';Best bang for your buck'; hikes

We are going tp Custer State Park in 3 days and we only have 2 full days there and want to do some hiking. We can do no more than 5-6 miles and one of us is afraid of ledges. Any recommendations for us? Also, we thought about going to the Black Hills Playhouse one night. Do they usually put on a well done, entertaining show?

Thanks very much for the help!

Marlene

';Best bang for your buck'; hikes

Here are descriptions of the trails and a link to a map of the trails in Custer State Park:

sdgfp.info/parks/Regions/Custer/csptrails.htm

The hike around Sylvan Lake is short %26amp; easy.

Little Devil%26#39;s Tower is moderate, the top of that one is a flat mountain top, though you don%26#39;t have to go near the edge.

Both Harney %26amp; Cathedral can be hiked as far as feels comfortable, there are nice views at various points.

I also like the walk around Legion Lake to Badger Hole.

Lover%26#39;s leap looks short, but my daughters refer to it as the Death March, very steep and we came down admist a herd of buffalo.

I have not gone to any plays recently, but we have enjoyed them in the past.

';Best bang for your buck'; hikes

Harney Peak is the standard hike but the easy route is also the most boring (aside from the summit). The route with more scenery (a loop from Sylvan Lake via the Little Devils Tower trail) is probably longer than you%26#39;ll want to do based on your post.

The two I%26#39;d recommend for you are: Sunday Gulch and Cathedral Spires. Check out the trail descriptions in the link that Lorhs posted.

The Playhouse is pretty good. It%26#39;s more than a regular community theatre. It%26#39;s mostly a professional staff--many of which are associated with the University of SD and spend their summers in the Black Hills. If it%26#39;s hot outside, I would recommend an evening performance over a matinee as the theater not air conditioned.

Unfortunately, the Playhouse seems to be overlooked by a lot of visitors. Many of the people who attend seem to be local or regional visitors. It%26#39;s a great activity in the park that doesn%26#39;t get much attention on the Trip Advisor forum.

Thank you Lohrs and Accomodator. Here%26#39;s our plan. We are staying in Custer and will hike the Sunday Gulch and drive the wildlife loop in the evening the first day. The second day we will do Harney Peak part way or Cathedral Spires, then go to the playhouse that night. The next morning we will walk around Sylvan Lake and somehow fit in the Needles highway and see Crazy Horse on the way north. I haven%26#39;t figured out what is the best way to do the second day and the last day as not to add on mileage. Any suggestions? Thanks again.

Marlene

You%26#39;ll be at Sylvan Lake by default when you hike Sunday Gulch.

I wouldn%26#39;t do Harney Peak part way--the hike isn%26#39;t that interesting until you get to the top. Cathedral Spires or Little Devils would be the equivalent of doing Harney part way--with better scenery.

You%26#39;ll be on the Needles Highway to get to the Cathedral Spires trail head. And the Needles Highway starts at Sylvan Lake. So you%26#39;ll be around the Needles both days anyway.

Hey, that%26#39;s great. Then I won%26#39;t need to worry about missing the Needles Highway or the Sylvan Lake hike. Cathedral Spires it is since we%26#39;re not into doing a 6 mile hike.

I appreciate your help, Accomodator; our trip will be that much better because of you!

Just wanted to add to Lorhs post regarding Little Devil%26#39;s Tower. It is considerered moderate for much of it and strenous towards the end according to the sign at the beginning of the trail. It is somewhat tricky to novices and although it has a nice view at the top, it can be tricky to navigate because you have to be able to climb rock through cracks and be in decent cardiovascular shape. You also have to not be afraid of heights. My family of four, including two parents who run four miles a day or so fairly regularly along with a 12 and 16 year old who don%26#39;t like to workout but compete for track, completed the hike in an hour and fifteen minutes. I recommend some decent footwear too as Teva sandals are a bit slippery in the crumbly rock towards the top.