Roaming bison, trout-filled mountain streams, granite peaks that soar to the sky, the howl of a coyote on a starry night!! Custer State park covers 71,000 acres in South Dakota's Black Hills.
Custer State Park is named for George A. Custer, who lead a scientific army expedition into the Black Hills in 1874. Though the expedition discovered gold, Custer seemed more interested in the area's uncommon natural beauty.
In 1913, the South Dakota legislature created a state game reserve in the southern Black Hills. In 1919, the reserve became Custer State Park.
When we were here last year we travelled the 18-mile Wildlife Loop road in search of bison. We did not see one! Not one! So on Tuesday, July 29, early in the morning, as that
is the best time to see the wild life along the loop we headed off once again in search of the elusive bison, and the only bison we did catch a glimpse of were a few way off behind some trees. We continued along the road and saw burros and elk and prairie dogs, but no bison...
In the park you may not find the bison, but the Park's wild burros will find you! These panhandling jackasses are perpetually hungry! While one of them blocks traffic, his buddies conduct a car-to-car search, hoping for some cookies or crackers to eat. Find them, we did, but no bison!
At the end of the road we decided to turn around and see if we could find them...so back we went. We stopped at the visitor station and they said they had been seen along the off road, 4 Mile Draw Road.. so off we headed but when we got to the road it was closed...
Back at the beginning of the road we decided to head south on highway 87 and when we rounded the bend.........................................
see below.............................
