American bison grazing in Custer State Park in South Dakota

The Needles in Custer State Park in South Dakota

Custer State Park is a state park and wildlife reserve in the Black Hills of southwestern South Dakota, USA. The American bison ( Bison bison) is a Bovine Mammal, also commonly known as the American buffalo. State Park is a term used in the United States and in Mexico for an area of land preserved on account of its natural beauty historic interest recreation or other The Black Hills ( Pahá Sápa in Lakota, Moˀȯhta-voˀhonáaeva in Cheyenne) are a small isolated Mountain range rising from the South Dakota ( is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America. The park is South Dakota's largest and first state park, named after General George Armstrong Custer. The area originally started out as sixteen sections, but was later changed into one block of land because of the challenges of the terrain. ^[1] The park began to grow rapidly in the 1920s and gained new land. During the 1930 the Civilian Conservation Corps built miles of roads, laid out parks and campgrounds, and build three dams that set up a future of water recreation at the park. In 1964 an additional 22,900 acres (93 km²) were added to the park. ^[1] The park covers an area of over 71,000 acres (287 km²) of hilly terrain and is home to many wild animals. ^[2] It is home to a famous herd of 1500 free roaming bison. ^[2] Elk, mule deer, white tailed deer, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, mountain lions, and feral burros also inhabit the park. The elk, or wapiti ( Cervus canadensis) is one of the largest Species of Deer in the world and one of the largest Mammals in The mule deer ( Odocoileus hemionus) is a Deer whose habitat is in the western half of North America. The White-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus) also known as the Virginia deer, or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized Deer found throughout The Mountain Goat ( Oreamnos americanus) also known as the Rocky Mountain Goat, is a large-hoofed mammal found only in North America. Bighorn Sheep ( Ovis canadensis) is a species of sheep in North America and Siberia with large horns which can weigh up to. The pronghorn ( Antilocapra americana) also pronghorn antelope or prong buck, is a species of Ungulate Mammal native to interior The cougar ( Puma concolor) also puma, mountain lion, or panther, depending on region is a Mammal of the Felidae family A feral organism is one that has escaped from Domestication and returned partly or wholly to its wild state The donkey or ass, Equus asinus, is a member of the Equidae or horse family and an odd-toed ungulate. The park is famous for its scenery, its scenic drives (Needles Highway and the wildlife loop), with views of the bison herd and prairie dog towns. The Needles Highway, near Custer SD, is a scenic highway running through Custer State Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The prairie dogs ( Cynomys) are small burrowing Rodents native to the Grasslands of North America This park is easily accessible by road from Rapid City. Rapid City is the second-largest city in the US state of South Dakota, and the County seat of Pennington County. Other nearby attractions are Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, and Badlands National Park. Mount Rushmore National Memorial, near Keystone, South Dakota, is a monumental Granite sculpture by Gutzon Borglum (1867–1941 located The Crazy Horse Memorial is a mountain Monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota, in the form of Crazy Horse, an Oglala Badlands National Park, in southwest South Dakota, United States preserves of sharply eroded Buttes pinnacles and spires blended with the largest

See also

• Begging Burros
• Black Hills
• List of South Dakota state parks

References

External links

• Park Website
• Park Brochure
• Custer State Park resorts
• Video of the 2006 Buffalo Roundup, Custer State Park
• Wildlife loop
• Camping
• Weather, Maps, Photos, & Reviews - Unearthed Outdoors