Center Lake
Address:
Center Lake Road
Custer, SD 57730
About Center Lake
Most of them are wakeboats, but some run with limited electric motors, and Stockade Lake is the largest, covering 120 hectares. They are all to be found in the five lakes around the Custer Park, which is located on Bismarcksee directly behind the Stockacher Dam.
Trout are the catch of the day, but no one can resist seeing the 1,300 bison that inhabit the park. If you're not visiting the whole family, you can keep them busy in the lakes of Custer State Park for a few days.
During the Great Depression, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built Custer State Park, including the Stockade Center and Legion Lakes Dam. The dam that created Sylvan Lake dates back to 1881 and is one of the oldest dams in the United States.
Many of these buildings are still in operation and offer a variety of activities in the park, which can be found on hiking maps.
Legion Lake is a waterfront lodge dating back to 1913, when the area was a game preserve in the Custer State Forest and leased by the American Legion. The lake has a small campground and several supply lines, but visitors to the area can resist the temptation to camp at Legion Lake, the largest of the three lakes. This small, unspoilt lake is best begged while paddling to catch a glimpse of the abundance of wildlife in the area.
The restaurant and dining room are a great place for visitors to rent the surrounding forests for camping, fishing, hiking or other outdoor activities.
Every campsite has drinking water, toilets and showers, and the playground and jetty are popular with young people. The 10 hectare lake is open for fishing, which can be purchased with a license at the lodge or at the grocery store. Rowing boats and kayaks are also allowed on the lake, so everyone can enjoy the water in a safe and comfortable way, even when not in the boat.
The newly renovated lodge is the crown jewel of Custer State Park and was inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright. It is set in a large evergreen garden overlooking the 18-acre lake. The mountain bike can be rented to explore the nearby cycle path, and just moments from the lodge there is a beach with picnic table, a swimming pool and café, and a playground.
The lodge has 35 rooms, 32 cabins are located on the grounds and there is an auditorium at Sylvan Lake Lodge. A restaurant, grocery store and swimming pool make the lodge a popular destination for those looking for modern accommodations such as air conditioning.
Fishing for brook and rainbow trout is always on the program and the usual self-propelled boats are to be found here. Other State Park lodges are also operated by the Park Service, but the lake is not close to them.
The 27-hectare Center Lake has a large, non-electric campsite overlooking the water, and a fishing pier and beach make it a popular destination for boating and fishing. The Sylvan Lake campsite has 40 campsites and offers a variety of amenities including hallways and vaults, picnic areas, picnic areas and picnic tables, and access to the lake.
Most pitches are suitable for tents and small campers, but all campsites have drinking water, showers and toilets.
Brown trout and rainbow trout are also the usual fishing destinations, but the lake also hosts sunfish and small pike and catfish. Center Lake is a lake of wax and has a boat ramp, so that small rowing boats, canoes and kayaks can be easily launched from the shore. On land there are campsites for youth groups and a small campground for adults.
At 120 hectares, Stockade Lake is large enough to accommodate two separate campsites, but not too large for a large group of people, making it ideal for small groups. Stockaded North has drinking water, toilets, showers and a playground, while Stockades North and Center Lake share a small campsite for groups of adults and young people.
Stockade Lake South also has 13 tents and cabins on reservation, and each cabin has electricity, heating and air conditioning, as well as a picnic area, picnic tables and playground.
The best fishing is at Stockade Lake, and two other picnic spots are located on the south shore of the lake. The boat ramp is located at the southern end of Stockades Lake South, just in front of the north shore, about 800 m from the campsite.
The lake is open for ice fishing in winter and offers a wide variety of fishing opportunities. Gasoline engines are allowed on Stockadesee, but not on the northern shore of Stockadesee Süd.
Nearby, a replica of Gordon Stockade recreates the rough Stockade Fort, built by the first gold miners who illegally entered what was then clearly Indian land. The group went to Golgotha for a few months, but the rush was huge and the Black Hills were overrun by illegal gold miners. Signs tell the story of these first illegal settlers, and a reconstructed site is open daily.
Lake Bismarck is located just outside the boundaries of State Park and covers 27 hectares. It is located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, south of Fort Peck. It is 27 hectares and offers a beautiful small campsite, which is sometimes overlooked by the many visitors who come in the summer. A campground has also been developed by the CCC and offers shady places away from the lake. Reservations for pitches and campsites are accepted, and the campsites also offer a variety of camping options, such as tents on the beach, in a creek or in the open field.
There is a boat ramp and small boats can be launched from the shore without any problems, but the lake is planted and there are no boat ramps so you can start a small boat from the shore without any problems.
The park road is usually open in winter, but when the campground in Custer State Park is full, there is no way out. The small campsites are managed by the forest service and have toilets, flushing water and drinking water, but most are closed.
The Lakes of Custer State Park in South Dakota, USA, is a great place to enjoy the history and legends of the American West.
Located in the Great Plains region of North Dakota on the Montana-Wyoming border, the park houses the largest and most diverse collection of wild flowers and wildlife in North America.
Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Monument are nearby, as are Wounded Knee, and speleologists will love Custer Cave, one of the largest cave systems in the world with over 1,000 caves.
The town of Custer has a wide range of accommodation options, including hotels, guest houses and campsites. The unique shops combine the best of both worlds with a wide range of craft beer and wine, as well as food and drinks.
Everything here will remind you that you have found the remains of the Wild West, so visit the lakes of Custer State Park. The statistics only relate to Stockade Lake, but I am sure they are not the only ones out there.