Custer State Park's Wildlife Bonanza

I'm jumping around from spring wildflowers to current times with pics of summer wildlife in South Dakota's Custer State Park.  Whenever I visit the Black Hills, a drive through this top-rate state park is a must-do.  Not only is the scenery outstanding (think granite spires and pine forests) it is also a wildlife photographer's dream with bison, antelope, burros, deer, elk, meadowlark, prairie dogs, and many others often visible from the park roads.

Big fella

In early July, my parents drove me through the park to look for some of it's famous wildlife.  In particular, Custer State Park is known for their large buffalo herd often found right next to the park's main entrance.  But on this day, we didn't arrive until nearly noon, and the buffalo were already settled in for their midday nap.  We only spotted one group - and they were way off in the distance.  But I did roam around one of the prairie dog towns and a couple of brave little rodents posed for me.

Early morning elk herd

In mid-July my entire family gathered for a reunion that had been delayed a year due to COVID.  My hubby returned for the event, and after 3 weeks away it was wonderful to see him again.  Always an early riser, he offered to take me back to Custer State Park one morning to try our wildlife-spotting luck.

Friendly cottontail

Leaving our rental cabin at 5:30 am we made the drive to nearby Custer State Park.  Not only did I witness a lovely sunrise, upon entering the park we had our first wildlife sighting within 5 minutes.  My eagle-eyed hubby spotted a huge elk herd, complete with six cute babies!

Morning light illuminates the bunny's ears

Turning onto the park's "Wildlife Loop" I began to get excited.  My hope was that some of the buffalo herd would hang out right next to the road so I could get some closeups of the shaggy beasts.  But first we stopped at a roadside pullout so I could photograph a meadowlark.  The bird ended up being shy, flying out of camera range.  However the stop wasn't entirely a bust.  I did notice a cottontail rabbit munching away near the ditch.  The bunny didn't mind this camera-wielding woman getting up close and personal, so I was able to get some nice shots. 

We found the buffalo!

Hubby drove for about 10 miles with no animals in sight.  I was beginning to think we'd be skunked again, when our truck drove over a rise and there they were!  Not only was the large buffalo herd concentrated on both sides of the road, they were also sauntering across it.  And these beasts were so big, they definitely had the right-of-way.

Buffalo have the right-of-way

Approaching the main herd, hubby had to stop his truck several times for road warrior buffalo.  Of course we gave them lots of space, some of those beasts were gigantic!  (Why did the buffalo cross the road?  Because he could!)

Baby buffs

I was happy to see lots of babies hanging out with their mothers.  Although most of them had been born a couple of months ago, they were still awful cute.  Some of the little ones were already sprouting tiny nubs on their heads, the beginnings of horns yet to grow.  I also loved their orange-red color (did you know baby bison are sometimes referred to as "red dogs?")

Here we come!

Of course, we didn't dare get out of our vehicle.  Buffalo are wild beasts and extremely dangerous.  Custer State Park literature warns visitors to keep their distance from all wildlife, but especially the bison.  Every year there's one or two dumb tourists that get too close and are injured trying to get a selfie with the "fluffy cows."

All of these photographs were taken through the car window.  At one point, several large male bison surrounded our truck.  Talk about extreme close-ups!  I hastily rolled up my window as one guy was right outside the door.  We couldn't move for a short time, as our truck was totally hemmed in by the big guys.  But when one buffalo started licking the side of hubby's pickup, he put it in drive and quickly rolled away.

This big guy kept sticking out his tongue

Hubby spotted one male buffalo that was absolutely huge.  He kept sticking out his tongue and emitting rude grunting noises.  Not sure what that was all about, but it did make for some funny pictures!

After being delayed several times for various buffalo crossings, my hubby and I arrived at the Wildlife Station visitor center.  Besides partaking of the restroom facilities, we also were able to watch several bison amble towards a water hole.  A large fence provided protection from the beasts, enabling us to view the herd safely without being in our vehicle.

Using a sign post to scratch an itch

This big boy used a sign post for scratching his itchy neck.

My favorite image

After driving back and forth along the same one-mile stretch of road several times, my hubby noticed a nearby gravel road.  Consulting the park map, we discovered it was possible to complete a loop using two of these minor roads.  Since the main Wildlife Loop was getting busy with more tourists, we opted to try the road less traveled.

Antelope family

Right away we had an antelope family sighting, complete with a cute baby.

Male antelope eating flowers

This male antelope was having a flowery snack.

Content buffalo calf

The series of gravel roads finally led back to the Wildlife Loop.  But before entering the main road again, we came across another large buffalo herd.  These guys were right next to the road.

Shaggy beast

There were several mothers and calves and it was adorable to watch their interactions.

Twins

Not to mention some more opportunities for close ups of the babies.

Tender moment between momma and baby

So now I know - if you want to see lots of wildlife in action, visit Custer State Park in the morning's wee hours.  It's totally worth the early wake up alarm!

