A timelapse of driving our RV, a Tiffin Allegro Bus motorhome, 308 miles from Custer, South Dakota to Hardin, Montana.
Custer SP
Travel from Custer, South Dakota to Hardin, Montana
We drove our coach 308 miles, about five hours of driving, from Custer, South Dakota to Hardin, Montana.
Here’s a map showing our route, heading northwest:
An interactive map:
Our truck was rather dusty from a dirt road in Custer State Park:
Kinda looks like it’s snowing:
Interesting rocks on the highway out of the park:
Bismarck Lake:
An RV park we might stay at next year:
More interesting rocks:
Buffalo art in Custer:
Purple Pie Place in Custer, which we enjoyed on our previous visit:
Narrow Winding Road, No Shoulders:
Bighorn Sheep Crossing:
Entering Jewel Cave National Monument:
Curves:
US-16:
Fuel stop:
59.898 gallons of diesel for $200:
Hills:
Nice overpass:
Rest area:
Welcome to Montana:
Our destination, a Love’s RV Stop:
Mount Coolidge, Wind Cave National Park, Wildlife Loop in Custer State Park
A scenic drive up Mount Coolidge in Custer State Park, then anti-clockwise through Wind Cave National Park (which is still not available for cave tours), and back through Wildlife Loop in Custer State Park, with lots of bison seen.
A fire lookout at the top of Mount Coolidge, at 6,020 feet elevation:
Views:
Bison in Wind Cave National Park:
Pigtail loop in Wind Cave National Park:
One lane bridge in Wind Cave National Park:
More bison in Wind Cave National Park:
Out of the park, along a dirt road:
To an entrance back into Wind Cave National Park:
Then joining Custer State Park’s Wildlife Loop:
Bison Center:
A map showing where the wildlife was at the time. We told the ranger that the burros were actually in the corrals in front of the Bison Center (the fence was open, so they wandered in to eat the tasty food):
Wild burros and fans:
Following that map, we found a large herd of bison:
Nice.
Iron Mountain Road, Needles Highway, Wildlife Loop in Custer State Park
We enjoyed a super scenic drive though Custer State Park, along Iron Mountain Road and Needles Highway, with multiple narrow tunnels, fun twisty roads, and impressive views. Then went along the Wildlife Loop.
The map from their website; click or tap to see larger:
An interactive map of our route; we started at the Legion Lake Campground, heading northeast towards the Norbeck Overlook waypoint along the Iron Mountain Road, continuing anti-clockwise to Sylvan Lake, where we had lunch and a walk, then through the middle and clockwise around the Wildlife Loop, back to the campground:
A narrow and low tunnel:
Two narrow and low tunnels:
The second tunnel emerges to a bridge and corkscrew:
Another narrow tunnel:
This one has a peek of Mount Rushmore:
We went past Mount Rushmore on the route (been there before; not worth stopping again):
The first tunnel on the Needles Highway:
A selfie at Sylvan Lake:
We strolled along the lakeside after lunch; one of our favorite places:
Needle’s Eye:
Needle’s Eye tunnel:
More interesting rocks:
Wildlife:
Legion Lake in Custer State Park
While staying at the Legion Lake Campground in Custer State Park, we wandered across the road to the Legion Lake Lodge and the Dockside Grill for dinner, followed by a stroll along the lakeside.
A view of our coach from the lake parking lot:
Lake and lodge:
Turtle:
Gift store:
Dockside Grill:
A stroll along the lakeside:
A nice lake.
Legion Lake Campground in Custer State Park
We stayed at Legion Lake Campground in Custer State Park, South Dakota. (Campground Reviews listing.)
Custer State Park is perhaps our all-time favorite state park. We enjoyed staying in the park, though the lack of water and sewer was inconvenient. Especially since we hadn’t noticed that it didn’t have water, and only arrived with a half-full tank.
We do have a water bladder to fetch water, and a tote to dump waste, but coped without using them, since only three nights. The lack of a dump station in the campground would be very inconvenient for a longer stay, though.
Dates:
- Check in: 2024-07-28
- Check out: 2024-07-31
- 3 nights
Weather:
- Partly cloudy, a little drizzle
- High temps 82-92°F, lows 59-64°F
- Little wind, gusts to 16 MPH
Noise:
- Nearby road noise
- No train horn noise
- Little neighbor noise
Site:
- #01E, back-in, asphalt
- Needed to disconnect toad, parked in front of coach
- Unlevel site; high in front and passenger side; used hydraulic leveling
- Asphalt driveway about 70 feet long by 14 feet wide
- 12-50 feet to neighbor on passenger side
- 110 feet to footpath on driver side
- Picnic table
- Fire pit
- Tall trees
- Clean site
Utilities:
- 50 amp power, very conveniently located
- No water; water spigot at bathhouse
- No sewer; no dump station in this campground
Internet (in usage priority order):
- T-Mobile: 22 Mbps down, 20 Mbps up, 60 ms ping
- AT&T: 160 Mbps down, 7 Mbps up, 90-110 ms ping
- Verizon: 26 Mbps down, 10 Mbps up, 75 ms ping
- Starlink: not used
- Campground Wi-Fi: none
Amenities:
- Garbage dumpster
- Nearby lodge restaurant
Our review on Campground Reviews:
In the middle of everything
Custer State Park is one of our favorite places. The scenery, wildlife, and general ambiance are magical, and staying inside the park makes it even more special. All the sites are electric-only, and that’s okay as it’s the hookup we rely on most (especially when it’s warm). There is a water spigot by the bathrooms if you need to fill up, but the nearest dump station inside the park is in a different campground halfway across the park. The site was a bit unlevel, but not so much that our hydraulic levelers couldn’t cope. A nice view of the lake across the road and a tree-filled hillside behind our site made for a picturesque stay. We camped at Custer State Park – Legion Lake Campground in a Motorhome.
Campground map:
An interactive map:
Our site:
Only an electrical hookup:
Our coach from across the road:
Elevation 5,010 feet:
Paladin was most fascinated by a taunty chipmunk that hung out around our site:
Entrance sign:
Path to the lake area:
Other sites:
(We wondered how they got the left-hand trailer into that position.)
Bathroom:
Info sign:
We are currently planning to visit this area again next year. But we’ll probably stay outside the park, so we can have full hookups, and explore other areas.
Video: Mitchell to Custer, South Dakota motorhome travel timelapse
A timelapse of driving our RV, a Tiffin Allegro Bus motorhome, 313 miles from Mitchell, South Dakota to Custer, South Dakota.
Travel from Mitchell to Custer, South Dakota
We drove our coach 313 miles, about five hours of driving, from Mitchell, South Dakota to Custer, South Dakota.
Here’s a map showing our route, heading west:
An interactive map:
Heading west of I-90:
Rest area stop:
Sunflower field:
The Dignity of Earth and Sky sculpture:
A Tiffin Allegro Red motorhome passing us:
Lunch stop at Hutch’s Cafe:
Menu:
Back to our coach:
Entering Mountain Time Zone:
Passing Badlands National Park:
Another rest area:
Paladin sat in his dash bed for a while:
Firehouse Brewery & Winery had several fire trucks along the freeway:
Paladin asleep on the floor:
Busts:
Entering Custer State Park, our favorite state park:
Curvy road:
Whatever we do, don’t turn onto Needles Highway with our coach! Very narrow and short tunnels:
Legion Lake campground entrance:
Our site, with a glimpse of the lake in the background:
