Parkwolf’s Custer ranking
Top sights in Custer
1SightSylvan LakeGranite towers and still water, with a one-mile shore loop.
2SightNeedle’s EyeA granite spire’s tiny eye beside a narrow tunnel.
3SightBlack Elk PeakA historic stone lookout crowns South Dakota's highest summit.
4SightMount Coolidge Fire TowerClear-day views reach Rushmore, Crazy Horse and the Needles.
5Scenic pulloutCathedral Spires PulloutA roadside pause for the Needles' jagged granite skyline.
6SightCenter LakeSwim, fish or take the upper loop for a lake overlook.
7SightLegion LakeBeach, paddling and an easy shoreline loop in one stop.
8SightStockade LakeThe park’s only lake open to every kind of boat.
9SightGordon StockadeA small reconstructed fort tied to the Black Hills gold rush.Hiking
Top trails in Custer
- 10 easy
- 19 moderate
- 11 challenging
ChallengingBlack Elk Peak Trail #9 South6.6 mi · 4 hrA rugged climb to South Dakota’s high point and stone lookout.
ChallengingCathedral Spires Trail1.2 mi · 1.5 hrWalk into a granite basin after a short, steep climb.
ChallengingSunday Gulch Trail3 mi · 3 hrA strenuous boulder scramble through a cool, wet granite gulch.
ChallengingLittle Devils Tower Trail3 mi · 3 hrGranite chimneys lead to a summit view that earns the scramble.ModerateSylvan Lake Shore Trail1 mi · 1 hrA one-mile lake loop shifts from boardwalk to rocky granite passages.
ChallengingBlack Elk Peak Loop7.1 mi · 4 hrA 7.1-mile summit loop climbs Trail #4 and returns on #9.ChallengingBlack Elk Peak Trail #46.5 mi · 5 hrA rougher approach to South Dakota’s historic fire tower.
ModerateLovers Leap Trail4 mi · 3 hrA steep ridge, a rocky perch, then Galena Creek crossings.
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Custer Tour Guide
Custer, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Custer State Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Custer audio tourRecorded for this place
Sylvan Lake: Rocks and Water0:00 / 0:34
“You're coming up on Sylvan Lake, where tall granite outcrops rise straight beside the water. I'd stop here for the one-mile shore loop; allow about an hour to see the rocks and little coves up close.”
Plays as you drive up to Sylvan Lake in the Parkwolf Custer Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Sylvan Lake Lodge: A Meal Above the Lake
- Little Devils Tower: The Summit Scramble
- Needle’s Eye: The Rock and the Tunnel
- Why It’s Called Black Elk Peak
- 82 audio storiesacross Custer’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Bison, Wapiti, Bighorn Sheep, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 40 trails, 49 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“We recently toured Badlands, Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore and more! We learned so much from this app as we toured each of these sites. The audio tours are worth the money.”
Map
The whole park, on one map
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Before you go
Wildlife
Wildlife in Custer
993 sightingsBisonMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
91 sightingsWapitiMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
260 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
85 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
259 sightingsBurroMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
711 sightingsPronghornMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Custer. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.