Parking
Use the marked Prairie Trail parking area on the south side of Wildlife Loop Road; it sits at the north end of the loop.
Overview
About Prairie Trail
Why go
- Open prairie views and seasonal wildflowers
- A short loop with both grassland and streamside hardwoods
Heads up
- Repeated short climbs and little shade on most of the route
- Creek crossings can be wet after rain and low or dry in dry spells
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Custer map
Full mapElevation4,121–4,400 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 Prairie 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.
See the Custer audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Prairie Trail: Grassland and Bison Wallows0:00 / 0:28
“You're nearing the Prairie Trail trailhead, a chance to get out into the rolling grassland rather than just drive through it.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Custer Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Robber's Roost: An Hour in the Open Hills
- The Woodpecker Hunting Ants
- The Prairie's Flute
- How Gold Ends Up in a Creek
- 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 Prairie Trail
The whole walkPrairie Trail is a two-mile loop across the rolling grassland west of Wildlife Loop Road, with…
Prairie Trail is a two-mile loop across the rolling grassland west of Wildlife Loop Road, with short rises, a small stream and patches of shaded hardwoods. Plan two to three hours from the roadside trailhead, including the short approach to the main loop and back. The climbs come in repeated ups and downs rather than one sustained ascent, so the park's moderate rating fits. Go for open prairie views and the change of scene by the creek; most of the route has little shade.
Prairie, then stream shadeThe narrow, natural-ground path crosses open grass and low hills, then dips beside a small…
The narrow, natural-ground path crosses open grass and low hills, then dips beside a small meandering stream under mixed hardwoods. That wooded stretch is a welcome break from the sun, but it does not last for the whole walk. Creek crossings can be wet after rain or snowmelt and may run low or dry in dry spells. Bring water and a hat for the exposed sections.
Flowers and bison wallowsThe flower display changes through the season: look for pasqueflowers in early spring, prairie…
The flower display changes through the season: look for pasqueflowers in early spring, prairie coneflowers around midsummer and asters toward fall. Large bare circles in the grass are bison wallows; bison roll in them to shed winter fur and deter biting flies. The open hills make the route a good place to notice how quickly prairie gives way to streamside trees.
Wildlife and trail rulesBison are common in this part of the park.
Bison are common in this part of the park. Keep at least 100 yards away from bison and other large wildlife; if an animal is on the trail, wait or turn back rather than trying to pass close. Poison ivy is common along the route, so long pants and boots are sensible. Pets are allowed on a leash no longer than 10 feet.
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.
