Camping/climbing Custer State Park

Hi there!

I am helping my GF move across the country at the end of June and we were hoping to take a rest day from the driving in Custer State Park and do some climbing. Can anyone provide some beta for camping options, or anything we should know about route finding?

We were thinking about doing the cathedral spires, specificially spire four. We are also open to other areas nearby if they are better. I feel quite comfortable leading trad in the 5.9 range in the north east (Vermont and ADK) so I dont think that it will be a stretch to lead this. My GF is not the biggest fan of exposure so if you have other route suggestions that involve chimneys/things of that nature which can get us to the top I would love to hear them.

Thanks

Custer Mountain Cabins is where I always stay.

Last time I climbed in the Cathedral Spires(Jun 2019) it was completely empty...we didn't see another party climbing all day. If you climb at Mt. Rushmore it will be a complete shitshow, due to the many bolted routes.

Stick to trad routes and you will be golden.

@Frau I was not aware of that, thank you for the heads up. Unfortunately the move is non optional and car camping seems safer/more isolated than a hostel at this point. I am happy to head to something less known if you have any good options.

Frau Larsenhosen wrote: Just so you are aware COVID-19 is going to peak in the Hills area in the next couple of weeks. 

Source? Or is that just conjecture?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/05/24/coronavirus-rural-america-outbreaks/?arc404=true

Buck Rio wrote: Custer Mountain Cabins is where I always stay.

Last time I climbed in the Cathedral Spires(Jun 2019) it was completely empty...we didn't see another party climbing all day. If you climb at Mt. Rushmore it will be a complete shitshow, due to the many bolted routes.

Stick to trad routes and you will be golden.

Perfect! This looks like an awesome campground. Currently we are trying to stay away from the crowds, but after two straight days of driving we will need a break. Trad and away from the crowds is definitely what I am looking for 

Levi X wrote: @Frau I was not aware of that, thank you for the heads up. Unfortunately the move is non optional and car camping seems safer/more isolated than a hostel at this point. I am happy to head to something less known if you have any good options.

Custer Mountain Cabins allows for plenty of spacing in the campground.  Not sure if the showers will be open, but give them a call.

The climbing areas that are all trad, such as the Cathedral Spire's, will not be packed with people. The area has a reputation (deservedly) for runouts and tricky gear. Bolts were placed on lead, so there isn't too many of them. 

You can have a nice day of climbing at Sylvan Lake even, if you go back to Middle Earth area and climb 5.9 or harder. Start with the 5.6's and work your way up.  The Near Downs in particular has some incredible climbs. 

lucander wrote: washingtonpost.com/nation/2…

Thanks for the article, but I was looking for more of a focus on the Black Hills specifically. 

Buck Rio wrote:

The climbing areas that are all trad, such as the Cathedral Spire's, will not be packed with people. The area has a reputation (deservedly) for runouts and tricky gear. Bolts were placed on lead, so there isn't too many of them. 

Runout isnt usually an issue for me. The north east is full of crazy runout slab stuff. That's good to know though. 

You can have a nice day of climbing at Sylvan Lake even, if you go back to Middle Earth area and climb 5.9 or harder. Start with the 5.6's and work your way up.  The Near Downs in particular has some incredible climbs.

That looks like some pretty great climbing. I'll take a look and see what the GF is looking to do

Spire 4 is cool like you initially said, and then you can rap into the 4/5 gulley and do spire 5, if she wants easier chimney stuff

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/117229039/unknown-route-2-from-piana-guide 

chris tregge wrote: Spire 4 is cool like you initially said, and then you can rap into the 4/5 gulley and do spire 5, if she wants easier chimney stuff

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/117229039/unknown-route-2-from-piana-guide 

Just a warning, the approaches in the Spires can be a bit confusing your first time out. You won't honestly know what spire you are on unless you have the guidebook with pictures. This book has been out of print for a while...

Wrinkled rock campground is an amazing free place to camp. No fires and there is a pit toilet in the parking lot. There are plenty of areas around the parking lot to climb. If you want to escape the crowds stay out of south seas and hit chopping block or breezy point! Love the Rushmore area!

Mason. Cmon now. It’s getting a bit hard on some weekends to find a parking spot there. Kindly remove your effusive comment. ;-)