept coming and coming.
I just couldn't believe it.
Oh my gosh, look at the little guys coming.
When you're planning your time you want to plan on at least an hour or two when you're
driving this 18 Mile Loop Road.
You are going to want to drive real slow because you want to enjoy the scenery, protect the
wildlife, and you never know when you're going to find yourself in a traffic jam.
I can't believe it.
That was amazing.
People say that the best time to view animals along Wildlife Loop Road is early in the morning
or late in the evening just before sunset.
However I drove this Loop twice and the first time was around sunset and we didn't see any
animals.
Then this drive was around four o'clock in the afternoon so that was several hours before
sunset.
I'd also plan on doing this Loop twice especially if you don't see the buffalo or any animals
the first time.
Oh look he's posing for the camera.
I really appreciate that.
The Needles Highway is a 14 Mile Stretch that provides one of the most scenic drives in
the world and it's located in Custer State Park.
This road has scenic outlooks, three unique tunnels, and soaring spiers that will make
you feel like you're driving on another planet.
This is a windy road so when you're making your plans allow ample time so that you can
travel at a safe speed which is generally going to be 25 miles per hour or slower.
But because there are some really amazing and interesting spots to pull over and view
this incredible landscape I'd plan on a minimum of two hours.
This National Scenic Highway is most famously known for the Needles Eye Tunnel and this
is a really tight fit.
I'm also going to suggest that you stop at this popular pull out spot and hike and walk
around and take in all of the unique rock formations.
And that's the Needle Eye Tunnel right around that big rock formation there.
Oh my gorgeous.
Oh wow.
This is the rock that the tunnel is named after and it really does look like the eye
of a needle.
Isn't this cool?
Oh my gosh.
This is crazy cool.
I can't wait for you to experience this.
Hi Princy, hi.
And because this attraction is so popular and there aren't a lot of spots to pull over
on I'm going to suggest you come early in the morning to avoid the crowds.
Because when we came back later in the day it was really crowded.
Located 19 miles and about 40 minutes away from Custer State Park is Mount Rushmore National
Memorial.
This is one of the world's largest sculptures with 60-foot high granite faces of U.S presidents
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.
But there's so much more to do and see when you visit here.
The site is home to the sculpture's studio, the Lincoln Borglum Museum, the Avenue of
Flags, hiking trails, Junior Ranger programs for kids, and so much more.
This place is open year round and from March to September it's open from 5 a.m to 11 p.m
but we chose to go in the evening for their special lighting ceremony program.
During this ceremony is a film about the history of the presidents, singing, and then all veterans
in the audience get to come up on stage and give their names and their branch of service.
This was truly a very moving inspirational experience.
There are many fantastic hiking trails at Custer State Park and some of them are more
challenging than others.
I chose to hike the Sylvan Lake Shore Trail because it's one of the most popular trails,
and it's rated easy, and it's just over one mile long.
Look at those rocks.
It looked like they could fall at any time.
To give you a perspective of just how gigantic these rocks are do you see that person standing
over there and how small they are compared to those rocks?
Hi, Mr. turtle.
This is so gorgeous.
The trail doesn't go all the way around the lake so if you start on the west side like
I did you'll need to backtrack to get to the other side which for me was the part of the
trail that I really loved.
But what I didn't expect was just how much fun this trail would be and just how spectacular
the views were gonna be.
There's a swimming beach right right there look just up there on top of the rock.
Oh my gosh, this is just so beautiful.
Okay I've been looking at this rock for a while now and I've been watching a lot of
people climb up it so I just had to give it a try.
I did it.
Not bad for being 59 years old.
That was fun.
It's higher up than it looks.
I can't believe how gorgeous this is.
Oh my gosh.
Isn't this amazing?
So beautiful.
Okay let's go check this out and see what it's like back here.
Oh, wow.
Isn't this cool?
Oh, unbelievable.
If you have more than two or three days to days to spend at Custer State Park I strongly
suggest that you spend a few days in Spearfish, South Dakota either before or after your trip
to Custer State Park.
This area is located close by Custer State Park and it was absolutely gorgeous.
This video right up here will tell you everything you need to know.
So click on this video now and I can't wait to see you over in that video next.