Custer State Park and Needles Highway - June 2017

Most of the research that I had done prior to our trip made sure to mention NOT TO MISS CUSTER STATE PARK!  It's almost like a mini national park with lots of mega fauna and can't miss scenic viewing.  We visited Mount Rushmore in the morning and headed east and south on 16A (Iron Mountain Road).  This was a fun drive in itself with tunnels and loops and turns.  There are a few pull-offs and picnic stops.  The tunnels are awesome because they were made specifically to frame Mount Rushmore!  Not matter which direction you come from, you will either see Mount Rushmore straight ahead or in your rear view mirror!  Pretty cool!

It's also surreal to see Mount Rushmore from a different vantage point and see how distinct it looks carved into the mountain from a distance. 

We entered through the East entrance with a couple of stops at the Visitor Center, Peter Norbeck Education Center, and the State Game Lodge.  Lots of fun and interactive things to do there.  Here's a great map of the area .

We continued further south on the Wildlife Loop Road in hopes of seeing our first buffalo (and later learned we should be calling them bison - the kids kept correcting me the rest of the trip - "It's bison, dad!").  But the signs still say "buffalo!"  We also called them the Native American name "Tatanka."



We finally saw our first bison right near the Wildlife Station Visitor Center - along with some pronghorns.





Definitely the most buffalo/bison/tatanka that I've ever seen in one spot!  Pretty awesome!  We continued our drive until we came upon the wild burros.  I guess they're wild - but they sure like carrots and kids although I think by the time we arrived they were pretty stuffed - but we tried to feed them some more!

We then headed north to the south entrance of the Needles Highway.  It's quite an amazing drive with lots of sharp turns, narrow driving, and amazing views.  Warning for the driver - it's hard to take it all in while concentrating on the road with not many guardrails along the way!

There are also a couple of tunnels along this route so be sure to watch before entering a tunnel and be patient when driving.  There are lots of motorcycles that like to take this scenic turning drive too!




On the west side of the Needles Eye Tunnel is a small parking area.  Be sure to get out and explore so you can actually see the Needles Eye!  It's pretty impressive.  There are also lots of climbing and exploring opportunities for the kids!






The Needles Highway then continues on to Sylvan Lake.  Sylvan Lake is beautiful and scenic.  Unfortunately the camera battery died about this time so we don't have any pictures - but check out on line here.   This was a pretty long day for the family with Mount Rushmore in the morning and lots of driving throughout the day.  But I would highly recommend including Custer State Park and the Needles Highway in your itinerary!