Heading East & Last of The Black Hills, SD

We’ll we’re off East and further “out there” so not sure we’ll have blog access for a few days (we’ll see). In the meantime it’s time to say a last goodbye to the Black Hills of SD and our 2 weeks here. 

The Pahá Sápa, so named by the Sioux Indians for their dark Ponderosa Pines, are a sacred and rich hills wrapped in controversial history. Originally traditional hunting grounds, the hills were assigned to the Lakota at the Treaty of Fort Laramie in 1868. However, peace was not to be. In 1874 General Custer discovered gold in the region and the draw was irresistible. Within 2 years 10,000 prospectors filled the area and a year later the US government seized back the land. It was the beginning of the massive Gold Rush the age of migration to the West. 

All this history is wrapped in the hills and there for you to experience, and we’ve been under, over and across to see it. Jewel Cave, the 2nd longest cave in the world (151 miles) lies ~12 miles West of Custer, and the area is flanked by another monster Wind Cave in the south. Marking the north is Mount Rushmore where the road leads all the way to historical Deadwood. Closer to Custer is the remarkable private undertaking of Crazy Horse, which will eventually be the largest mountain carving in the world and displays a wealth of Indian culture and history. And, of course there’s the hills, the berries, the wildlife and the hiking. 

Well worth a visit. As they say “we be back…” 

Sunrise at Stockade Lake in Custer State Park

Wildflowers in Custer

Hiking Hellhole Canyon w/ Paul & Polly in the East

The stunning Jewel Cave

The Crazy Horse Monument. It will eventually be 563 feet (172 m) high and will depict Crazy Horse on his mount pointing to the land of his people

The Black Hills as seen from the top of Lovers Leap

NF Campground Rating – Comanche Park (Custer, SD)

Here’s a quick review of the 1st campground (National Forest) we stayed at ~6 miles west of Custer

Info on Campground Here: Comanche Park, SD 

1. Site Quality = 4/5
   The sites here are, overall, quite nice. Most of the sites are long, dirt and very level (especially for a forest location). This is a heavily wooded area, so the only ding is that some sites can be a bit of a squeeze for a big-rig to get into between the trees. Each site has fire-pit and bench.
2. Facilities = 2.5/5
   There’s only pit toilets here. No hookups or dump station. There are potable water outlets at 2 locations around the campground, but the outlets are not threaded (look at getting the Water Thief)
3. Location = 3/5
   This campground is in a decent location. It’s ~6 miles west of Custer and in a small, thickly wooded patch next to the highway. The only negative is that all the surrounding area is private land so there’s no hiking from the campsite. But, it’s fairly easy access to Jewel Cave and Custer.
4. Pet Friendliness = 4.5/5
   This is a great doggie campground. Lots of space for pooch to hang out in your site and lots of woody area for them to run in. Only ding is there is an extra $2/day pet charge.

Overall Rating = 3.5
BONUS ALERT = wild raspberries and thick forest 

Summary: This is a quaint little forest campground ~6 miles west of Custer. It’s a heavily wooded area and some of the turns and sites can be tight with trees, but we saw a 45-footer make it (albeit after ~40 mins of work) so it is possible to get in if you’re comfortable with your rig. This section of forest has no trails and is surrounded by private land, so the only negative is that you’re a bit isolated and need to drive out to get to hikes. Also, there is some residual noise from the highway so it’s not as serene as we’d like. However, as a result of these oddities there’s not alot of visitors, so it’s quite empty most of the time. We enjoyed the forest and “bush-whacked” across it quite happily with the bonus find that it’s filled with wild berries. Overall it was a pleasant experience and it’s nice that we had space (alot of Custer campgrounds are completely booked in summer) but we’ll probably look for another location if we come back to the area. 

 Extra Info: No cellphone or internet here. Sites cost $15/night. There’s a mix of reservation and first-come, first-serve sites. No hookups. Nearest dump-station is Sinclair gas station in Custer ($4 to dump) 

View of one of the larger sites

View along the road (we're parked at site #8)

View of one of the tighter sites (tree-wise)

The "backyard" view from our site

View towards the front of the campsite