The State Game Lodge in Custer State Park was the summer White House in 1927 for President Calvin Coolidge. The State Game Lodge has seven rooms in the historic lodge and also has an adjacent motel and cottages. The State Game Lodge is registered on the National Register of Historic Places.
Don't have time to read the full article? Here are my Custer SP top finds:
🏨Lodging: K Bar S Lodge, Under Canvas Mt Rushmore, Custer SP Lodges
📍Tours: Full Day Jeep Bison Safari, Custer SP - Mt Rushmore & Crazy Horse tour, and Mt Rushmore Night Ceremony & Tour with Tunnels & Stargazing
State Game Lodge at Custer State Park
The State Game Lodge was built in 1921 as a private meeting place for the State Game Commission. 72 days after the original lodge was completed it burned to the ground.
The lodge was quickly rebuilt by 1922 and gained popularity quickly. In anticipation of President Coolidge's visit, the lodge added on the Pheasant Dining Hall which displayed mounted pheasants across every chandelier and window. In 1927 President Coolidge declared the State Game Lodge his summer White House.
For three months from June 13 to September 15th, 1927 President Coolidge and his wife along with their staff enjoyed staying at the State Game Lodge. President Coolidge enjoyed fishing and gold panning with his wife Grace. One unique guest was Mrs. Coolidge's pet raccoon named Rebecca.
During his stay, President Coolidge pledged federal funding for Mount Rushmore and attended the dedication of the memorial. President Eisenhower also stayed at the lodge for five days in 1953 to attend a young republican meeting at Mount Rushmore. The rooms that President Coolidge and President Eisenhower stayed in are available to stay in today.
The lodge has been renovated and expanded over the past eighty years to accommodate more guests. In the 1960s two motel wings were added to the lodge. In 2008 the floor of the Pheasant Dining Hall was dropped from the second story to the main floor to allow for more dining.
State Game Lodge Historical Room
We stayed in a historical room at the State Game Lodge and truly enjoyed it. We did not stay in one of the presidential rooms but we were right next door. It was super convenient staying at the lodge and being able to leave early in the morning to explore the wildlife loop. We had large portions of the driving loop to ourselves which made for great photography and wildlife viewing.
The sink and mirror were located near the bed. The room had an assortment of toiletries available.
The bathroom was small but had an ensuite shower and toilet which was great.
Click Here to Book the State Game Lodge
State Game Lodge room options
Historical Lodge Rooms - 7 historical rooms
Hotel rooms - 40 lodge rooms with queen, double queen, king beds, and suites. Rooms include a mini-fridge and microwave.
Creekside Lodge has rooms with 2 queen beds and a sofa sleeper or 1 king bed and a sofa sleeper.
There are 28 cabins at State Game Lodge.
Sleeping Cabins have 1 or 2 rooms that can sleep one to six people
Housekeeping Cabins
2 rooms with multiple bed sizes
3 rooms with 3 queen beds and a sofa sleeper that can sleep one to eight people
3 rooms with 2 bedrooms and 2 baths with 2 queen beds and a sofa sleeper can sleep one to six people
3 rooms with 2 bedrooms and 2 baths with 4 queen beds and a sofa sleeper that can sleep one to ten people
3 rooms with 2 bedrooms and two baths with a king bed, 2 queen beds and a sofa sleeper are ADA Compliant and can sleep one to eight people.
Creekside Cabin and Bunkhouse
2 bedroom house with a kitchen and bunkhouse can sleep one to eighteen people
Gamekeepers Cabin
2 level cabin with a full kitchen, five bedrooms, and two bathrooms can sleep one to fourteen people.
Lovers Leap Cabin (Honeymoon Cabin)
2 room cabin with 1 king bed and a sofa sleeper with a kitchenette can sleep one to four people
Tatanka Cabin
The Tatanka Cabin has four bedrooms, five bathrooms, 1 king bed, 6 queen beds, 2 sofa sleepers and can sleep one to twenty-four people. This cabin has a stone gas fireplace and a deck overlooking Coolidge Creek.
Reunion Cabin
The Reunion Cabin has 4 bedrooms and five bathrooms with 1 king bed, 7 queen beds, 4 sofa sleeps, 2 twins in the loft with bunk beds and a full designer kitchen and can sleep one to twenty-eight people. This cabin has a gas fireplace and a deck overlooking Coolidge Creek,
Custer Ranch House
The Custer Ranch House has 3 bedrooms with 4 queen beds and 2 bunks, 3 bathrooms, and a full kitchen and can sleep one to twelve people.
