Location: Custer
Top Things to do in Custer
Top Restaurants in Custer
Top 10 Things to do Good for Adrenaline Seekers in Custer, South Dakota (SD)
Enveloped in the grandeur of the Black Hills, Custer makes the perfect base for your South Dakota vacation, whether you are visiting Custer State Park to learn about Custer's Last Stand, heading up to see the wonder of Mount Rushmore and the yet-unfinished Crazy Horse Memorial, making a motorcycle pilgrimage to Sturgis or spelunking in Wind Cave. Custer itself has much to offer, from family outings at Flintstones Bedrock City to hoe-down dinners at a chuck wagon cookout.
Restaurants in Custer
1. Needles Eye
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,688 reviews
A geological formation located in Custer State Park.
Reviewed By NancyG202 - Boyne City, United States
The Needles Eye is part of the Needles Highway drive in Custer State Park. With unusual rock formations, including a tunnel less than 8 feet wide and the Needle Eye, it also offers wonderful views of the surrounding area and is a great spot for a short hike or rock climbing.
2. Iron Mountain Road
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,646 reviews
Reviewed By Jake48009 - Detroit, United States
You need to do it twice one-way then reverse to get Mount Rushmore framed in the tunnels as you pass through -- Absolutely spectacular! Fantastic ride between Custer State Park and Keystone with amazing views of Mount Rushmore as you pass through several cool tunnels and fun twisty roads. Make sure you sound the horn before entering the tunnels! Bring a jacket and some binoculars. Ride the road during the week. If you are visiting the Custer State Park area, Iron Mountain 16A is absolutely a "must see"... This road has to be one of the most scenic highways in America!
3. Black Hills Balloons
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 154 reviews
We're celebrating 35+ years of flying! Black Hills Balloons flies the southern Black Hills, Custer Valley, and world-renowned Custer State Park. The heart of our flying area is just miles from Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse & Wind Cave National Park. Your flight over mountains, valleys, lakes & prairies, is one of the best ways to view the Black Hills; home to elk, antelope, deer & buffalo. The beautiful Black Hills is the only place in the world where you can witness such historic, wild landscape & abundant wildlife from a hot air balloon. Flights take place daily at sunrise, weather permitting. Guests can expect an hour flight over the historic & beautiful Black Hills. Celebratory champagne, light snacks & a souvenir flight certificate is included. Established in 1984 (that's 35 years!), Black Hills Balloons has received a TripAdvisor Cert of Excellence multiple years in a row. We take pride in creating the best experience for our passengers and sharing the beauty of the Black Hills.
4. Sylvan Rocks Climbing School and Guide Service
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 324 reviews
Rock Climbing Guides in the Black Hills of South Dakota since 1989. Adventures for ages 5+ (with a participating adult). No experience needed. All rock climbing gear is supplied. Join us at Custer State Park, South Dakota. Call for a reservation and we will meet you at South Dakota Outdoor Shop (757 Mt. Rushmore Road, Custer, SD 57730) for your guided rock climbing tour. Locations at the Needles of Mount Rushmore, Palisades State Park, and Devils Tower for more experienced climbers. Please reserve as far in advance as possible so that we can best plan to serve you.
5. Black Hills Aerial Adventures
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 222 reviews
29 years of experience offering exclusive helicopter tours within the Mt. Rushmore National Park boundaries, Custer State Park, and up close views of Crazy Horse Monument, the Cathedral Spires, and Black Elk Peak just to name a few. Flights range from approximately 5 minutes to an hour along with flights customized to your specific wants and needs. Priced to fit everyone's budget. Enjoy your flightseeing experience with the oldest, most respected helicopter tour company in the region.
6. Hollingsworth Horses
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 108 reviews
Hollingsworth Horses offers horseback riding on our outstandingly beautiful 122 acre ranch, Mickelson Trail and the Black Hills National Forest. We offer unguided and guided depending on riding skills. Choosing the riding times and length of your ride separates us from other riding attractions and we are the only establishment offering unguided rides!
