Naturalist Activities

Custer State Park's summer interpretive program has an assortment of activities that allow visitors the opportunity to explore, learn and experience the beauty of South Dakota's Black Hills. Young and old alike, visitors are exposed to their surroundings with activities having educational themes. These programs are conducted between late May and early September, and focus on the region's natural and cultural history.

Evening Programs
Every evening, campfire programs are presented in four of the park's campgrounds: Blue Bell, Center Lake, Game Lodge and Stockade Lake North. Costumed characters of the 1870’s may appear and visit with campers about their experiences with the Black Hills gold rush. Naturalists also present a variety of educational slide programs dealing with plants and wildlife, habitats, conservation stewardship, outdoor recreation, geology, astronomy, and park history. These programs begin at 9:00 p.m. from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Guided Nature Walks
A guided nature walk is offered at various times every day from June to mid-August and will take visitors to several areas of the park. Naturalists lead the hikes through open grasslands, dense forests and towering granite spires. These walks provide an excellent opportunity to learn more about the park's birds, wildflowers, resource management, geology and history. Participants are encouraged to wear sturdy footwear and dress appropriately for the weather.

Gold Panning Demonstrations
The gold rush years of the 1870’s made the Black Hills region famous and played a historical role in the American frontier. Visitors can also catch the "fever" by taking part in a gold panning demonstration. While learning about the region's pioneer history, you can actually pan for gold in a park stream. This program is offered each day at 1:00 p.m. at the Peter Norbeck Visitor Center from Memorial Day to Labor Day. For more information click here

Patio Programs
Imagine playing an active habitat game with your children or studying the unique traits of mammals while making plaster casts of their tracks. Perhaps you would prefer to create a basket using nothing but pine needles and sinew (bison tendons) or tour the buffalo corrals and learn about the park's management practices. The park offers two patio activities daily at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. from June to mid-August that are geared for families. The activities begin on the front patio of the Peter Norbeck Visitor Center and/or Wildlife Station Visitor Center.

Monday Night Guest Speaker Series

Monday nights at the Game Lodge Campground offer a variety of guest speakers for campers and park visitors.  Western South Dakota is rich with history and breaming with an assortment of private attractions and heritage sites that deserve attention.  Furthermore, many historical events in the Black Hills played an intricate part in the legacy of western North America.  The guest speaker series allows visitors to understand the meanings behind the natural and cultural resources of the Great Plains.

Each program is presented at the Tatanka Theater, located within the Game Lodge Campground.  The guest speaker series begins on June 5^th and concludes on August 28^th.  Unless noted, each program begins at 9:00 p.m. For more information click here

2007 Naturalist Activities  (daily programs) for

Summer Season

for a PDF  Brochure click here

Publications in PDF