Room Amenities
- Private Bathroom (all units)
- Coffee Maker (all units)
- Microwave (all units)
- Mini-Refrigerator (all units)
- Flat-Screen TV (all units)
- Air Conditioning and Heat (all units)
- Towels and Linens Provided (all units)
- Full Kitchen or Kitchenette (housekeeping and group cabins)
- Stone Gas Fireplace (Tatanka Cabin and select group cabins)
- Covered Deck with Private Fire Pit and Picnic Table (Pheasant Cabin)
- Deck Overlooking Grace Coolidge Creek (select cabins)
- Free WiFi (lobby and public areas; limited in rooms)
- Free Parking
- Pet Friendly (select units, fee applies)
- ADA Accessible Rooms Available
- State Game Lodge Dining Room with Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
- Outdoor Patio Dining Along Grace Coolidge Creek
- Bar and Lounge
State Game Lodge Dining Room
The State Game Lodge Dining Room serves South Dakota specialties including buffalo, pheasant and rainbow trout.
We enjoyed a nice breakfast buffet at the State Game Lodge Restaurant. The breakfast buffet included scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, country sausage, applewood bacon, French toast, a waffle station
with assorted syrups and toppings, biscuits and gravy, cheese blintzes, granola and yogurt parfaits, selection of fresh fruit, assorted baked goods, juices, and coffee.
Custer State Park Game Lodge General Information
Reservation phone number - 888-875-001
State Game Lodge phone number - 605-255-4541
We definitely suggest calling for reservations. The online system can get confusing and a bit overwhelming. Each room is given a rate code and it can be mind numbing to figure them out.
When you book a room the cost of your room for the first and last night including tax is required as a deposit.
The park will refund your deposit if you cancel at least 15 days prior to your arrival date. There is a $25 cancellation fee
If you plan to visit during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally the entire stay must be paid in full when you make your reservation. You can cancel thirty days before the rally rates for a $25 cancellation fee.
Sleeping cabins do not have a kitchen. Housekeeping cabins have kitchen or kitchenettes and are furnished with limited eating/cooking utensils. All units have coffee pots, microwaves, small refrigerators, TV's, Heat and A/C, towels and linens.
$10 for a rollaway/crib per night - available in select units
$10 for extra person
$10 per pet per day, only allowed in certain cabins.
Things to do When Staying at the State Game Lodge
🦬 Drive the Wildlife Loop Road for close encounters with the park's legendary bison herd, as well as pronghorn, burros, elk, and bighorn sheep
🥾 Hike the Centennial Trail and Cathedral Spires Trail through the dramatic granite formations of the Black Hills
🚗 Drive the Needles Highway, one of the most spectacular and narrow scenic drives in the American West, through granite spires and tunnels
🛶 Rent a canoe or kayak on Legion Lake and Sylvan Lake for scenic paddling among the granite hills
📸 Photograph the bison herd on the Wildlife Loop Road at dawn, when the animals are most active and the light is extraordinary
🌅 Watch sunsets from the lodge porch as the golden light filters through the ponderosa pines
🍽️ Dine at the Pheasant Dining Room, the lodge's signature restaurant serving Black Hills cuisine with a focus on regional game and seasonal ingredients
☕ Relax on the stone lodge porch overlooking Grace Coolidge Creek after a day in the park
🏛️ Visit Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, Jewel Cave, and Wind Cave National Park, all within easy driving distance
🦌 Join the annual Buffalo Roundup each September, one of the great wildlife spectacles in the American West
Distance from the State Game Lodge to other attractions
- Rapid City - 31 miles
- Mount Rushmore - 20 miles
- Custer, South Dakota - 13 miles
- Wind Cave National Park - 22 miles
- Jewel Cave National Monument - 27 miles
- Crazy Horse - 20 miles
- Wall, South Dakota - 81.4 mile
- Devils Tower National Monument - 140 miles
Check out all of our Custer State Park articles for more help planning your trip!
Lodging in Custer State Park
⭐️ 4.3 of 5 Stars - State Game Lodge - Click here for Rates and Availability.
The crown jewel of Custer State Park, a National Register of Historic Places landmark that served as the Summer White House for President Calvin Coolidge in 1927!
Make sure to read my full review of the State Game Lodge.
⭐️ 4.3 of 5 Stars - Sylvan Lake Lodge - Click here for Rates and Availability.
Perched at 6,145 feet on the Needles Highway at the top of the Black Hills, this stunning 1937 lodge overlooks one of the most breathtaking lakes in all of South Dakota!
