Wildlife Loop Road Hike

The Wildlife Loop Road Hike follows informal trails and park roads through the open prairie and ponderosa savanna of Custer State Park's Wildlife Loop Road corridor, one of the premier large mammal wildlife viewing areas in the entire Great Plains region. The route traverses the rolling grasslands where the park's famous bison herd, numbering approximately 1,300 animals, roams freely throughout the year. Early morning hikers in late summer and fall witness the dramatic autumn rut when massive bulls clash in thundering displays visible and audible across the prairie.

Beyond bison, the loop regularly produces sightings of elk herds that emerge from the ponderosa pine forest to graze the meadows at dawn and dusk, pronghorn antelope sprinting across the open flats, coyotes hunting prairie dog towns visible from the trail, and the park's famous semi-wild burros that approach hikers along the road corridor. Prairie dog towns are active throughout the route, and the numerous red-tailed hawks, ferruginous hawks, and occasional golden eagles that hunt them circle overhead constantly. The trail surface varies between established singletrack paths and gravel road shoulders, and the route requires careful navigation in places. Wildlife encounters can necessitate long detours around bison groups; patience is essential and minimum safe distances must be maintained at all times.