Custer South Dakota

Established in 1875, Custer City, South Dakota is the oldest city in the Black Hills region of South Dakota. The community takes pride in that designation. The city which is more than 100 years old can be found approximately 42 miles from Rapid City, South Dakota just off Interstate 90.

The setting of Custer City makes it unique. The City is surrounded by thick forests of Ponderosa Pine and contains outcroppings of granite stone. Small and quaint, with a population of roughly 2,000, Custer City offers a large inventory of motels, campgrounds, restaurants and attractions, which makes it an ideal base camp for touring in the southern Black Hills. Within a 30-minute drive from Custer you can visit Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, Jewel Cave and Wind Cave National Parks, and many areas within the 73,000 acre Custer State Park. Custer City is located just south of the geological center of the Black Hills. Harney Peak at 7,242 feet and the nearby Needles rock formations form the core of an area created by the ever changing, rises and falls of the earth's crust millions of years ago. Surrounding this core are rings of sedimentary rocks—sandstones, limestones, and shales—which have allowed for the formation of well-known caves such as Wind Cave and Jewel Cave.

Mountain bike enthusiasts love to use Custer as their jumping off point for all the various trails and adventures in the Custer State Park. This is also a good starting point for hiking and other park related activities.

No need to worry about hot summer weather. The temperature in Custer is fairly moderate. And sitting at a mile-high elevation, Custer has cool summer nights, even after the hottest summer days.