Custard State Park

I am planning our family%26#39;s annual ';short'; road trip this summer. We are driving from Livingston Montana with two 14yrs, one 12 and two eighteen yr olds. We are all hikers and have done some epic hikes in Yellowstone and Glacier. I am trying to decide if we would be better off staying in CSP or in Keystone. Not sure what would be best with teenagers. I am planning on spending about three days in the area. I would love some suggestions for hikes and places to stay in the park. Is everything close by or a long drive?

Thanks

Custard State Park

Where to stay really depends on what you like. You could stay at a cabin in Custer State Park (custerresorts.com), which would put you closer to hiking, or you could stay in Keystone with its many hotels and boardwalk with souvenir shops. The kids would probably love the shops, along with the mini golf course and alpine slide in town. Keystone is touristy, which is a turn-off for some, but kids usually enjoy it. You would probably enjoy staying in Custer State Park more if you dislike touristy places and want a more rustic experience that is closer to nature.

The Black Hills attractions are all within no more than a 2 hour radius, which is one of the best things about the area.

Although I am not much of a hiker, I have heard the hike up Harney Peak in Custer SP is nice. We did the walk around Sylvan Lake and enjoyed it immensely. I would also recommend seeing Wind %26amp; Jewel Caves, Crazy Horse, Mt Rushmore, Badlands National Park, and Devil%26#39;s Tower.

Hope this helps some. Have a great trip.

Custard State Park

Thanks for the help. If we have time to see one cave which one would you suggest?

Hi MontanaMom,

The Black Hills is home to many caves, but the two best are the ones operated by the national park service, namely Wind %26amp; Jewel. Jewel is the 2nd longest cave in the world and is a very open cave with many formations including popcorn, bacon, stalagmites and stalacties. Wind Cave ranks around 5th in length and is known for a formation called boxwork, which resembles spider webs. Wind Cave is more closed in (has lower ceilings), so if you are claustrophobic, it might not be for you. Neither cave is overly strenuous, and both offer 2 hour tours. To get a good idea of the formations you would see, check out nps.gov.

Although a tough decision, if I had to choose between one or the other, I%26#39;d pick Jewel for the beauty of the formations. While boxwork is very unique, I didn%26#39;t find it as appealing to the eye. Jewel is also so open; you just don%26#39;t find many caves like it. I hated for the tour to end! If you do visit Jewel Cave, I%26#39;d recommend making advanced reservations, as tours sell out quickly, and there%26#39;s little to do on the surface other than seeing the visitor%26#39;s center, which is quite small.

Please let me know if I can help you in any other way. Have fun planning.

Thanks. Do you think you could do Mt. Rushmore and a cave in one day?

Yes, Mount Rushmore and a cave in one day will still leave you with some extra time.

Here is a copy and paste about hiking I wrote on another post:

The best hiking scenery is in northern Custer State Park and in the adjacent Black Elk Wilderness. The Needles Highway is near here. Try trails such as Sunday Gulch, Cathedral Spires and Little Devils Tower to Harney Peak. Other Custer State Park trails that are worth trying out are Lovers%26#39; Leap and Grace Coolidge Creek.

The (arguably) second best hiking is in Spearfish Canyon. You can find trails right off of the road or you can try Little Spearfish Creek.

Another good area is on Rapid Creek and Slate Creek west of Silver City which is about half way between Custer State Park and Spearfish Canyon.

The Badlands are a completely different environment from the Black Hills. You%26#39;ll want to try the Castle Trail for sure. You can also try the Sheep Mountain Table Trail.

You%26#39;ll find yourself spending the majority of the week in the Black Hills. As for the Badlands, most drive through in a few hours. If you%26#39;re more adventurous, you could spend up to two days but that might be a little long.

The best hiking map for the Custer State Park/Black Elk Wilderness trails is:

…nationalgeographic.com/product/…246.html

You can find Custer State Park info at:

sdgfp.info/Parks/…20Map

Badlands:

…nationalgeographic.com/product/…320.html

Also try Black Hills National Forest for maps and info:

http://www.fs.fed.us/bhnf/

You would have plenty of time to see Rushmore and a cave in one day. For Mt. Rushmore, you%26#39;d probably need about a morning to walk the Presidential Trail and explore the visitor%26#39;s center. The cave tours run about 2 hours each. I also highly recommend returning to Mt Rushmore at night to see the evening lighting ceremony that honors our veterans. This is a very moving event.

Thanks for your help.