Destination 6
Custer State Park and The Black Hills
The View
We spent a wonderful day at Custer State Park, about 45 minutes out of Rapid City in the Black Hills. Hoping to see bison without arranging and paying for a jeep tour, we departed early and arrived at the Wildlife Loop Road about 7 a.m.
We were not disappointed. Just a few minutes after entering the park, our car was surrounded by bison, and we saw several other herds, along with amazing views, on this scenic and well-marked drive.
We then drove the famous Needles Highway (87N), which took us from the Wildlife Loop to the very top of the "needles," fantastic vertical rock structures for which the two-lane road is named.
This beautiful drive includes plenty of pull-outs and small parking lots to allow for viewing the area, two very tiny one-way tunnels, and numerous trailheads. The rock formations were striking. On the northern end of Needles, we stopped at lovely Sylvan Lake to enjoy a picnic lunch and the one-mile trail which encircles the lake.