Make sure to read my full review of Sylvan Lake Lodge & Cabins.
⭐️ 4.0 of 5 Stars - Creekside Lodge - Click here for Rates and Availability.
A beautifully modern 30-room lodge nestled among pine and oak-covered bluffs along the babbling Grace Coolidge Creek, right next door to the historic State Game Lodge!
Make sure to read my full review of the Creekside Lodge.
Make sure to read my lodging guide to Custer State Park.
Lodging Near Custer State Park
⭐️ 4.8 of 5 Stars - K Bar S Lodge - Click here for Rates and Availability.
A wonderfully secluded mountain lodge nestled in the Norbeck Wildlife Preserve and Black Hills National Forest, with stunning profile views of Mount Rushmore from three outdoor decks!
Located just 30 minutes from Custer State Park and 5 minutes from Mount Rushmore, the 96 spacious rooms feature flat-screen HDTVs, Keurig coffee makers, and select rooms with private hot tubs and refrigerators. A complimentary hot breakfast buffet is served each morning in a stunning glass-walled gazebo where guests can watch local wildlife wander the grounds. Two outdoor hot tubs, fitness center, business center, outdoor fire pits, laundry facilities, free WiFi, free parking, and pet friendly. Open April through October!
⭐️ 4.4 of 5 Stars - Under Canvas Mount Rushmore - Click here for Rates and Availability.
A luxury glamping resort in the Black Hills just 15 minutes from Custer State Park and 6 miles from Mount Rushmore, where you sleep under the stars in a premium canvas tent with a king bed and wood-burning stove!
Choose from Stargazer Tents with a skylight above the bed, Suite Tents with a private ensuite bathroom and soaking tub, or family-sized tents sleeping up to 6. The on-site restaurant and espresso bar serve seasonally inspired meals and s'mores kits, with fire pits, guided hikes, a complimentary activity schedule, adventure concierge, and free parking. Pet friendly, open May through September!
Click this link or the map below for a map of lodging and vacation rental options in the area of Custer State Park.
Best Custer State Park Tours & Activities
Mt Rushmore & Crazy Horse with Iron Mtn Rd, Needles & Sylvan Lake
⭐️ Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars (40+ reviews) | ⏳ Tour Length: 6 hours | 🚙🏔️ Check Rates and Availability
Explore South Dakota's largest state park on your own with a fully private Black Hills Open Top Tour, an extrmely popular tour that typically books an average of 40 days in advance!
The itinerary covers an impressive range of terrain and landmarks. The adventure begins on the famous one-way tunnels and pigtail bridges of Iron Mountain Road, followed by a stop at the lesser-known George Washington Profile View before a full 90-minute visit to Mount Rushmore National Memorial, where your guide brings the history of all four presidents to life against the sweeping backdrop of the Black Hills. From there the route winds through the stunning granite spires of Needles Highway to the serene pine-forested shores of Sylvan Lake before a full 90-minute visit to the Crazy Horse Memorial, the largest mountain monument in the world and one of the most inspiring stops in all of South Dakota. A picnic lunch complete with snacks, bottled water, and beer or wine is included along the way.
Mt Rushmore Night Ceremony, Tunnels & Stargazing Tour
⭐️ Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars (82+ reviews) | ⏳ Tour Length: 4 hours 45 minutes | 🌟🚐 Check Rates and Availability
One of the most popular and memorable evening experiences available and is booked an average of 69 days in advance, making it one of the most sought-after evening tours in the region!
This open-top tour from Black Hills Open-Top-Tours combines a full narrated visit to Mount Rushmore National Memorial with the park's iconic nightly Lighting Ceremony before finishing with a scenic after-dark drive up Iron Mountain Road through the famous one-lane tunnels and a stargazing stop at Norbeck Overlook under some of South Dakota's darkest skies. The sliding glass roof of the open-top vehicle makes for a uniquely immersive stargazing experience on clear nights.
Additional Custer State Park Information
- Complete Guide to Custer State Park
- Custer State Park Lodging Guide
- Things to do in Custer State Park
Parks Near Custer State Park Include
- Mount Rushmore National Memorial
- Wind Cave National Park
- Jewel Cave National Monument
- Theodore Roosevelt National Park
- Badlands National Park
- Minuteman Missile National Historic Site
- Devils Tower National Monument
- Crazy Horse
- There is also camping at the Mount Rushmore KOA
Check out all of the South Dakota National Parks along with neighboring National Parks in Wyoming, National Parks in North Dakota, National Parks in Nebraska, Montana National Parks, Minnesota National Parks, and Iowa National Parks.
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