Apparently Custer State Park would have been a National Park except that the state of South Dakota got in first. It's home to a herd of 1500 bison, plus a whole bunch of other animals.
To get to Custer State Park from Mt Rushmore, we took the "Needles Highway" (highway is a bit optimistic), which wound around in circles up and down various mountains and rock formations. It was beautiful and probably moreso because it was all covered in snow.
The road also went through various tunnels carved straight through the rock. One of them was barely big enough to get the car through, and you had to sound your horn to make sure no other cars met you halfway in the tunnel. In case you're wondering about the blue sky in this photo vs the grey one in the others - this one was taken 9 minutes earlier.
Once we were inside the State Park, the landscape changed dramatically to the open plains, and the animals were in abundance. There were deer everywhere.
More open rolling plains.
Custer State Park is known for its herd of "friendly burros" (donkeys), who beg food from passing tourists.
The little burro looks just like a little lamb! :)
They were so friendly that we had trouble leaving, as they kept trying to stick their noses inside the car.
We found the herd of bison. They are huge! (And tasty!)
We found a wedding party in the park too, that apparently wasn't expecting the -5 degree weather or snowy conditions. I really don't envy those bridesmaids.
There are 5 parts to this series - this is part 3. You can also read part 1, part 2, part 4 and part 5.
"Needles" comes from these rocky spines.
There are 5 parts to this series - this is part 3. You can also read part 1, part 2, part 4 and part 5.
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