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Thinking about visiting Custer State Park in mid-late October. Is that a good time to visit? What's the weather like? Will there be a lot of snow/ice? How might the experience differ from visiting in the warmer seasons?
If there's snow, it could be MUCH, MUCH snow! Fall and spring snow storms can be very wet, heavy and deep. It'll probably snow (measurable amounts) a couple days in October, quite possibly two days in a row. It's not likely to hang around long, as those big storms usually blow through and are followed by warm and sunny days. October has always been my favorite month in this area, usually warm days with cloudless skies. Unless there's been a snow storm within a week before your arrival, there probably won't be any snow on the ground.
It's a great time to see bighorn rams butting heads. If you've never seen that, it's quite an experience. (I'm hoping late October isn't too late! It's been awhile since I've been there in the fall.)
You'll have the park to yourself, mostly. No crowds. The Buffalo Roundup is this weekend, and traffic will be very low from then until June.
If there's snow, it could be MUCH, MUCH snow! Fall and spring snow storms can be very wet, heavy and deep. It'll probably snow (measurable amounts) a couple days in October, quite possibly two days in a row. It's not likely to hang around long, as those big storms usually blow through and are followed by warm and sunny days. October has always been my favorite month in this area, usually warm days with cloudless skies. Unless there's been a snow storm within a week before your arrival, there probably won't be any snow on the ground.
It's a great time to see bighorn rams butting heads. If you've never seen that, it's quite an experience. (I'm hoping late October isn't too late! It's been awhile since I've been there in the fall.)
You'll have the park to yourself, mostly. No crowds. The Buffalo Roundup is this weekend, and traffic will be very low from then until June.
Here are some of the rams I took pictures of during one of my last fall trips to Custer State Park. I think this may have been just outside the park going towards Custer, SD. Photos were all taken from the highway using an 80-200mm zoom lens on a 35mm film camera. Easy wildlife photos! Some showed the head-butting, but apparently I didn't load them to my site.
Adding a second one, taken at Badlands National Park near the west entrance (Wall, SD) on another trip around Christmas time. Apparently they migrate to the Badlands in the winter. There was a large herd (20-30) there, but this is the only photo I have handy. (Sunrise, not sunset. Wanted you to know I was up early that morning!)
The wildlife are one of the neat aspects of Custer State Park. It's kind of under-the-radar,
which is good. I think Custer State Park actually rivals any national park-it is that nice.
Exciting weather is one of the attributes of the Black Hills. Couple years ago, late Sept.
brought three feet of snow up to the north of Custer. Power was out for days, But that
was unusual-more likely is that you could enjoy 60/70 degree sunny fall days.
All kinds of stuff: driving Wildlife Loop, Iron Mtn Road, and Needles Hwy. Real nice
places to stay: cabins at BlueBell Lodge with horseback riding. Frank Lloyd Wright design
Sylvan Lake Lodge on a ridge above Sylvan Lake. State Game Lodge is excellent for a
meal, or even just coffee, also a good place to stay. And Legion Lake Lodge is good for a
burger and fries type of stop right along the lake. Game Lodge is open year-round.
You will get a kick out of the burros. I think the deal is that they are feral burros
descended from burros that worked the mines back in the day.
Attractions I enjoy... Black Elk Peak, Bear Butte State Park, Spearfish Scenic byway. I just got back today and did the Community Caves hike and enjoyed it so much I did it a second time after I went and did the Devil's Bathtub. I went around and above the caves and sat on the overlook where you can see the road for 45 minutes and took it all in.
Leaves are at peak right now here. There's countless more trails than what I listed and I plan to hit them all over time.
Here are some of the rams I took pictures of during one of my last fall trips to Custer State Park. I think this may have been just outside the park going towards Custer, SD. Photos were all taken from the highway using an 80-200mm zoom lens on a 35mm film camera. Easy wildlife photos! Some showed the head-butting, but apparently I didn't load them to my site.
Adding a second one, taken at Badlands National Park near the west entrance (Wall, SD) on another trip around Christmas time. Apparently they migrate to the Badlands in the winter. There was a large herd (20-30) there, but this is the only photo I have handy. (Sunrise, not sunset. Wanted you to know I was up early that morning!)
That second picture is gorgeous! The first one is nice too.
We are heading in to mid-October, and I live in Custer - so here's an update from a local!
Temps are cooling off substantially at night - below freezing every night for a while now - so if you are camping, be prepared. Snow is likely on any given night, even if it's not in the forecast. It generally warms up enough during the day to melt it, so moisture is moisture, and we will take it!
The forecast for the next few days is unseasonably warm, even at night, so it would be an ideal time to visit. Just be aware that the leaves are pretty much gone, so while it's still pretty, don't expect to see fall colors.
The bighorn are down from the peaks, and so are the mountain goats (Needles Highway). The bison herd has been released from the corrals after the round up, and the sale for the ones removed from the herd should be in a few weeks' time, so you are guaranteed to see a few in the corrals, at least. The burros are moving to the winter grazing area, so they may or may not be visible in numbers when you are here. Bring a bag of carrots, just in case! =) Oh, and the deer are everywhere, as usual. If you are going to stop and look at them, please at least pull over to the shoulder, so the locals can get by you. Not much is more irritating that someone who slams on their brakes in the middle of the road to look at deer. =/ They're the squirrels of the Black Hills - they are everywhere, so if you miss one herd, don't worry, there's probably more around the next bend.
Many of the resorts in CSP are closed for the season now, so restaurants in the park are limited, but you can hit Hermosa and Lintz Bros. for decent pizza, and Custer itself still has a number of good local places open.
I would add that the Elk are in the middle of mating season so spotting a few or a herd is a real possibility. Early mornings or evenings work best for Elk. Listening for them to bugle can be fun, especially if a few coyotes join in. Stay warm.
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