Reviewed By BreckBearSki
A 2 hour ride for the family was the highlight of our trip to SD! Mercy was a great guide, kept it interesting, and our 8 year remarked on the drive home "He really wanted to make sure we had a great time." The 125 acre property had lots of hidden gems, the horses were great and well cared for. Would definitely recommend to all riding experience levels, we had a decent amount of experience and wanted a different experience than the nose-to-tail rides, and this is it! Mercy checks out your ability, and you get some reasonable "freedom" while out on the ride (if you want). Attaching a few pictures to show how varied the terrain is. We highly recommend!!!!
7. Adventure Rentals
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 85 reviews
Adventure Rentals is a family owned business. We are located Downtown Custer, SD. We are excited to give people the opportunity to go sight seeing in the Black Hills like never before --- on a UTV!!!!!! UTV's are street and highway legal, park passes and trail permits included. We also have bicycles, scooters, kayaks and paddleboards available to rent. The fun starts here!!!!!
Reviewed By Bill_Texas931 - Murphy, United States
Awesome vehicles for rent, computers (tablets) on board for directions and of course - amazing Black Hills scenery. This is an absolute must do in Custer.
8. Little Devil's Tower Trail
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 95 reviews
Reviewed By fsp269 - Saint Louis, United States
We did this hike in March with two kids (6 and 8) and a dog. The trailhead is off Needles highway, which is closed in the winter, so you have to add another chunk to get from the parking area at Sylvan Lake to get to the trailhead. There was snow on the ground throughout most of the trail. The dog and younger kid couldn’t make it to the very top because the climbs were too steep but still got some amazing views. It took us about 4 hours total with a picnic lunch and lots of shorter stops.
9. Sunday Gulch Trail
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 105 reviews
Reviewed By spookie5150 - Jefferson City, United States
As others have noted, this trail can be strenuous depending on your fitness level but it's definitely doable if you're in reasonably good shape. It also rewards you richly for your efforts with incredible views and an amazing variety of landscapes/micro-climates in a fairly short hike. There's a lot of discussion here about going clock-wise or counter-clockwise around. We opted for clockwise and I'm pretty satisfied with that choice. Going that direction requires a slow climb at the beginning and then a long slow decent with minor ups and downs to the valley floor that takes up the better part of the rest of the hike. Then you're ready to do some light rock scrambling and steep stair climbing to get back to the trailhead, and a short walk back around the lake to the parking lot. It's going to be taxing in spots either way you go, but we tend to prefer steep climbs to steep descents (knees and legs). Going counter-clockwise will mean a pretty steep descent and walking up hill for most of your walk afterwards. It just depends on what you're better suited for. Either way, this hike is fantastic. We've hiked in Zion, Rocky Mountain National Park, and others and this one scores in the top 5 so far.
10. Mount Coolidge
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 58 reviews
Reviewed By Nyormirror - Bay City, United States
We were driving in Custer and saw a pickup turn up this drive in front of us and the sign said “Mt. Coolidge Lookout” so we figured what the heck and we followed him because we like high vantage points and being spontaneous. Now be forewarned, this is a dirt road with limited guardrails and some areas where only one vehicle can squeeze by. You also have blind turns so you have to beep your horn to warn any other vehicles coming the other way. It’s all worth it when you get to the top. The top has an actively maned fire watch Tower (inside is off limits). You can go up the outside steps and get amazing 360 degree views of the Black Hills Forest, Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse. In fact, you can see the full front face of Crazy Horse from here and you can even do that from the Crazy Horse Memorial. You will have some slight obstructions of guy-wires supporting the tower and radio equipment but besides that everything else is fantastic. Small paved and gravel parking lot at the top. Benches, picnic table and vault toilet. I’m glad we went off the beaten path and would highly recommend you do the same.
