Nearby Activities and Events

30 MINUTES FROM THE CAMPGROUND. 

The iconic & historical Mount Rushmore National Memorial is centered on a sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills in Keystone, South Dakota. The sculpture features the 60-foot (18 m) heads of Presidents  George Washington (1732–1799), Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), and Abraham Lincoln  (1809–1865). The four presidents were chosen to represent the nation's birth, growth, development, and preservation, respectively. 

MINUTES FROM THE CAMPGROUND. 

The oldest town in the Black Hills, Custer has been greeting guests with open arms for over a century. We’ve transformed from a mining town to the perfect headquarters for your Black Hills adventure. So, what makes Custer a great vacation destination? For starters, we’re a short drive from Black Hills attractions like Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park, Crazy Horse Memorial, and much more. We also have a lively downtown where you’ll find gift shops, galleries, boutiques, and outstanding South Dakota cuisine. If you’re looking for a place where big city benefits come in a fun-sized package, this is the place for you. Take a trip to Custer—we guarantee your visit will be one you never forget.

 A 15-minute drive from Custer, and accessed along the Needles Highway, Sylvan Lake is the Crown Jewel of Custer State Park. Surrounded by immense rock formations, this lake provides a picturesque landscape and an abundance of hiking, swimming, and boating opportunities. The Sunday Gulch Trail is a popular hike at Sylvan Lake, and for those looking to try Black Elk Peak (formally known as Harney Peak), the lake is a good place to start, too. Fishing is allowed in Sylvan Lake with a valid South Dakota fishing license. 

A few miles north of Custer is the Crazy Horse Memorial, a Mount Rushmore-style mountain carving. The initiative for this other gigantic, 606-foot piece of rock sculpture came from a Lakota chief named Standing Bear, who sought to remind the world that the Indians, too, had produced great heroes like Crazy Horse, the real victor in the battle on the Little Bighorn River. Address: 12151 Avenue of the Chiefs, Crazy Horse, South Dakota 

Custer State Park, located north of Wind Cave National Park, is richly stocked with wild game. An early morning or late afternoon drive on the Wildlife Loop Road is a rewarding experience.

The highlight of the wildlife viewing is the free-roaming bison herd that numbers about 1,300. Needles Highway, Wildlife Loop, and Iron Mountain Road traverse the area allowing for scenic drives. Mountain streams and man-made lakes provide fishing, swimming, and boating opportunities. Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park is surrounded by huge rock formations that rise from the water's edge.

Just 13 miles west of Custer is Jewel Cave National Monument a karstic cave in which crystals sparkle like jewels. Currently, with more than 195 miles of mapped passages, Jewel Cave is one of the longest cave systems in the world. It features sparkling calcite crystals, delicate strands of gypsum, and other cave formations. The large rooms are strewn with boulders, tight crawl spaces, and dark fissures leading into the unknown. The only way to explore underground at Jewel Cave is on a regularly scheduled tour led by a park ranger. Address: 11149 US-16 B-12, Custer, South Dakota