Cool facts about Custer State Park

Posted on Aug 25, 2025 / Travel

The park is home to one of the largest publicly managed free-roaming bison herds in the nation, and the annual Buffalo Roundup draws thousands of spectators each fall.
Needles Highway, famous for its granite spires and narrow tunnels, was carved in the 1920s and named after its needle-like rock formations.
Sylvan Lake has been a filming location and was once described by famed naturalist John Muir as a "gem" of the Black Hills.
The Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway, which runs through the park, is named after the U.S. senator who championed preservation and scenic road building in the Black Hills.
Historic Game Lodge, built in the 1920s, served as a hunting retreat for presidents and is now a central park lodge with period decor and wildlife exhibits.
The park’s landscape includes ancient granite outcrops that are over a billion years old, offering hikers dramatic exposed rock and panoramic views.
Custer State Park manages prairie restoration projects and habitat programs to support native plants and pollinators across its grassland areas.

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