Campground · Custer State Park
Primitive tent camping reserved for organized nonprofit youth groups.
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.
Recorded for this area
A Buzz That Shakes Out Pollen“When a bumblebee clings to a flower and gives a loud buzz, it may be shaking pollen loose. It vibrates its flight muscles, sending a shiver through the flower.”
Plays near Shady Rest Non-Profit Youth Camp Area 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
Shady Rest Non-Profit Youth Camp Area is a primitive tent campground on US 16A, about two miles west of the park office. It’s reserved for organized nonprofit-sponsored youth groups: the campers must be under 18 and accompanied by designated adult leaders. This isn’t a public campground for families or individual travelers, so it only fits an eligible group booking.
Expect a simple, shaded draw with an intermittent stream, fire grates, picnic tables and vault toilets. It’s tent-only and water must be brought in. The park lists showers at Game Lodge and Grace Coolidge campgrounds, separate facilities; ask whether your group can use them.
Wildlife
993 sightingsBisonMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
91 sightingsWapitiMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
258 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
85 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
256 sightingsBurroMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
707 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
EasyCreekside Trail2 mi · 1.5 hr · 0.7 mi awayA paved creekside stroll with bridges and easy campground access.
ModerateGrace Coolidge Trail4.6 mi · 3 hr · 1.8 mi awayA nearly level creek walk past trout pools and repeated crossings.
ModerateLost Trails: Lower Loop1.5 mi · 1 hr · 1.8 mi awayA rocky lake loop with waterfall views and CCC stonework
ModerateLost Trails: Upper Loop and Overlook1 mi · 45 min · 1.8 mi awayA short, steep loop climbs old stone paths to a lake overlook.
ModerateLovers Leap Trail4 mi · 3 hr · 1.9 mi awayA steep ridge, a rocky perch, then Galena Creek crossings.
ModerateBarnes Canyon Trail4.9 mi · 4.5 hr · 2.4 mi awayA 4.9-mile one-way walk through Dry Creek backcountry.
ModerateCalkins Draw Trail4.4 mi · 2.8 hr · 2.4 mi awayA backcountry trail from Barnes Canyon down to French Creek.
EasyBadger Clark Trail0.6 mi · 45 min · 2.5 mi awayRock-lined tread, poetry signs, and a loop beside Badger Hole.
Campground · 0.7 mi awayGrace Coolidge CampgroundCreekside camping with tent-only sites across US 16A.
Store · 1.6 mi awayCoolidge General StoreA former Coolidge staff house with pizza, malts, and useful supplies.
Sight · 1.8 mi awayPeter Norbeck Outdoor Education CenterHands-on nature exhibits lead straight to open-ended outdoor play.
Sight · 1.8 mi awayCenter LakeSwim, fish or take the upper loop for a lake overlook.
Lodging · 2 mi awayState Game LodgeA Summer White House still working as a lodge and restaurant.
Campground · 2 mi awayCenter Lake CampgroundPonderosa shade beside the lake for swimming and fishing.
Sight · 2.1 mi awayBlack Hills PlayhouseA 345-seat summer theatre with a tradition stretching back to 1946.
Lodging · 2.1 mi awayCreekside LodgeRoomy suites and a paved creekside trail, right in the park.Parkwolf’s Custer ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
