I found my inner cowgirl and went buffalo chasing in the Wild West

Picture this: cowgirls and cowboys on horseback wielding whips, and the clopping and whooshing sounds arsenic they herd much than a thousand bison across the wild, unfastened plains.

The particulate swirls and the crushed thunders arsenic the cattle rumbles implicit the ridge and the hills, and into corrals.

But I’m not watching immoderate movie that’s acceptable successful the Wild West. I’m close present successful the heavy of the enactment successful South Dakota successful the American Midwest, watching the 59th Annual Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup from the backmost of a pick-up truck.

Covered head-to-toe successful dirt, I americium reminded of US nonrecreational rodeo cowgirl Fallon Taylor’s words: ‘Dirt is cowgirl glitter.’

I clasp it – aft all, I’m present to larn what beingness is truly similar for a cowgirl.

As I’m thrown astir successful the monster vehicle, chasing the herd of 1,300 beasts, I can’t rather judge the spectacle unfolding close successful beforehand of me.

The Buffalo Roundup

The authoritative parkland roundup dates backmost to 1965 but the tradition, 1 of the Wild West’s greatest, is simply a period aged present successful the isolated Black Hills upland range. It’s escaped to sojourn and unfastened to the nationalist connected the past Friday successful September each twelvemonth – and tourists can’t get capable of it.

This year’s roundup attracts much than 24,000 spectators, who person travelled acold and wide to ticker from dedicated viewpoints arsenic the herd stampede close past for sorting, branding investigating and treatment.

The Buffalo Roundup is portion of Custer State Park’s absorption program to support a steadfast equilibrium betwixt the fig of bison and disposable grazing for them.

Established successful 1919, the parkland is South Dakota’s archetypal and the largest successful the state, and welcomes successful excess of 1.5million visitors annually. The onshore provides the perfect situation for a wealthiness of wildlife including elk, bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope and prairie dogs. They tin champion beryllium seen connected the 18-mile Wildlife Loop Road.

Custer State Park is 1 of the fewer places near successful the American West that remains genuinely wild. But its 71,000 acres lone scratch the aboveground – there’s overmuch escapade to beryllium had successful the remainder of the Black Hills, too.

Exploring the Black Hills

The range, successful occidental South Dakota, stretches to 110 miles agelong and 70 miles wide, spilling into neighbouring Wyoming.

Native American tribes who person a agelong past successful the Black Hills see them to beryllium sacred. For the Lakota Sioux, the Black Hills – Paha Sapa successful their connection – are the centre of their universe, wherever their civilization began.

These days, outdoors enthusiasts tin roam freely successful the 1.2 million-acre hills, soaking up the awesome quality of pine-topped upland peaks interspersed with rippling streams, crystalline upland lakes, and
a myriad hiking and biking trails.

Time-poor during my trip, I can’t acceptable successful traversing the Black Elk Peak, the tallest successful the scope astatine 7,242ft and besides the highest elevation betwixt the Rocky Mountains successful the occidental US and the Pyrenees successful France.

However, I bash negociate to ascent Cathedral Spires connected the Needles Highway, a 1.6-mile way that leads to the Black Elk trail. 
I muster up immoderate ‘wild, beardown and brave’ cowgirl tone arsenic I scramble up this moderately strenuous hike – and it’s precise good worthy the effort.

I find myself successful awe, immersed successful a radical of granite towers that were formed 2 cardinal years ago. But if hiking is not your thing, you tin inactive get adjacent to the Needles Highway successful an all-terrain conveyance (ATV).

These off-road motorised machines are designed to grip a wide scope of terrain with twists and turns astatine each corner. With respective ATV rental companies successful the area, customers 
can prosecute vehicles equipped with tablets with maps, for a thrilling off-road escapade you tin tackle with confidence.

This is thing I conscionable couldn’t resist, and I americium soon connected a twisting, turning joyride, roaring past stone formations, navigating constrictive gaps and manoeuvring up precocious mountains, taking successful breathtaking views of immoderate of the astir scenic and unsocial terrain and landscapes to beryllium recovered successful the full of the Black Hills.

Heading into the Badlands

Later, backmost connected the Great American West road successful a ‘normal’ vehicle, 
still successful South Dakota, I americium wholly unprepared for the Badlands National Park.

Paying homage to the Lakota people, who for hundreds of years called it Mako Sica, virtually translating arsenic ‘bad lands’, this country consists of 244,000 acres of jagged chromatic buttes, spires and pinnacles juxtaposed against the grasslands.

The stone formations successful Badlands National Park are the merchandise of 2 processes: deposition, 75 cardinal years ago, and erosion, which began 500,000 years ago.

The ever-changing quality of these sandstones, siltstones, limestones and volcanic ash tin beryllium seen connected the roadworthy from a car acknowledgment to assorted viewing stops, arsenic good arsenic abbreviated hikes for Insta-worthy snaps.

The Wild, Wild West

Cowboys and cowgirls are a large portion of the Old West and a bully spot to recognize their mode of beingness is to caput to Deadwood.

The municipality was enactment connected the representation successful 1876 astatine the tallness of the golden unreserved erstwhile thousands of prospectors descended determination successful the anticipation of uncovering their fortune.

The roar saw a big of occidental notables get successful the municipality including Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane, some of whom are buried astatine the Mount Moriah Cemetery successful Deadwood.

While the golden unreserved petered retired wrong a mates of years, Deadwood continued to pull radical who didn’t caput breaking a instrumentality oregon two, and besides became the 3rd spot successful the US aft Atlantic City and the authorities of Nevada to let gambling.

Today, the town’s saloons and gambling halls proceed to thrive arsenic portion of a historical preservation effort. And wherever determination was gambling, determination were brothels. These person been amerciable since 1980, though 1 has been turned into a fascinating museum

You tin expect to dive headfirst
into the ‘living history’ depository of Deadwood. A locomotion on the brick-paved streets transports maine into that bygone golden unreserved era.

Want to get into the tone of it all? Just get your sassy cowgirl (or cowboy) boots and Stetson on.

You don’t person to person grown up connected a Wild West ranch to clasp the cowgirl code. I’d accidental you conscionable request 
a small assurance – and an autarkic streak.

Getting there

Sabi was a impermanent of Travel South Dakota and stayed successful Rapid City.

Flights from Heathrow to Rapid City via Dallas connected American Airlines commencement from astir £864. Contact America As You Like It (americaasyoulikeit.com) oregon Discover North America (discovernorthamerica.co.uk) 
for packages.

The adjacent Custer State Park Roundup and accompanying arts festival is Sept 25-27, 2025.

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