Why Fall Is One of the Best Times to Visit Custer State Park
Lighter crowds, autumn colors, and fun family activities are waiting for you this season.
Sunny days, cool nights, changing leaves, and less visitors. All can be found during the fall in Custer State Park. While the week before and after the annual Buffalo Roundup (last Friday of September) can see high levels of visitation, the overall numbers for the fall are significantly lower than the summer months. What that means is there is more peace, and more quiet to be found.
Fall colors are also out and many trails take you on spectacular journeys through a palate of colors. The benefit of the Black Hills is the deciduous trees change color and bring a great contrast to the constant green of the Ponderosa pines. Bright yellow aspens can be found throughout the park, but the largest stands can be seen along Needles Highway. A closer view can be found off Little Devil’s Tower and Cathedral Spires Trails. The long stretching views from them can reveal a patchwork of greens and yellows down the mountain sides. Riparian area in the fall can have color changes rivaling the aspen groves.  Tan to Yellow leave bur oaks, paper birches, and willows each bring their own shade to the autumnal color party. Those water-loving trees can be found along the Lover’s Leap, Grace Coolidge, Prairie, Creekside, and the Lost Trails.
Fall colors are not limited to trees though. Prairie Wildflowers may be tapering off in September, but they are far from being done and some late bloomers hold on to early October. Delightful flowers like curlycup gumweed, dotted gayfeather, smooth blue aster, hairy goldenaster, goldenrod, three-nerve fleabane, and wild Bermont (beebalm) can all be found in the fall. No better time to enjoy the prairie than when the temperatures drop into the 70s and below. Driving the Wildlife Loop will bring you close to many of these flowers but getting out and hiking along the Prairie, Bison, Devil Dog, and the Eastern half of Barnes Canyon Trail can be its own colorful journey.
We would be negligent if we did not mention the fall beauty that can be found on the nearby Mickelson Trail. Aspen groves, riparian areas, and prairie wildflowers can be found along its 109-mile distance. A trail pass is required whether you are hiking, walking, running, biking, or riding a horse.
For those with families, the annual Custer State Park Halloween Night Hikes are a hoot. For decades Park staff have put together a fun interactive, stroller friendly, event in mid-October. For 2026, the event will take place October 16-17. All ages are encouraged to dress up, trick-or-treat through the Game Lodge Campground and learn about the park’s natural resources and history. Hundreds have enjoyed it in the past and hundreds more will enjoy it in the future. Contact the Park Office starting October 13th to reserve your spot.
The day after Thanksgiving Day is the start of the Custer State Park Winter Trail Challenge. Every year several trails are selected to be part of the challenge. Participants can pick up a brochure at the Park Office or Visitor Center. Anyone wanting to complete it will need to hike every trail and take a selfie with the winter challenge sign on that trail. Those who complete it receive a unique trail challenge pin that has different artwork every year.
In December, the park Visitor Center comes alive with Christmas Spirit. The Festival of Trees runs from December 1 – January 1. Stop by and vote for your favorite Christmas Tree. The Trees are provided and decorated by local businesses and organizations. One vote per person per visit. Repeat visits are encouraged. Along side the Festival of Trees is the self-led program Caching Through the Snow. Using a GPS unit, follow the coordinates to find all the boxes. Each box holds part of a Christmas ornament that can be put together at the Park and taken home to adorn your own tree. Combining both of those activities with a hike makes for a great early winter outing.
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