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Activity Custer State Park, Black Hills

Wildlife Loop Road

An activity in Custer State Park, Black Hills, budget-friendly ($) and worth about 1.5 hours. Best time to go: Dawn.

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Wildlife Loop Road in Custer State Park, Black Hills
Photo: Ashley Chmielewski · Google

Why go

18-mile road through Custer State Park prairie with bison herds and begging burros.

It is one of 10 curated places we feature in Black Hills, alongside 3 activities, 3 sights and 2 places to eat. The closest of our other picks is Needles Highway, 6.2 mi away as the crow flies.

Type
Activity · Nature
Neighborhood
Custer State Park
Price
$
Time needed
1.5 hr
Best time
Dawn

Nearby

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

  1. 1
    Needles Highway

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

    Activity · 6.2 mi straight-line
  2. 2
    State Game Lodge

    1920s lodge, the former Summer White House, serving buffalo and pheasant dishes.

    Food · 7.0 mi straight-line
  3. 3
    Purple Pie Place

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

    Food · 10 mi straight-line
  4. 4
    Iron Mountain Road

    Winding road with pigtail bridges and tunnels that frame Mount Rushmore.

    Activity · 11 mi straight-line
  5. 5
    Black Elk Peak Trail

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

    Activity · 13 mi straight-line
  6. 6
    Sylvan Lake

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

    Sight · 13 mi straight-line

On these curated routes

Wildlife Loop Road 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

Wildlife Loop Road is our only activity 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 Wildlife Loop Road itself, we suggest: Dawn.

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 Wildlife Loop Road, so hours and directions come straight from the map app.

Address
Wildlife Loop Rd, East Custer, SD, USA
Coordinates
43.67951, -103.44349
Destination
Black Hills, South Dakota

Wildlife Loop Road: quick answers

How much time do you need at Wildlife Loop Road?

Plan on about 1.5 hours at Wildlife Loop Road. That is our curated estimate for a typical visit; groups that linger will want more.

When is the best time to visit Wildlife Loop Road?

Our pick: Dawn. Insider tip: Drive it at dawn or dusk; stay in the car near bison.

Where is Wildlife Loop Road?

Wildlife Loop Road is at Wildlife Loop Rd, East Custer, SD, USA, in Custer State Park. The Google Maps and Apple Maps links on this page open it for directions.

Which TripsCircle routes include Wildlife Loop Road?

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

Add Wildlife Loop Road 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.