Travel Guide Custer State Park

The first and largest park in South Dakota, this state park was named after General George Armstrong Custer, who was famous for exploring the region and for his defeat, which cost him life in the battle of Little Bighorn against a coalition of Cheyenne and Sioux. The Custer State Park was created in 1912 and steadily absorbs new land. In parallel, it is designed for tourism with the creation of different infrastructures: new roads, information centers, accommodation…Today it extends over 290 km ² north of Wind Cave National Park and east of the city of Custer. His popularity began in 1927 thanks to President Calvin Coolidge who, during his tenure in office, was his secondary residence. Very quickly the park will become a popular tourist destination known for its hilly and rugged reliefs and the diversity of its wild life. Among other things, he is renowned for his prairie dogs (sparkling little marmots), his welcoming donkeys and his bison, with a huge herd of over 1,000 heads that evolve freely. There are also elk, deer, beers, sheep… The cougars also populate the region, but are almost impossible to see. Several scenic roads, the most famous of which is the Wild Life Loop Road, allow you to observe the different species and enjoy the beautiful landscapes oscillating between picturesque small lakes, dense forests and meadows, sometimes rounded and infinite.