This was a major favorite of mine. It’s a 45 minute drive from our apartment in Rapid City and it does cost a bit to get into the park. They have a week pass for about $20 per car, but they also have a year pass which is what we purchased, so we can go as often as we want while we're here. A friend helped us get a discount, so that’s always a plus!! EZ had to work this day and if you know me personally, you know I am 1. terrible at navigating 2. a chicken while driving (control freak issues) 3. a home body. I am so proud of myself that I loaded up the boys and went out of my comfort zone to get to these incredible views. The drive in (and out) was beautiful. It gets really steep with plenty of switchbacks up toward the entrance of the state park. We also lost service, so make sure to have back up navigation and music...priorities.
M wanted to run off on a hike, and this route was a little challenging with both boys, so we explored a tiny bit then save the rest for when EZ could trek with us. We did climb to the top of this rock. This is the beginning of the Sunday Gulch Trail from my understanding and this is a doable family hike when not carrying a 2yo.
I have a friend who is a professional, bring your kids along hiker and her recommendations was to always pack snacks. We love these rice cakes from Trader Joe's!!! (Man I sure am missing TJ's right now). After our little rock climbing it was on to the water! This is a perfect beach for kids. The sand is soft enough, somewhat rocky and good for building sand castles. I was able to push our wagon from the car and bring all the things with us. (Side note: we have loved this wagon since Nonnie gifted it to us for M's 4th birthday. It has a shade cover, a 5 point harness, and can pushed or pulled. It also turns into a bench which is maybe the best part. I've included an affiliate link below. I'm not looking to monetize this blog, but would receive a kickback if you purchase any of our favorite traveler supplies.)
The water is shallow and the beach wide enough to where I felt comfortable letting X play without me hovering. He is pretty cautious about getting his face wet in the water which I am thankful for. Being a retired swimmer, I like him to be without flotation devices as much as possible. It was super clear and we saw minnows, so planned to bring our net on the next trip!
We made it to the park pretty early, knowing it was July 4th. I packed the kids breakfast for the ride there and lunches for the ride back, so we could go to the park and a parade followed by inflatables. Custer is a fun town with its own character that we would like to explore more of later! The parade was mostly firetrucks and candy, but the perfect length of time for a hot day. The boys loved the inflatables after and I somehow made it out of there without buying any extra food from vendors, so that was a big win. Thank you to the town of Custer for putting on this event!
On our drive home from Custer, we snuck a glimpse of the Crazy Horse monument from the road. What an incredible feat to carve this into the side of the mountain. Am I the only conservationist out there that cringes a little bit about the destruction of nature that these monuments created?
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