Experience the best of Custer

Custer sits among the granite hills of the Black Hills, a forested island of mountains rising from the Great Plains and sacred to the Lakota. Gold was found in the hills in the 1870s, and Custer, founded in 1875, was the first town the miners built there.

Custer State Park, one of the larger state parks in the country, is home to a large bison herd, along with pronghorn and wild burros, and the herd is rounded up on horseback each autumn. The Needles Highway winds through granite spires, Sylvan Lake lies among the rocks, and Wind Cave National Park is nearby. Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial, a carving still in progress, are a short drive away.

South Dakota food here includes bison, chislic, cubes of fried or grilled meat seasoned with salt and garlic, and prairie-style beef. Summer is busy with campers and motorcyclists, and winter is cold with snow. May to September is the most pleasant season, and the autumn colours in the hills are attractive.