Custer State Park
State park · South Dakota
South Dakota's largest state park spans more than 71,000 acres of the Black Hills, where the Needles Highway winds through granite spires and narrow rock tunnels and the Wildlife Loop Road crosses grassland grazed by some 1,300 free-roaming bison. Aspen color peaks late September into early October.
Don’t miss
Peak: October 4–October 8
Color builds from September 27 · mostly bare by October 27
Sampled at Custer State Park’s own coordinates and elevation (1310 m) rather than a regional average.
South Dakota is sampled at 40 weather points, then moved 2 days earlier so the model agrees with 1 published peak date from smokymountains.com. Against South Dakota's own climatology, the 2026 weather puts the peak 6 days earlier. How the forecast works
When to go to Custer State Park
You get about 18 days of color here, from the first turn through to roughly October 15. That is about 5 days earlier than South Dakota as a whole. At 4,298 ft, it turns before the lower ground nearby.
Custer State Park on the map
Drag the date slider to see when color reaches this corner of South Dakota, or tap a pin for that stop’s own peak window.
More things to do in South Dakota
Leaves & views
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Frequently asked
- When does Custer State Park peak in 2026?
- Peak color is predicted for October 4–October 8 (best estimate October 6). Color starts around September 27 and is mostly bare by October 27.
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