Resource Guide
Custer State Park (605) 255-4515 www.custerstatepark.info French Creek Horse Camp (800) 710-2267 www.campsd.com Blue Bell Lodge (605) 255-4531 www.custerresorts.com French Creek Ranch Bed & Breakfast (877) 673-4790 www.frenchcreekranch.com

Here’s the place trail-riding dreams are made of: miles of meandering trails, roaming bison, and endless horizons bordered by mountains splashed with evergreens and deciduous trees. All of this can be yours to enjoy while riding in South Dakota’s Custer State Park.

Custer State Park is located in the Black Hills of South Dakota. It was named after George A. Custer who, in 1874, led a scientific army expedition into the Black Hills. Two years later, he and his men were defeated in the battle at Little Big Horn, also known as Custer’s Last Stand.

In 1913, the South Dakota Legislature created a state game reserve in the southern Black Hills. This reserve became Custer State Park in 1919. Today, the land remains largely unchanged, ready to be explored.

Just three miles off highway 87 and centrally located in the 73,000-acre park lies French Creek Horse Camp. This is the only horse camp in Custer State Park and is one of the prettiest horse camps you can find.

The camp is snuggled in a grassy valley and freckled with stately pines. The soft green campground is hemmed by forested ridges and split by a bubbling brook on the east side. Evening entertainment often includes visits from elk and bison.

We made French Creek our base camp for several days while exploring the wonders of Custer State Park. There are 26 reserved sites along with two first-come, first-serve sites. Most sites are shaded. Restrooms are clean, and have flush toilets and showers. Each site has a corresponding corral. Our Missouri Fox Trotter geldings, Buddy and Scout, enjoyed eating, rolling, and relaxing in their temporary digs.  

Enjoy this bonus photo album from our trip! (For more on South Dakota’s Custer State Park, see The Trail Rider, November/December ’09.)

French Creek Horse Camp in Custer State Park.

The corrals at French Creek Horse Camp. Corral numbers correspond with campsite numbers.

Charlene and Kent Krone relax around a fire at French Creek Horse Camp.

Many area trails are marked by symbols and numbers.

Kent Krone and his Missouri Fox Trotter gelding, Buddy, in French Creek, near the horse camp.

Charlene Krone rides her Missouri Fox Trotter gelding, Scout, into the French Creek Natural Area.

Kent Krone rides Buddy on the Centennial Trail. This trail is 111 miles long; 22 of these miles pass through Custer State Park.

Kent Krone rides Buddy cross-country, south of the horse camp.

Riding cross-country, you have a very good chance of seeing buffalo herds. There are approximately 1,500 buffalo in the park. Shown is a buffalo calf with its herd.

The eye of the buffalo. Be wary around buffalo. Although they seem lethargic, they can become an enraged, one-ton mass of charging horns.

While riding in Custer State Park, watch for antelope (shown), buffalo, elk, and birds.

Kent Krone and his mother, Betty on the porch of the State Game Lodge. A national historic site, this was the summer White House for President Calvin Coolidge in 1927. Dwight D. Eisenhower also visited in 1953.

Just three miles from French Creek Horse Camp is the Blue Bell Lodge. Folks may sign up for chuckwagon cookouts, horseback rides (for those without their own horses), breakfast rides, and even riding lessons. Shown is the dining room at the lodge.

Kristen Ahrendt, stables’ manager for Blue Bell Lodge.

Charlene Krone and Scout on the trail to Parker Canyon, the site of Blue Bell Lodge’s chuckwagon dinner.

If you want to finish your trip to Custer State Park with a little pampering, head to the French Creek Ranch Bed & Breakfast. Horse accommodations include box stalls, outdoor runs, and fenced corrals. Plus, there are numerous rides you can do right out of the ranch.