Custer State Park Wildlife Driving Loop
Custer State Park is a 71,000 acre park located in the Black Hills of South Dakota. There is really something for everyone here including camping, lodging, swimming, fishing, and hiking. One of the jewels of this park is the 18 mile long Custer State Park Wildlife Driving Loop. This loop takes you around the park and allows visitors to see some amazing wildlife in its natural habitat.
The park, and the loop are open year round but some of the roads may close due to weather. The Wildlife Loop Road is paved but there are a several gravel roads that can take you to different areas that might have wildlife as well. There is a fee to get into the park and more information can be found on their website.
I was able to visit in February and it was one of the most amazing experiences I have had. The loop was full of wildlife. I saw so many bison that I barely noticed the last couple of herds! Here is a look at some of the amazing wildlife I saw on the loop. Make sure to check out the gallery below for even more photos!
Bison
The star of the show on Custer State Park’s Wildlife loop is by far the Bison. Everyone driving around was hoping to see them and the February day that I was there did not dissapoint. I saw about 8 different herds that had between six to thirty bison in them. They were scattered a bit throughout the park but once I saw the first group, the rest seemed easy to spot.
The bison were mostly grazing or resting in the dry grasses of the South Dakota park. For the most part, they were pretty far from the roads, but still very visible. They seemed on bothered by the series of cars that stopped and took pictures through the windows. I definitely would suggest a zoom lens on your camera or phone to make sure that you can get good photos without getting into dangerous situations.
I felt completely safe from the massive animals who were way more interested in the tasty grasses than the folks who were staring at them. Well, until one moment. I had taken one of the gravel roads off of the main loop to look at some bison and to get over to Wind Cave National Park. Suddenly I came over and around a hill and was almost face to face with one of the biggest bison I had seen. They were walking right next to the road and it was very cool. Until one of the giants turned and made eye contact with me in the drivers seat with it’s huge eye. I was a tad worried that they might charge the car but luckily, they just marched on by as I furiously took pictures out the window. What an amazing experience!
Pronghorn
I saw a new animal, at least from this close, when I came up on a group of Pronghorn laying and grazing right near the Wildlife Loop. Pronghorn are some of the most unique animals that I have seen. They are about the size of a deer or an antelope. I thought they were maybe in the deer family but then I let the Google machine do it’s thing and found out some interesting facts. Pronghorn are actually a unique species but are most closely related to giraffe! They are also the fastest land animals in North America with a sprint speed of over 55 miles per hour!
All that speed must have been on pause when I saw them as the group of 8 or so were laying quietly on the grass or slowly walking near the road looking for some food. They are very unique looking with short horns and patterned brown and white coat. Very cool to spot!
Elk
One animal that wasn’t afraid to show off the speed was the Elk. I have seen elk before before but this was the first time that I have seen three elk in full sprint across the prairie. There must have been something that gave these elk a scare because I they flew across this field, leaped a section of road, paused to make sure they were all there and then sprinted once again up a hill and out of view. Simply stunning. I never saw what was chasing them but it was magnificent to see these animals in a full run. And to be able to capture a picture of it!
Prairie Dogs
One of the more common animals I saw near the Custer State Park Wildlife Loop was the prairie dog. It wasn’t so much that I saw these little rodents, but how many were around the loop. It seemed like every turn I made led to another colony. Plus, for being so tiny, they had no fear and routinely were running back and forth across the roads. Make sure you don’t get too distracted by the big animals and miss one of these running in front of the wheels!
Coyote
The last animal I saw was one that probably doesn’t miss seeing many of the prairie dogs, a lone coyote. The coyote was running around this open field. It looked like it may have been hunting. If it wasn’t hunting, it might have just been showing off and looking regal for the picture. I actually have not seen that many coyote out in the wild before and was pretty happy to see this one from the car. It is always surprising how big they are when I see them in the wild!
Wrapping up the Custer State Park Wildlife Loop
The Custer State Park Wildlife Loop was such an amazing experience. These are all wild animals so there is no guarantee that the same animals will be about for every visitor but I feel like I hit the jackpot. The fact that I saw so many bison was already a win, but to see so many other animals just made for an amazing day.
I do have to think that the odds of seeing an animal in this park are pretty good. It is a giant park and the animals seemed very comfortable with the people and not skittish by cars. That being said, I did go off season in February. With less people, the animals may have been more comfortable in the open.
Don’t be afraid to explore some of the gravel roads that are off the main loop. That is where I saw some of the best animals. It was such an amazing experience for me and one that I can’t wait to try again one day!
More from the Fatman!
If you enjoyed this post you may enjoy more of the posts on my Fatman’s Rambling page. Blogs such as “Screw it, I’m Trying”, “Hiking Alone not Lonely Hiking“, “Winslow, Arizona” and “Another Year” as well as many others may interest you there. If you have any comments or topics you would like me to cover, feel free to email me at fatmanlittletrails@gmail.com. Or you can keep the conversation going by following me on any of the below social media platforms.
