Camping

Campgrounds here require park entrance fees as well as camping fees.

Each campsite at Custer State Park has a gravel or paved camping pad, drinking water and showers, and a picnic table, and all campgrounds but Center Lake have flush toilets. About 200 campsites throughout the park may be reserved beginning in January, while other sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Campsites range from modern to primitive. Group camping is available at two campgrounds; the French Creek Horse Camp is designated specifically for campers with horses.

For information and reservations contact Custer State Park, HC 83, Box 70, Custer, SD 57730 (tel. 800/710-2267 or 605/255-4515).

Blue Bell Campground is located in a mature stand of ponderosa pine near French Creek, not far from the site where Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer and his 7th Cavalry discovered gold in 1874. It offers easy access to the Wildlife Loop Road, horseback riding, stream fishing, and fabulous hiking.

Game Lodge Campground is another of Custer State Park's fine campgrounds. This one was designed for larger RVs, but tent campers will find cool, shady sites and an occasional bison along the banks of Grace Coolidge Creek. It's located near the park's Peter Norbeck Visitor Center and the State Game Lodge.

Legion Lake Campground is centrally located in Custer State Park, with fishing, boating, and hiking opportunities right at your doorstep. Historic sites are within walking distance, as is the Legion Lake Resort across the highway.

You'd probably have to camp in Yosemite Valley to get a better view than the one at Sylvan Lake Campground. This mountain retreat is located just off the incredible Needles Highway, near 7,242-foot Harney Peak, the highest point between the Rockies and the Swiss Alps, and affords visitors the best in Black Hills hiking and mountain climbing. Its campsites fill quickly, so make your reservations early; all sites are reservable.

The park's other three campgrounds are Center Lake, 5 miles northeast of the junction of U.S. 16A and S. Dak. 87; Grace Coolidge, 13 miles east of Custer on U.S. 16A; and Stockade Lake, located just inside the park's western boundary on U.S. 16A.

Reservations are accepted at Game Lodge, Legion Lake, Blue Bell, Stockade North, Sylvan Lake, and French Creek Horse Camp. It's first-come, first-served at Grace Coolidge, Center Lake, and Stockade South.