A Drive and A Walk in Custer State Park

With a forecasted high of 95F we knew we needed to get out early if we wanted to do anything today.

Early works best for wildlife sightings anyway, so we packed our breakfast sandwiches and headed into Custer State Park. It wasn’t even 7:00a. We saw lots of white-tailed deer between the campground and the park — mostly does and fawns ... feeding near the edge of the road. Too skittish for a photo op, so we left them in peace.

Once on the Wildlife Loop, the usual suspects were out and about ... some pronghorn antelope and the burros anxiously awaiting handouts. There weren’t many people driving the loop at that hour, so we were able to take it slow and easy. And even spent a bit of time with the burros.

Once we were on SD-87, we encountered a couple of bison bulls near the road. But our best sighting was when we stopped at Legion Lake for our picnic breakfast. A big bull was quietly grazing at the campground across the road. I could have walked over for a photo op, but approaching an animal of that size on foot was not something I was willing to do.

Instead, after we ate our breakfast at a table on the outdoor deck by the lodge, we drove over to the campground for a couple of photos. Then, we parked the car and began our walk around Legion Lake. The day was already showing every indication of becoming steamy. There was enough shade along the short trail, however, that we managed to walk comfortably.

It was 10:00a when we got back to the campground. Though the property is full for the Labor Day holiday, most of the people were off sightseeing. The campground was nice and quiet ... just the way we like it.

Since we finished our laundry yesterday, we had a relaxing afternoon at the campground with only a few chores to prepare for tomorrow’s departure.Read more