Sight · Custer State Park
Hands-on nature exhibits lead straight to open-ended outdoor play.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Custer Tour Guide
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
Peter Norbeck Center: Play and Explore“Up ahead is Peter Norbeck Outdoor Education Center, a good summer stop if the kids need something hands-on between drives.”
Plays as you drive up to Peter Norbeck Outdoor Education Center in the Parkwolf Custer Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“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.”
Guide
Peter Norbeck Outdoor Education Center is a small nature-learning stop in a broad valley on US-16A. Its interactive indoor exhibits introduce the park’s ecosystems, and the outdoor classroom gives children room for free-form play. Come for a hands-on break from the scenic drives, especially with kids; it also hosts much of the park’s interpretive programming. The newer, bison-focused Custer State Park Visitor Center is a separate stop about a mile east.
When scheduled, staff-led activities help children explore wildlife and habitats, observe nature, and learn through hands-on stations. Junior Naturalist activities are designed for ages 7–12. The naturalist calendar changes by season, so check it if a particular program is your reason to stop. Programs are free, but park entry still requires an entrance license.
The building began as the Peter Norbeck Visitor Center, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1934. CCC builders used local stone and lumber to help it blend into the park landscape. After a newer visitor center opened, the old building took on its current role as an outdoor education center. It honors Peter Norbeck, the governor and senator who drove Custer State Park’s creation in 1919.
Wildlife
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.
Keep exploring
ModerateLovers Leap Trail4 mi · 3 hr · 0.1 mi awayA steep ridge, a rocky perch, then Galena Creek crossings.
EasyCreekside Trail2 mi · 1.5 hr · 1.1 mi awayA paved creekside stroll with bridges and easy campground access.
ModerateBarnes Canyon Trail4.9 mi · 4.5 hr · 2.9 mi awayA 4.9-mile one-way walk through Dry Creek backcountry.
ModerateCalkins Draw Trail4.4 mi · 2.8 hr · 2.9 mi awayA backcountry trail from Barnes Canyon down to French Creek.
ModerateGrace Coolidge Trail4.6 mi · 3 hr · 3.1 mi awayA nearly level creek walk past trout pools and repeated crossings.
ModerateLost Trails: Lower Loop1.5 mi · 1 hr · 3.2 mi awayA rocky lake loop with waterfall views and CCC stonework
ModerateLost Trails: Upper Loop and Overlook1 mi · 45 min · 3.2 mi awayA short, steep loop climbs old stone paths to a lake overlook.
ModerateGalena Trail6.4 mi · 2.5 hr · 3.4 mi awayA 6.4-mile out-and-back on a marked, shared-use Custer trail.
Store · 0.2 mi awayCoolidge General StoreA former Coolidge staff house with pizza, malts, and useful supplies.
Lodging · 0.2 mi awayState Game LodgeA Summer White House still working as a lodge and restaurant.
Lodging · 0.4 mi awayCreekside LodgeRoomy suites and a paved creekside trail, right in the park.
Campground · 0.6 mi awayGame Lodge CampgroundA central base near Wildlife Loop Road and State Game Lodge.
Campground · 0.7 mi awayCalvin Coolidge Group AreaFive electric sites share a shelter and central fire ring.
Visitor center · 0.9 mi awayCuster State Park Visitor CenterGet oriented before the wildlife drive; ask where bison are moving.
Picnic area · 0.9 mi awayEllerton Picnic AreaA shaded picnic stop beside Wildlife Loop Road's visitor-center junction.
Campground · 1.1 mi awayGrace Coolidge CampgroundCreekside camping with tent-only sites across US 16A.Parkwolf’s Custer ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
