Custer, South Dakota

Nico and Linda enjoying a wooded trail just off camp.

This is the second time I have been to the Custer area to ride and I just love it! In late September of 2011, the girls headed off to Custer, South Dakota to ride and see the Custer State Park Buffalo Stampede. For late September the weather turned out to be spectacular and no bugs! We booked ahead to stay at the Broken Arrow Horse Camp just four miles outside the city of Custer. The location was perfect. Nice covered pens kept the horses happy, and a wonderful bathroom and shower kept us clean. There are all levels of sites with full hook-up, fire pits and water, and very nice cabins for those who do not wish to sleep in their rigs. The owners thought of everything, even golf carts to easily transfer tack and feed.

Razzles of wild turkeys wondered through camp along with deer just off in the woods behind our site. There is plenty of riding trails right from camp so you don't have to travel far to get in miles of good riding. The trails from camp are all treed, with lovely high canopies, sunlight beaming through onto tall grasses. and lovely rock formations, mica and quartz. The footing on most trails was just perfect. The map supplied by Broken Arrow was not the most accurate, so be aware of where you are as you travel along.

The day of the Stampede we unhooked and drove out early, lots of traffic getting into the park, wild burros stopping traffic and lone buffalo along the way, including lots of people (about 10,000 in fact) come to see this event. The Longriders round-up the buffalo and drive them over the hills into holding pens where they innoculate, cull out some for sale and castrate the young bulls. It was fun, worth seeing once, but most likely I would not sit in the traffic again.

Custer State Park is huge, lots to see and do, and next time I think I will just haul over and strike out in a direction. The very friendly rangers we spoke to said you can just pull over most anywhere and head off for a ride. I have also rode to Mt. Rushmore, that is a fun ride, and in other lovely areas around Custer. It is surely worth a look!

Travel Information: Easy 6-7 hour haul from Boulder, Colorado