Custer State Park…2nd Largest State Park in the US


Custer State Park is 71,000 acres of diversity.  It is made up of pine forest, mixed grassland prairie, burbling brooks (one of Sue’s favourite terms), pristine lakes (man made however), granite outcroppings of the needles spires, and free roaming buffalo (more on that later).  It has a lot to offer the 2 million people who visit annually.

We took a hike up into the grasslands today.  Despite the fact that it was hot, 31 degrees by 11:00, the hike was a good one…except for the poison ivy!  I sure as heck hope that I avoided contact…only time will tell.

The rest of the day was spent driving.  We again took the Wildlife Loop Road and again came upon the burros and the ‘free roaming buffalo’.  We figured out today that the area is fenced up high in the hills of the grasslands.  The ‘free roaming buffalo’ are contained for the summer months so that they are easily viewed by the passing cars…I guess a little bit of deception is not a bad thing.  We also learned that the buffalo are rounded up each Fall, their health assessed, and a sale takes place to keep their numbers stable…’free roaming’ maybe…but definitely managed!

Two days ago, we had so much fun on Needles Highway that we decided to drive it again.  As the founder of the Park, Peter Norbeck, is quoted as saying, “You’re not suppose to drive here at 60 miles an hour, to do the scenery justice you should drive at no more than 20.  To do it full justice, you should just get out and walk it”.  This is so true.  However, if we would have been walking the Needles Highway today, we would have been run down by the hundreds (possibly 1000’s) of motorcycles that were also experiencing the thrill of the drive.  Automobiles were definitely in the minority today!

Distance Traveled = 193 km.  Wildlife Sightings = Meadowlark, Goldfinch, Turkey Vulture, Western Bluebird, Wood Peewee, Pronghorn, Mule Deer, White-tailed Deer, Burros, Bison, Black-tailed Prairie Dogs, Big-horned Sheep.


Grasslands hike


The Three Amigos


Soon to be Big Horn Sheep jam


The Needles


Needle Eye Tunnel


Needle Eye Tunnel 

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