My first stop on my big trip to the western parks was Custer State Park in South Dakota. I’d planned on stopping at Badlands National Park – but a couple of friends suggested I’d probably have a better time at Custer. So I followed their recommendations – and am very glad I did. The wildlife at Custer State Park was amazing.

As I drove west, I was totally surprised by what South Dakota looked like. Every time I’ve driven cross country – I’ve the southern route through Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. And for some reason, I thought that South Dakota was going to look very similar to Arizona. Clearly I had no clue what to expect. I was amazed at how beautiful it was – green hills, mountains in the distance, huge blue skies – and lots of wildlife visible from the highway! I really enjoyed the drive.

I did make one important stop on my way to Custer State Park – I had to stop at Wall Drug in Wall, South Dakota. I’ve always seen the bumper stickers for Wall Drug – and after my trip along Route 66 last winter I’ve developed a new appreciation for places like Wall Drug. After all – where else can you have someone take your photo on a giant jackelope?????

Or worry that you might be T-Rex’s next meal?

After visiting Wall Drug – I did head to Custer State Park. I spent several hours driving the various wildlife loop roads in the park – being absolutely amazed at the wildlife. I saw my first wild bison at one of the visitor centers – and then saw several herds of them as I explored the park. Don’t let anyone tell you these are nice tame animals – first of all they are huge – and very fast. At one point, several of them were running along the side of the road – and the ground was shaking. This bison was one of several along the side of the road.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

In addition to the bison – I saw several small herds of antelope. They tended to stay a ways back from the roads so I didn’t get very many good photos of the antelope. I did photograph this one from not too far away.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

The final wildlife species I photographed at Custer State Park was the prairie dogs. I’d seen some small colonies of prairie dogs at zoos – I’d had no idea how big their colonies were – or how loud prairie dogs can be! I saw prairie dogs in several of the parks I visited on my trip – and I’m convinced that the prairie dogs in Custer State Park were the loudest animals I heard on the entire trip! They were also adorably cute!

© 2011 Patty Hankins

My one disappointment at Custer State Park was how few wildflowers I found. When I checked at the visitor centers – I was told there weren’t any flowers in bloom. I did find and photograph some. My guess is that there were plenty of flowers in bloom at the park – and I just didn’t find the right trails to hike to find them. Next trip – I’ll do a little more research so I’ll have a better idea on where to find the wildflowers.

The one wildflower photo that I’m happiest with from Custer State Park is one of some Rocky Mountain Irises (Iris missouriensis)  – an iris that is native to much of the western United States.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Custer State Park was a wonderful introduction to the parks of the west. Mount Rushmore wasn’t very far from Custer State Park – I didn’t make it there on this trip – but will definitely plan on visiting it on my next trip to the area.