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Sight Custer State Park, Black Hills

Sylvan Lake

A sight in Custer State Park, Black Hills, budget-friendly ($) and worth about an hour. Best time to go: Early morning.

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Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park, Black Hills
Photo: Jennifer L. Sovanski from United States of America. Cropped and color-corrected · CC BY 2.0 · license

Why go

Granite-ringed lake with an easy 1-mile shoreline loop and boulder scrambles.

It is one of 10 curated places we feature in Black Hills, alongside 4 activities, 2 places to eat and 2 sights. The closest of our other picks is Black Elk Peak Trail, 0.2 mi away as the crow flies.

Type
Sight · Nature
Neighborhood
Custer State Park
Price
$
Time needed
1 hr
Best time
Early morning

Nearby

The 6 closest curated picks in Black Hills, measured as straight-line distance.

  1. 1
    Black Elk Peak Trail

    7-mile round trip from Sylvan Lake to a stone fire tower on South Dakota's highest point.

    Activity · 0.2 mi straight-line
  2. 2
    Crazy Horse Memorial

    Ongoing mountain carving honoring the Lakota leader, with the Indian Museum of North America.

    Sight · 3.0 mi straight-line
  3. 3
    Mount Rushmore National Memorial

    Four presidents carved in granite, with the Presidential Trail at the base.

    Sight · 6.0 mi straight-line
  4. 4
    Purple Pie Place

    Purple-painted pie shop in Custer known for rhubarb and berry pies.

    Food · 6.0 mi straight-line
  5. 5
    Naughti Wines

    Hill City tasting room on Hwy 385 pouring its own wines plus Sick-N-Twisted beers, with a patio and firepit.

    Drinks · 7.1 mi straight-line
  6. 6
    Needles Highway

    14-mile road through granite spires and one-lane tunnels, including the Needles Eye.

    Activity · 7.6 mi straight-line

On these curated routes

Sylvan Lake is a stop on our Dakotas Badlands & Black Hills route. Open it to see the full day-by-day plan.

More to do in Black Hills

Sylvan Lake is our only sight pick in Black Hills; here is what else we recommend there. See the full Black Hills guide.

When to go

Average daily highs in Black Hills run from 30°F in December to 83°F in July; May is usually the wettest month. For Sylvan Lake itself, we suggest: Early morning.

Modelled monthly averages for Black Hills from NASA POWER, not a forecast. Full Black Hills weather by month.

Getting there

Map links open a live search for Sylvan Lake, so hours and directions come straight from the map app.

Address
Sylvan Lake, East Custer, SD 57730, USA
Coordinates
43.84618, -103.56430
Destination
Black Hills, South Dakota

Sylvan Lake: quick answers

How much time do you need at Sylvan Lake?

Plan on about an hour at Sylvan Lake. That is our curated estimate for a typical visit; groups that linger will want more.

When is the best time to visit Sylvan Lake?

Our pick: Early morning. Insider tip: Park entry pass for Custer State Park required.

Where is Sylvan Lake?

Sylvan Lake is at Sylvan Lake, East Custer, SD 57730, USA, in Custer State Park. The Google Maps and Apple Maps links on this page open it for directions.

Which TripsCircle routes include Sylvan Lake?

Sylvan Lake appears on Dakotas Badlands & Black Hills, a curated route you can open on TripsCircle and plan with your group.

Add Sylvan Lake to your crew's plan

Save it to a shared TripsCircle itinerary, settle the timing with a quick poll, and split the costs with everyone going to Black Hills.

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Also in Black Hills

Curated recommendation, not live listing data. Confirm hours, prices, bookings and access before you go.