Kid Tips

Toddlers & Pre-K: There's lots of room to run around, so young kids should enjoy the park. The begging burros are fun to see from the car but might be intimidating to the tiny ones -- they jostle and push to get to proffered food -- and tiny fingers might get nipped in feeding. Kids 4 and under aren't allowed on the trail rides.

School-Age Kids: With plenty of outlets for pent-up energy and lots of wildlife to spot (bison and pronghorn can be seen all along the wildlife loop road) the park is the perfect antidote for kids who've been in the car -- or viewing monuments and museums -- too much.

Pre-Teens & Teens: The wildlife, fishing, horseback riding, and boating are all pretty popular with this set. If your child likes hiking, the Harney Peak trail (6 miles round trip, moderate to strenuous) climbs the highest peak between the Rockies and the Alps . The rewards are great views and a sense of accomplishment.

Planning Notes

• A sight to behold. If you're here for the Annual Buffalo Round-up in early October (book hotel or campsites early) arrive very early that morning to watch the herd come thundering into the corrals.
• Bring binoculars. The park has some of the best wildlife sighting around. The jeep tours get quite close to the bison and pronghorn, but unless you have four-wheel drive, you can't get as close. Kids will love viewing a baby bison or a big horn ram through the binoculars.
• Be aware of your surroundings. If hiking, bring plenty of water, and watch for poison ivy (particularly near the streams), rattlesnakes or mountain lions (rare), and bison (not so rare). Don't approach bison on foot -- they weigh up to 2,000 pounds, and can charge unexpectedly (and with surprising speed) if startled. View them safely from cars or on the jeep tours.
• Burro snacks. The rangers don't recommend feeding the burros because little fingers may get nipped. If you're not worried about that happening, however, then apples and carrots are their favorite treats. You can usually find one herd of begging burros near the park's north boundary on Iron Mountain Road (US 16A) and another near the buffalo corrals.

Just the Facts

Hours: Open daily, 24 hours a day The visitor's center is open 8 a.m.-6 p.m. in the summer; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. in winter; closed some days.

Fees: Under $10

Reviews of Custer State Park

Fine park

By wolv90 3 days ago

What we loved:
wildlife, scenery

What we didn't love:
too developed

Custer is a nice park. If you want to see bison, pronghorn and deer it's outstanding. There is some neat geography in terms of "spires" and a beautiful pine forest. The terrain is mostly rugged, but there is also a lot of prairie on the east side. Very scenic and varied. We did feel that the park was a bit overdeveloped for it's size - too many buildings and structures on the few lakes, almost like they didn't fit. We loved the French Creek Natural area and found it to be the highlight.

We enjoy photography and were able to find and locate many animals in the park thanks to this guide:

Custer State Park Wildlife

Defintiely bring a camera to custer,and the longer the better. Also, watch out for the crazy feral burros on the wildlife drive, lol. They will try and steal food from your car.Read More

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We liked Custer

By jloxtercamp June 17, 2008 | central minnesota

What we loved:
Beautiful landscape and wildlife

What we didn't love:
nothing

Custer State Park was a beautiful place to see. We went through the Black Hills to get there which was hard on the baby's ears. Everyone loved this park though and feeding the baby helped his ears "pop" and he was fine. Bring you camera.Read More

Not Acceptable?

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By kctest November 19, 2007

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