I put Custer State Park on our “To Do” list before arriving in Custer, South Dakota. But it ended up down at the bottom of my list because I thought, “How interesting could a state park be? Just some fishing ponds and picnic areas, right?”

Boy, was I wrong!!!

Kim told me last night that she had investigated the park and wanted us to go today. The park has around 71,000 acres, nearly 1,300 to 1,450 free-roaming bison, and other wildlife. It is located in the Black Hills of southwestern South Dakota.

The next five pictures and video were taken on Mount Coolidge next to the Fire Tower. The views were breathtaking and my attempts to capture the beauty pale in comparison to what it actually felt like in person.

The next picture was taken as we were going down Mount Coolidge. Kim captured the moment as I was gripping the steering wheel. The road is wide enough for two vehicles, but it is topped with loose gravel, has steep angles, no railing, and death would be certain if you went over the edge. The views at the top were worth it, but I would be content never to take this drive again.

It seemed that every turn I made on the winding roads (roughly a 30-mile loop) was picture-worthy.

There are almost 1,500 buffalo in this park. A hiker/trail runner was injured a few days ago after unexpectedly encountering a buffalo. It scared both the buffalo and her; the buffalo reacted, and the hiker ended up being transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. It’s a reminder that wild animals are, in fact, wild.

Prairie dogs are fun to watch as they hop out of their holes and stand as tall as they can to see what’s going on around them.

If you look closely at the following pictures, you can see the dark specks on the hillside. It’s a herd of grazing buffalo.

I love scenic pictures like this with contrasting colors.

I had to climb a pretty tall hill to get the following two pictures. The views were incredible!

I took many more pictures. But I hope the ones I’ve included in this post have given you a taste of what it is like in Custer State Park.

I’ve been surprised at how many of my friends have been in this area of the country. If you are ever near Mt. Rushmore & Crazy Horse, you are only a few miles away from Custer State Park. (It cost us $25 to get a “license” to enter the park which was incredibly reasonable.)

Genesis 1:31 (CSB): “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good indeed…”