Custer State Park: Lovers Leap

Custer State Park should be a national park. This beautiful space of preserved land stretches for 71,000 acres across southwestern South Dakota, nestled in the Black Hills. This land is the ancestral home of the Cheyenne.

My parents found this gem on their cross country voyage two years ago and were eager to share it with me on this trip. I mean, the park has its own bison herd (typically between 850-1450 bison depending on the year), mountain goats, big horn sheep, and plenty of hiking to satisfy your soul. Who wouldn’t want to enjoy this space?

On our first day, we woke up early and set out to find the herd. It was chilly and gray, but the warmth and protection of the Solis kept us comfortable. We slowly drove down the wildlife loop in the park with eyes wide open. All around us were rolling hills with deep green pines, the trees that give the Black Hills their name. It was as if they cast a dark shadow over the hills, climbing up the sides.

We were nearly half way around the loop, curious as to where the herd was hiding, when we spotted them on the left! A large group of bison were slowly sauntering down the side of the road, protecting the calves in their presence. We stopped in a line of cars and admired them as they continued by and casually, as if they owned the road, crossed between a few cars to the clearing on the other side. It was the closest we’ve been to the majestic animals so far!

We thought maybe that was it, until we rolled down the road a mile and saw almost the entire herd of bison sprawled out in the grasslands. Some meandered around, others stood still, many rested on the ground and still others rolled around, giving themselves a good back scratch. We pulled on a dirt road to park aside them for a while. There were so many, and some so far away, they looked like black ants in the grass. It was unbelievably cool.

Most of the time when I think of bison, I think of them as slow moving masses stomping over the ground. But as we sat and observed, we saw their true power. An energetic calf ran around the hillside rambunctiously, up and down, back and forth. The adults tossed their heads and huffed, then galloped around themselves. It was a special few moments.

After soaking up our fill, we continued on to the the newly built Visitors Center to learn about the herd. Did you know that bison can run 3 times faster than the average human? Between 35 and 40 miles per hour! Bison tend to live for 12-20 years and can grow over six feet tall. I took some photos of the other stats and will share below. I’m continually amazed by these creatures.

After our tour of the Visitors Center, we drove over to the Lovers Leap trailhead for a late morning hike. With guidance from a park ranger, we headed up the steep left side of the loop to the lookout point. We climbed the tree line trail to the ridge and then walked across the new growth forest. Soon we came upon the poem the ranger mentioned and scrambled up the rocks to the right for the 360 degree view, a well kept secret. Up top we saw the Black Hills roll in all directions. We settled down for lunch and soaked up the sun. Soon we had a tiny chipmunk visitor dart around us, looking for a free handout, but it was sadly disappointed. There were plenty of pine cones around, so I knew it would be well fed.

Our hike then continued along the ridge and just as we started to descend, my mom spotted something moving in the woods. Big horn sheep! Although at first (and for a while later until consulting our park magazine) we thought they were mountain goats. The female and young bighorn sheep have small, pointy horns that stick straight up like the goats we are familiar with in New England. Only the males have the iconic horns that circle backwards. I learned something new!

So, we climbed up the side of the hill and bushwhacked off the trail a little ways to capture a better view. We made sure to stay far enough away to protect the animals. The two adults milled about, chomping on the flora and fauna around. They kept stopping to stare at us, probably trying to determine if we were friend or foe. It seemed they also had a baby with them as they kept circling the one laying down. Not wanting to disturb them more than we already had, we backed away after a few minutes and continued on down the trail.

The rest of the walk wandered around the bases of the hills, back and forth across the stream, and through lush grasslands. Looking up at the hillsides was another beautiful perspective.

As we neared the end of the loop, we came across a few bison who had wandered off on their own in search of the best grasses. One was in the employee campground, and two more a few hundred yards down the road. It’s almost like they are free range cattle! They seem to be everywhere in this park. I love it!

Back at the car, we switched up our footwear, stopped at the gift shop on our way out, and headed back to the campground for the night. On the way a few more bighorn sheep bounded down the hillside to the edge of the road and gave us a show.