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Discovering the Natural Beauty of Custer State Park: Sylvan Lake and the Needles Highway

Overlooking crystal clear waters of Sylvan Lake in South Dakota’s Custer State Park
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Stone formation with a round stop sitting on top of a larger stone
Stone Formation at Sylvan Lake in South Dakota

Well, I always like to follow up my touristy visits to cemeteries with a state park and crystal clear lake. Oh, and roads through giant rocks that only one car can fit through at a time! Wait! You too? Then I highly recommend visiting Custer State Park in South Dakota!

Sylvan Lake

We were on our epic road trip from Minnesota to Yellowstone National Park and back. On the way to Yellowstone, we went through North Dakota, and on the way home, we took the South Dakota route. John and I had visited Mount Rushmore before, but the kids hadn’t been there… and just behind the oh so famous Mount Rushmore is this state park with some of the most gorgeous views! You might recognize Sylvan Lake (where we entered Custer State Park) from some of the scenes in the movie National Treasure: Book of Secrets. The rocks lining the lake are gorgeous, the water was crystal clear, and there was a walking path along the outside of the lake. You could walk over the dam and look over the top, walk between the rocks, have a picnic, go swimming, or go rock climbing. When we stopped, we were on the last leg of our long road trip back home, so we just stopped quick at the lake to take some pictures, walked about half way around, and dipped our toes in the water!

Needles Highway

Granite stone towers in the Custer State Park in South Dakota

The Needles Highway section of Custer State Park is a 14 mile scenic drive that winds through granite mountains, forests, and beautiful overlooks.

Granite rock formations and trees in South Dakota’s Custer State Park
Granite Rock formations and trees along the Needles Highway
Overlooking the hills of Custer State Park along the Needles Highway
An overlook along the Needles Highway out onto the hills of South Dakota

While you’re driving the Needles Highway, you’ll come upon a couple of parts in the road where you will drive THROUGH the mountain! It’s one car at a time, and you’ll have to wait your turn if there is already someone coming from the other direction! It’s a pretty cool feeling to know you’re actually going through the mountains you are looking at!

A cutout through the granite mountain allows a road to go through the rocks
The cutout in the granite mountain that allows the Needles Highway to drive through.
A look through the tunnel in the granite mountain along the Needles Highway
Looking through the tunnel in the granite mountains along the Needles Highway

We only had a quick afternoon to hang out at Custer State Park, so we only got a little taste of all this area has to offer. Our visit here was absolutely beautiful and we would love to come back for a longer visit. If you only have time for a quick drive through the park, it is totally worth it!

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