Brave prairie dog

I'll close this post with pics of a couple fearless prairie dogs that didn't mind me sticking my long lens in their faces (well, I wasn't quite that close but I did get within a few feet and that's pretty good for these usually skittish little guys).

Curious rodent

For anyone interested in wildlife photography, I highly recommend a visit to South Dakota's Custer State Park.

NEW EDIT:   Has anyone else noticed that the "Reading List" tab on Blogger isn't working?  Or is it just mine?  This is how I've always gotten updates on the blogs I follow and as of yesterday it stopped working. I wonder if it has something to do with Feedburner closing up shop.  Any advice my fellow bloggers can give would be appreciated!

The Sisters Conquer Sunday Gulch

(Continuing the recap of my late August/early September South Dakota trip.....)


Since my sister lives in South Dakota and I in Oregon, we don't see much of each other.  My once a year trip home is the only time we get together.  But when we do, there's always an adventure to be had.  

The hiking sisters

During this trip there were two Black Hills trails I'd hoped to hike - Cathedral Spires and Sunday Gulch.  I'd attempted to hike Sunday Gulch earlier in the week, but it proved to be a little much for my parents, and we ended up turning around.

Heading to Cathedral Spires

But my sis was game for a hike.  Early Saturday morning, we headed back in to Custer State Park (yes, I'd been seeing a lot of that place lately!)

This way!

Our first stop was the Cathedral Spires Trailhead.  There's two places to access this trail, and we chose to start near Sylvan Lake.  It was another bright, sunny South Dakota day, the morning chill beginning to give way to today's heat.

A busy bee

The trail began following a tiny creek, lined by a few late-blooming summer flowers.  After passing through a slight boggy area, we began climbing through a pine forest that gradually opened up to views of nearby granite formations.

A tiny bit of rock climbing!

About a mile in, a trail to Little Devil's Tower branched off.  Another quarter mile or so brought us to the beginning of some tall granite spires.  A good sign - we must be getting close!  But first our trail routed through a narrow opening in the granite walls.  No problem, my sis and I actually had fun doing a little impromptu rock climbing.

Cathedral Spires

On the other side, a large group of pointy granite pinnacles rose high into the sky.  We assumed these must be the famed Cathedral Spires.

Heading back

It was quite a sight to stand at the base of these formations, rising sharply up from the forest.  My sister and I marveled at the view while we enjoyed a quick snack.  Then, it was time to retrace our steps back to the trailhead.

Top of Sunday Gulch

Barely lunchtime when we reached the car, the day was still young.  My urge to explore not yet satisfied, I asked my sis if she was interested in adding another hike to our day.  When I suggested Sunday Gulch, she was all for it.  Even though my sister has lived in the area most of her life, this was one trail she had never hiked.

Follow the handrails

So we drove to Sylvan Lake and secured one of the last parking spots in a very crowded lot.  Then my sis and I followed the lake's shoreline trail until we reached the start of Sunday Gulch, directly behind the dam.

Pretty creek

A familiar sight from earlier this week, I again followed the steep "trail" - really just a series of handrails driven into large boulders, as it dived steeply into the narrow gulch.  My sister and I actually had fun climbing over the rock faces.  The scenery was nothing short of spectacular.

Rail pose

As we descended deeper into Sunday Gulch, tall granite walls began to rise on both sides.  A charming little creek burbled down the very middle.  I don't know how they survived, but trees and other green vegetation were sprouting from the canyon's rocky bottom.

Down a steep set of stairs

We kept climbing down, down, and ever further down.  Although I was really enjoying the unique landscape, one thought kept nagging in the back of my mind.  Eventually we'd have to gain all this elevation back.

Last of the summer flowers

But in the meantime, we were enjoying all the lovely scenery.  Our trail crossed the creek several times, giving opportunities to admire the clear water and deep pools (home to a population of brown trout, I'm told).  Looking down one gap in the rock, we spied a tiny waterfall gurgling from a hidden spring.

Time to climb back up!

The canyon walls produced lots of shady spots and the mixed sun/shade made photography challenging.  Of course this didn't stop me from taking a bazillion photos anyway!

The views begin to open up

Finally it appeared we'd hit the canyon's very bottom.  After zig-zagging through a ponderosa pine forest, the landscape opened up to nice views of the surrounding granite towers.

A touch of fall color

Now came the climb back up!  My sis and I grunted and sweated in the afternoon sun.  Although this trail wasn't overly steep, it still kept a constant uphill grade.

Looking back towards the main road

At one point, the forest cleared away to reveal wide-open views of the winding road into Sylvan Lake and the surrounding forested hills.  (All this fantastic scenery was sort of spoiled by a big powerline running right through the middle though)

Getting closer to the end

No matter, soon our path turned and we were treated to more unobstructed vistas of trees and tall granite spires.

Outstanding views of the granite formations

Hiking uphill in this hot sun started to wear on my sister and I.  Although my trail guide gave the round-trip distance as 3.5 miles, we were second guessing this claim.  It sure seemed like we'd hiked much further!

