Custer State Park, located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, is an icon of the American West. Highlighted by the bison herd, which culminates every year in the Buffalo Roundup, the park is known for scenic views, abundant wildlife, and ample outdoor opportunity for the whole family.
While hiking popular trails such as Sunday Gulch and Cathedral Spires are a major draw, same with a drive up Needles Highway, Custer State Park features quietly fantastic fishing opportunities as well. Anglers of all skill levels can find success from the Black Hills streams to waterbodies such as Legion Lake, Center Lake, Sylvan Lake, and the Grace Coolidge Walk-In Fishery.
Whether you’re taking a family vacation, fishing across the Black Hills, or looking for a quick getaway there’s plenty of opportunity in Custer State Park!
Fishing in Custer State Park
While not known as a fishing destination, Custer State Park offers ample opportunities for anglers to try a variety of waterbodies and techniques. Anglers can expect to find rainbow trout throughout the park, with largemouth bass, northern pike, crappie, bluegill, cutthroat trout, and tiger trout in select fisheries as well.
Legion Lake offers a multispecies fishery, with rainbow trout, largemouth bass, northern pike, and crappie all present in the waterbody. The lake itself offers the perfect location to start the day, with phenomenal views of the sunrise and a great morning bite. Legion Lake Lodge, which is along the shore, also makes a great place to grab a bite for yourself or rent a kayak to get out to even more areas of the water.
Learn More: Multispecies Fishing on Legion Lake in Custer State Park
The Grace Coolidge Walk-In Fishery is another unique fishing opportunity that features a hiking trail and six low head dams along the Grace Coolidge Creek. All of these dams are stocked with rainbow trout and can provide fast action for anglers fishing off the face of these dams or along the shoreline.
Learn More: Fishing the Grace Coolidge Walk-In Fishery in Custer State Park
Stockade Lake features a different style of fishing, with a more traditional bass and bluegill fishery. Sylvan Lake also provides trout fishing opportunities. Center Lake also includes a diverse trout fishery with rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, and tiger trout all present. There’s no shortage of fish to find in Custer State Park!
Learn More: Finding the Fish in Custer State Park
Dining in Custer State Park
The Custer State Park Resort features a number of dining options from breakfast to dinner, and everything in between. The State Game Lodge, Blue Bell Lodge, Legion Lake Lodge, and Sylvan Lake Lodge are all found within the park and feature slightly different options.
The State Game Lodge is at the center of the park, and features breakfast, lunch, and dinner options. While the breakfast and lunch buffets make great options, it’s often a good idea to make a reservation for evening dinners.
Sylvan Lake Lodge offers some finer dining opportunities, and similar to State Game Lodge offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Similarly to evening dinners at State Game Lodge, reservations are recommended to ensure seating opportunities.
Blue Bell Lodge offers a different flavor, with a saloon style dining establishment. Excellent for a large breakfast to start the day or a burger for lunch, Blue Bell Lodge features a more laid back atmosphere with true western flair.
Legion Lake Lodge offers another lakeside meal experience, with burgers and brews a favorite. Cool off with a shake or ice cream, and enjoy a classic lakeside grill atmosphere.
Lodging in Custer State Park
Similarly to the dining options, all four lodges within the resort offer excellent and unique lodging experiences.
The State Game Lodge offers both hotel style rooms as well as cabins, with nearby Creekside Lodge offering a similar hotel style set up.
The cabins at Legion Lake offer a quiet and relaxing environment. The dark reveals a gorgeous night sky, and the cabins offer cozy accommodations with the comforts of air conditioning, heating, and running water.
The cabins at Blue Bell offer a similar atmosphere, and a more western environment while Sylvan Lake Lodge offers similar options to the State Game Lodge.
Larger cabins are also available, and the Custer Ranch House features a true ranch style house outside the park too. These make excellent accommodations for larger groups, or for more space to yourself.
There are also numerous camping opportunities available within the park through South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks. Whether pulling the camper, staying in the hotel style rooms, or a cabin there are options for every group size, budget, and style.
Hiking in Custer State Park
There are hiking trails across all of Custer State Park, and from iconic hikes to hidden gems there is plenty of opportunity.
While Little Devils Tower and Sunday Gulch Trails are among the most popular, some of the best kept secrets are on the south end of the park.
The Prairie Trails hike is more than a walk through the grasslands, it includes sharp inclines and declines, wooded areas, and creek crossings. The grasslands also offer a unique look across the Wildlife Loop, and there are lots of wildlife viewing opportunities along the trail as well.
Similar to the Prairie Trail, the Bison Center Trails offer a unique experience on the south end of the park. Overlooking the Bison Center, these trails offer a unique perspective of the corrals and bison herd as a whole. This trail is also a relatively short hike, and one that can be accomplished with less time than many of the larger loops.
The Legion Lake Trail offers an easy loop along Legion Lake, making for a relaxing trail and provides great shore fishing locations for anglers looking to target Legion Lake.
For those seeking a more challenging hike, the Lost Trails offer a gorgeous view along Center Lake. These sit just above the Grace Coolidge Walk-In Area, which combines to create an elaborate trail system along some of the best fishing in all of the park.
Another challenging hike with equally impressive views is the Lovers Leap Hike, which features a four mile loop above the State Game Lodge and the opportunity to overlook much of the park.
Whether you’re looking for a challenging hike through the hills, a relaxing walk around the lake, or to explore the prairie there is no shortage of trails available for all types of visitors. The only question is whether you should bring your camera, fishing rod, or plenty of water!
There’s plenty to explore in Custer State Park, and whether you’re looking for a high-end experience or a rustic campsite, there’s something for everyone. Bring a fishing rod, hiking boots, and a camera because you’re going to want them all when you visit Custer State Park!
Improve Your Fishing Skills by Trying Something New
Fishing in Custer State Park is a relaxing experience and allows anglers to slow down, enjoy the scenery, and some hard fighting rainbow trout. Anglers who try their luck in the Black Hills will learn a few tricks that they can bring back to their favorite species, as there are Multiple Lessons from Multispecies Fishing!
Start the Morning Fishing Legion Lake
The best way to start your day is enjoying a sunrise and multispecies bite on Legion Lake. Rainbow trout, largemouth bass, northern pike, and crappie all can be caught, with gorgeous views in every direction. Check out the fishing Legion Lake can provide!
Hike Into the Best Fishing in Custer State Park
Some of the best fishing in Custer State Park takes place along the Grace Coolidge Walk-In Fishery, which is exactly what it sounds. Anglers literally hike into six low head dams and enjoy some of the best rainbow trout fishing the Black Hills has to offer!
(Included Images Courtesy of South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks and Custer State Park Resort)
