Custer State Park, SD
Steep Black Hills horse trail with a long descent into Heddy Draw.
Overview
Map & elevation
Plan your hike
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
Mount Coolidge and Heddy Overlook“You're approaching the turnoff for Mount Coolidge's summit road. The drive climbs narrow, winding gravel, with no access for campers or oversized vehicles.”
Plays on the road 0.2 mi from the trailhead 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.”
Trail guide
Heddy Draw Horse Trail follows a mapped 3.54-mile corridor from the Highway 87 crossing into the Heddy Draw trail network. The route is stored once; the visitor itinerary is an out-and-back, about 7.1 miles total. The return toward the highway climbs steeply. Some listings describe shorter Heddy Draw routes, so this record follows the longer corridor that matches the named horse-trail way and the park’s directions.
No dedicated parking at the Highway 87 crossing was verified. The park’s horse-route directions approach Heddy Draw from French Creek Horse Camp by way of Calkins Draw and Barnes Canyon Road, then ride west through Heddy Draw to Highway 87. That nine-hour Trail 1 itinerary continues toward Mount Coolidge and is not the route stored here. Confirm a safe, legal place to start with the park before relying on the highway crossing.
This is a marked horse-trail corridor, so expect equestrian traffic. The park advises visitors to watch for bison, rattlesnakes and poison ivy and to prepare for steep, rocky climbs and changing weather. A park entrance license is required. Pets are allowed on leash no longer than 10 feet.
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
ModerateMount Coolidge Trail3.3 mi · 1.8 hr · 0.2 mi awayClimb the fire tower road for Black Hills views and CCC history.
EasyHeddy Lookout Trail0.8 mi · 30 min · 0.3 mi awayA short wooded walk to a covered overlook above Heddy Draw
ModerateSaw Mill Trail2.2 mi · 1.3 hr · 0.5 mi awayA forested ridge traverse links two mapped Saw Mill sections.
EasyBadger Clark Trail0.6 mi · 45 min · 1.3 mi awayRock-lined tread, poetry signs, and a loop beside Badger Hole.
ModerateFrench Creek via Centennial Trail8 mi · 4.5 hr · 1.3 mi awayA steep Centennial descent to rocky, crossing-filled French Creek.
EasyLegion Lakeshore Trail0.7 mi · 30 min · 1.4 mi awayAn easy lakeside loop beneath granite cliffs and pines.
ModerateGalena Trail6.4 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.4 mi awayA 6.4-mile out-and-back on a marked, shared-use Custer trail.
ModerateLegion Lake Trail1 mi · 1 hr · 1.5 mi awayA rocky ridge loop with blue markers and a Mount Coolidge glimpse.
Scenic pullout · 0.3 mi awayHeddy Draw OverlookA short walk to a covered shelter and broad Black Hills views.
Sight · 0.3 mi awayMount Coolidge Fire TowerClear-day views reach Rushmore, Crazy Horse and the Needles.Sight · 1.3 mi awayBadger Hole Historic SiteA poet’s furnished cabin with a short, story-filled woodland loop.
Sight · 1.3 mi awayLegion LakeBeach, paddling and an easy shoreline loop in one stop.
Lodging · 1.4 mi awayLegion Lake LodgeCabins, lakeside dining and boat rentals share one stop.
Campground · 1.4 mi awayLegion Lake CampgroundCamp in the trees, with the lake and lodge across US 16A.
Campground · 1.8 mi awayBlue Bell CampgroundPine shade, tent pads, and cabins beside French Creek.
Sight · 1.9 mi awayBlue Bell Lodge StablesA guided horseback ride into French Creek’s pine-lined backcountry.Parkwolf’s Custer ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
