The Senator’s Cabin at the Custer State Park Resort in Custer, South Dakota is a cozy 10-person cabin that sits on top of the hill, not far from the Sylvan Lake Lodge. The log cabin is separated from the other units and has a private drive with extra room for parking. You and your guests will appreciate the newly-remodeled interior. This log cabin sits where Highway 87 meets Highway 89 near the Needles Highway Entrance. The cabin has 3 separate bedrooms, each with 1 queen-sized bed. The living room has 2 double sofa sleepers. The cabin sleeps a maximum of 10 people. The log cabin has flat-screen TVs, an easy chair, and HVAC. There is a full kitchen with pots, pans, dishes, coffee pots, and utensils included. The kitchen has a full-size refrigerator/freezer, stove/oven, and microwave. There is a wood-burning fireplace, outdoor fire pit, and picnic table. Private parking.
Whether by foot, horse, or driving, you can travel the trails and see the wild sights at Custer State Park. You’ll find wild buffalo, begging burros, and all of nature’s bounty, and enjoy a mountain canyon cookout at the end of the trail. The area that encompasses Custer State Park was originally established as a Game Preserve back in 1913 to reintroduce wildlife species eliminated by early settlers and gold seekers. Today, wildlife abounds in and around Custer State Park. On the northern edge of the park, sits 56,000 acres that are set aside for the Norbeck Wildlife Preserve. In its center sits the 13,000-acre Black Elk Wilderness, which encompasses the Harney Range and was named in honor of Black Elk, an Oglala Lakota holy man. Since the animals are free-roaming, they show up all over the park. You never know when or where you might spot them.
As for the animals to see, there are plenty including bighorn sheep, baby buffalo playing on the plains, buffalo, pronghorn, and baby fawns. With what started as a herd of 6 bulls, 12 cows, and 18 calves from a Fort Pierre settler in 1914, they have grown into a free-roaming bison herd of more than 1,300 strong. During the year, the herd spends its time grazing throughout the park. Come fall, it’s roundup time. The animals are driven through the valley to be counted and checked for general health at the annual Buffalo Roundup. Through a series of breakouts, bottle-feedings, and smart conservation practices, the park is also home to elk, big horn sheep, mountain goats, pronghorn antelope, white-tail and mule deer, and a variety of flying birds.
Get a different perspective. If you want to get up close, book a Buffalo Safari Jeep Tour. It’s the only way to go off the Wildlife Loop Road in the park and often you’ll end up right in their midst. Summer is the most popular time to visit, but the other seasons offer unique viewing opportunities. Come in the spring to see the baby wildlife. In winter, wildlife is easier to spot as they search for food and lose some of their natural shyness.
More about this story can be found at: Custer State Park Resort