Tall spires for rock climbers

Finally, we descended through an area of large granite outcrops.  A few hardy rock climbers could be seen perched on these rocks, high above the forest floor.  But glimpsing a nearby road to the resort, I knew trail's end wasn't far now.

A happy hiker

A successful day, I'd completed two hikes that had been on my 2015 trip bucket list.  And I got to spend some quality time with my sister.  My sis had such a good time, I think I've got her hooked on hiking!  Now she needs to visit Oregon and try some of my favorite trails.  :)


This concludes my South Dakota trip recaps.  If you've missed any, here are the links:

Devils Tower
Spearfish Canyon
Custer State Park - Hike, Lake and Tunnel
Where the Buffalo Roam
Mt Coolidge


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Where the Buffalo Roam

(Continuing the recap of my late August/early September South Dakota trip.....)


Wait a minute.....those aren't buffalo!

Turkey Trio

Eeep...caught in the act!  I captured this turkey trio drinking from my parent's birdbath one morning.  Between the visiting deer, rabbits, and flocks of wild turkeys, their yard became quite the "Wild Kingdom."

Custer State Park entrance

In the previous post, I'd mentioned that when visiting the Black Hills of South Dakota, I always make at least one trip to Custer State Park.  Not only offering spectacular scenery, this park also boasts plentiful wildlife, including 1,500 free roaming bison.

This big guy was right beside our truck!

A couple of years ago, I'd stumbled across a small herd of the shaggy beasts.  Unprepared for photography, I managed to get off only two mediocre shots.  But this trip, determined to redeem my photo fail, I headed back in search of buffalo.  My mom and dad were more than happy for an excuse to revisit.

Buffalo everywhere!

The planets aligned big time.  Barely past the park entrance, I spotted my first buffalo.  A huge, shaggy male was walking right beside the main road.  I leaned out the window and fired away with my camera.....that is, until the big guy decided to come up right alongside our truck!  Let me tell you, those bison are way bigger in real life.  I hastily ducked inside and let him pass.

Big guys resting

Not a quarter mile up the road, we hit the buffalo jackpot.  The forest opened up into a large meadow, covered with brown, shaggy bodies.  My dad edged the truck closer and I began taking copious photos out the window (for safety's sake, don't ever get out of your car to photograph these big beasts).

Mama and her calf

The majority of the herd were either lying down or grazing.  A steady stream of vehicles with camera-toting tourists hanging out of windows didn't faze them in the least.

Buffalo yoga

I switched to my zoom lens and began capturing dozens of buffalo, up close and personal.

Rolling in the dirt

This big guy was taking a dust bath.

Checking out his neighbor

My dad wanted to check out the State Game Lodge, so we backtracked a short distance.  Whatever bison weren't in that first field were all hanging out around the lodge and Peter Norbeck Visitor Center.

Buffalo jam

It was such a large herd, the beasts created traffic jams whenever they crossed the road.  These guys have the right-of-way, so when this happens there's not much you can do but sit tight and wait for them to pass.

This herd took over the cabin area

The buffalo were camped out beside a nearby parking lot and restroom.  Some unsuspecting tourists got a big surprise as they walked toward the facilities.  I think they ended up holding it!

Just chillin'

An large field near some rental cabins was taken over by the huge herd.  I'm not sure what the cabin's guests ended up doing.  They might've been stuck inside all day.

Of course I tried to get some video footage of the big guys in action.  Sadly, they weren't all that active (well, except for an attempted romantic encounter towards the end of this clip).

Antelope

After seeing our fill of buffalo (enough to last until next year!) my dad continued our drive down the park's "Wildlife Loop."  An appropriately named road, it wasn't long until we spotted a herd of antelope.

Checking out the weird lady with a camera

These guys didn't seem to mind having their pictures taken by a crazy lady with a huge lens.

Beggin' Burros

Then we came upon Custer State Park's famous "begging burros."  These wild donkeys are descendants from a herd that once hauled visitors to the top of Harney Park.  After the rides were discontinued (many years ago) the burros were released into the park.

This truck got mobbed!

Through the years tourists stopped to photograph these friendly donkeys.  People began feeding the beasts, and over time it became a park tradition.  The wild donkeys are nicknamed "begging burros" because they approach vehicles expecting food.  As you can see, the burros are quite aggressive, sticking their heads into open car windows.

Can't resist this cutie

I have fond childhood memories of driving through Custer State Park, and feeding the donkeys out the back window of my parent's station wagon.

Friendly burros

However, today my parents and I were unprepared for burro feeding, and had nothing to offer.  Once the donkeys realized this, they moseyed on to greener pastures. 

Prairie dog

Not only were the burros hungry, after a morning of wildlife sighting my parents and I were ready for a little lunch too.  So we headed towards the town of Custer to check out their newest burger joint.  En route, I made my dad stop by a prairie dog town and captured a couple more shots of these cute little rodents.

The end

A successful day of wildlife sighting in Custer State Park!


(For more information about the park, here's a link to the 2015 Custer State Park Newsletter.)

Sharing with:  Saturday's Critters