Travel Guide for the Black Hills, South Dakota - Welcome to Sylvan Lake, SD in Custer State Park.
0:00 Welcome to South Dakota
0:24 National Treasure 2
0:32 Custer State Park
0:59 Map
1:18 General Store
1:40 Sylvan Lake Shore Trail
2:08 Sunday Gulch Trail
2:38 Cliff Jumping
2:46 Swimming
2:55 Fishing
3:02 Kayak, SUP, Canoe, Water Activities
3:18 THREE Bonus
3:28 More Custer State Park Up Next
Encompassing 71,000 acres in the Black Hills, Custer State Park is 71,000 acres of abundant adventures, and in this video we will be focusing on a lake youd wouldnt believe is in South Dakota, Sylanv Lake. And hollywooc even thought those granite spires jetting out of the water ar beautiful and decided to film national treasure 2 here at the lake! Ok let's fdive right into your picteresque and active afternoon at the lake!
First thing you should know is that even though youve technically entered Custer State Park a little bit ago, there's parts you don't have to pay to drive through but when you arrive here is when you get a 7 day license to the entire custer state park for $20. This is well worth the $20 because this entire area is beautiful plus their payment system was crazy efficient when were were there during a busy time!
As we drove in from the south, we passed wind cave national park which was sadly closed, but it's flat lands but then soon you start seeing those famous black hills!
Here's a map to get your oriented where this lake is, we drove in from the actual city of Custer which is another nice stop, but on your way out and towards or from rapid city, you're going to get to take one of the fmaous iron mountain highway tunnels! and yes they are as amazing as they sound.
So congratulations, you've arrived at this mountain lake, now what what can you do here? You can't help but notice everyone enjoying lake activites, from cliff jumping to family photos to kayaking and paddleboarding. you'll probably start here at the sylvan lake resort general store, where you can get food groceries and gifts! Oh ad rent boats. This was newly built in 2023! But let's turn ourselves back around and do what
I think is a perfect second thing to do after checking out the store, it to simply take the short walk/hike of the sylvan lake shore trail, a t=roughly 1.1 mile loops. it's not a difficult hike but does get a bit rocky at the far side and some questionable steps. but if you need something more accessible, then just do a horseshoe shape and you'll be fine. I’d recommend going clockwise because soon you'll see a dam and a cool cut in the rocks with boulders over the top that you can walk through! also, there's a cool tree you can pose in!
This is where you should make the decision of where to go next. If you don’t want to climb a few rocks, turn around. If you're up for hiking, which is thing to do #2, this is the beginning of the Sunday Gulch trail! It's a 4 mile loop that feels like 2 miles straight down followed by two miles straight up. It's got pretty views if you're a hiker. However, If you want to continue the Lake Shore trail, stay alongside the rocks and then soon you'll find a little waterfall here too!
As you start back up the loop, you'll see boulders perfect to climb up and get even coolers views! Orrrrr if you're an adreneline junkie, there's some perfect rock jumping locations on this side too! Which we can call thing to do #3.
#4 is simply swimming. Now this is up in elevation so the water is not warm, so it's most comfortable in the summe45im3.note there are no lifeguards.
#5 is fishing! you can fish for trout along the banks or in a canoe. make sure to grab a fishing license first!
#6 is to paddleboard, kayak, or canoe! It’s reasonable prices and if you go at a busy time, they don't count every second you're on the water. if your 5 minutes early or 5 minutes late, it's not going to be a huge problem. of course, don't abuse this little tip I gave because then it ?/////might change their rules! But its a nice thing to know.
Some bonus things are camping, picnicking, and birdwatching!
But don't be sad when you leave because the adventure is just beginning! there is soooo much to do in custer state park and the black hills of south Dakota. join me in the next video for a tour of the iron mountain highway and one of the most beautiful (and fun) drives in america! safe travels and see you next time!
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