Forum Discussion

Two_Hands's avatar
Two_Hands
Explorer
Oct 13, 2020

Yellowstone vs Custer State Park

We have always wanted to visit Custer State Park. We made the mistake of going to Yellowstone first. We must have seen 300 buffalo, although we didn’t count them, as well as other critters. Then we went to Custer State Park. We saw three buffalo and we did count them. It’s a beautiful state park, but visit it before Yellowstone.
  • Two Hands wrote:
    We have always wanted to visit Custer State Park. We made the mistake of going to Yellowstone first. We must have seen 300 buffalo, although we didn’t count them, as well as other critters. Then we went to Custer State Park. We saw three buffalo and we did count them. It’s a beautiful state park, but visit it before Yellowstone.


    I did something similar. went out to see rocks etc. in Utah, etc. then went to Wisconsin dells.
    bumpy
  • If you can ever swing it, attend the buffalo roundup at CSP. Usually around the first of October. You'll see a lot of buffalo, feel the vibration of their hooves, and even buy one if you want.



  • Who'd a thunk...probably the worlds most famous national park beats out a state park.

    Not that Custer is bad park by any means but it's like comparing Camry to a Ferrari.
  • bukhrn's avatar
    bukhrn
    Explorer III
    We've seen a lot of Buffalo in many of the places we've been, Custer, and most of the Black Hills, T. Roosevelt NP, Yellowstone, Tetons, but have never seen "Only a Few".
  • When we worked there, the Custer herd was approximately 1200 head.
  • Got caught in a bison jam at Custer State Park two years ago. Must of been a hundred of them, some close enough to touch. The year before that we never saw a single one.
  • Depends on when you visit them, were were in YNP a couple months ago and saw one bison and that was right at sunset and way off on a hill top. On the other hand we've seen a lot of bison in Custer and also a large herd of them in Teddy Roosevelt NP. It depend on where the herd happen to be wandering, are they in sight or out of sight.
    Anyway YNP has vastly more to offer that critters. Custer is a great SP but nothing compared to YNP. We've spent 4 to 5 weeks at YNP over the years and don't think we've seen all of it by any means.



    And that was at the Tetons