Parking
The park map marks parking at the west access beside Stockade Lake Drive. The mapped route begins at the nearby Doran trail access; confirm the trail marker before heading east.
Overview
About Doran Trail
Why go
- Historic CCC stone paths and stairwork
- Pine-framed overlooks above Stockade Lake
Heads up
- Distance references disagree about the route length
- Some walking is on a road shared with vehicles
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Custer map
Full mapElevation5,174–5,341 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Custer Tour Guide
Your drive to Doran Trail, 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.
Recorded for this trailhead
Doran Trail: Stone Paths Above Stockade Lake0:00 / 0:24
“You're nearing the Doran Trail access beside Stockade Lake. Choose this for a wooded shoreline walk with lake views and old stone paths and stairs built by the Civilian Conservation Corps.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Custer Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Gordon Stockade: Gold and the Treaty
- How Water Striders Stay Afloat
- Stockade Lake: Water or a Ridge Walk
- The President's Well-Stocked Stream
- 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.”
Trail guide
Hiking Doran Trail
Shoreline out-and-backFollow Stockade Lake’s wooded south shore over rolling dirt and rock to lake views and Camp…
Follow Stockade Lake’s wooded south shore over rolling dirt and rock to lake views and Camp Doran’s old stone paths. The mapped corridor is about 1.15 miles one way (about 2.3 miles round-trip); allow roughly 1–1.5 hours. Mileage references conflict: one park map lists 0.6 miles while its overview labels the trail 1.2 miles, and neither makes the distance convention clear. Check trail markers and your turnaround before setting out, especially if you expect a short walk.
Tread and road sectionsThe route includes uneven stonework and steps, and parts may be faint.
The route includes uneven stonework and steps, and parts may be faint. Some sections use paved Stockade Lake Drive, shared with vehicles; take care while walking on the road.
Camp DoranThe trail follows surviving stone paths and stairs built by Civilian Conservation Corps crews.
The trail follows surviving stone paths and stairs built by Civilian Conservation Corps crews. Camp Doran opened in 1933, and its original summer tent site now lies beneath Stockade Lake; the camp closed in 1937.
DogsDogs may join hikers on a leash no longer than 10 feet.
Dogs may join hikers on a leash no longer than 10 feet. Pets are not allowed in park buildings or on designated swim beaches.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Custer
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.
