Hayride & Chuckwagon Cookout at Blue Bell Lodge

My husband, son and I enjoyed four days in South Dakota, two of them at Custer State Park and we all agree the highlight was the Hayride and Chuckwagon Cookout we took on May 14, 2025. The entire evening was great, with the highlight being the entertainment from Keith, the singer/storyteller.

What a wonderful time we had with our group on May 15th! Keith Burder did a wonderful job entertaining us on our ride to the canyon and drawing us all together. Stories & songs interspersed with history and lore of the area. I would highly recommend the Hayride & Chuckwagon Cookout. The meal was much better than I expected. The steak was prepared to my liking, the potato salad was some of the best I have ever had. The beans, cornbread, watermelon and cookie rounded out the meal nicely. The staff that met us in the canyon were helpful and personable. And not to forget our driver, (but I did forget his name...sorry) who did such a nice job keeping us from going over the edge on the 4 mile draw :^)
We will be back. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!

Fun time. Kowboy Keith was informative, funny and great leading singalong. Got to see a big herd of bison. VERY disappointing that cookout was served inside lodge due to cold weather. Really feel it was intricate part of the experience for the price. Best to Check on weather and lodge before you book.

Custer State Park is a beautiful place no doubt. Our Guide, Leslie, was fantastic. We were a bit disappointed that we stayed on the wildlife loop instead of going on some of the trails not accessible to the public as advertised. We were also supposed to have had dinner outside in a valley but rain came earlier in the day that forced it to be moved inside. I get that things happen but had we been notified of the change we would have done something different.

This excursion was well worth the money and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Our guide, Wayne, was knowledgeable, friendly and a good driver. We saw several herds of buffalo, antelope, deer and elk. He took us onto dirt roads off the beaten path and up to the top of the Knob which offered a fabulous 360 degree view.

Fun experience. We did the chuckwagon buffalo jeep ride combo. Fun driver, great food and entertainment. Great evening.

We usually go to Custer Sate Park every summer. The Chuckwagon Cookout is one of the many highlights. We have tried to ride with Cowboy Keith each time. He is a wonderful storyteller, guitar player and singer. We have been with him enough that he even recognizes me which shocks my wife. He has tremendous enthusiasm for life, the Black Hills and our country. His knowledge of the Black Hills and related issues makes him a fascinating speaker. Again he is a fabulous storyteller and makes the Chuckwagon ride a delightful experience.

My husband and I went on the hayride and chuckwagon tour the last night we stayed in Custer State Park. For relaxed fun and camaraderie, it was well worth it.

Marty helped us into the covered chuckwagon and drove while Keith, an accomplished guitarist, singer and storyteller, regaled us with area history and stories and Western songs traditional and original as we made our way along gravel roads in the park. We found ourselves singing along on many of the old familiar tunes. On the way to the valley where we would eat supper, we also saw wildlife in the fields around us: bison, antelope, mule deer, prairie dogs.

By the time we got to our supper site, we were pretty hungry, so the casual buffet of beans, cornbread, potato salad, watermelon and a hamburger or steak hit the spot as musicians entertained us until it was close to dusk. The scene was nothing if not picturesque as the sun began to go down.

Note: The tour provides blankets, but if you go in early October as we did, be sure to wear/bring sweatshirts, vests or fleece, because it gets cool quickly.

One thing we enjoyed the most about the evening was the helpfulness and friendliness of the campground staff, which made us and the people around us feel relaxed, too.

We'd do this again.

Also, a shout-out to Keith and the Blue Bell Lodge manager--Tia?--who found my cell phone in the parking lot after we'd left for the tour and supper. She went to look for it right away after Keith called the lodge. Thank you!

Had a wonderful time. Cowboy Keith was engaging and entertaining! Food was great. It was a bit chilly but our fault for not dressing a bit warmer. Highly recommend!

We had such a great time! This ended up being our favorite activity on our trip in the Black Hills. The food was delicious. We had two little children with us and everyone was very accommodating and super friendly all around.

This was so much fun for families, and older adults. The stories, the information, and the songs were great.
Thank you for an enjoyable evening.

This was a great experience, probably the highlight of our whole trip! Even though we had just seen the buffalo round up that morning, we saw two buffalo up close on our wagon ride along with a herd of bighorn sheep and elk! The entertainment was great and the kids had a blast running around. They invited everyone to come through the food line for seconds (what is leftover). Everything was timed really well so it didn’t feel like we were there too long or too little. Money well spent. We would definitely do this again.

Wonderful sightseeing jeep tour. Our guide Roger is very knowledgeable of the history of Custer State Park and the wildlife. He was able to get us up close to the buffalo, wild donkeys and other wildlife.
The Chuckwagon Dinner was delicious and alot of fun.
Worth the price.

We didn't have this booked on our trip until my mother-in-law reminded my husband of them doing it when they came a little over 20 years ago. So I immediately went and booked it. We actually did the jeep tour & Chuckwagon cookout on 9/29/24. Our jeep guide was great. He tried really hard to get us to see the animals of the park. He was getting info from other guides to see what they had seen. The setting for the dinner was very pretty. The musicians were so fun. But the meat chef was the main show. How she got the meats all done in time, kept all the meat temps straight and also served the meat was impressive and I told her so. We were there at the end of the season of course so it was less crowded than it would be in the summer so that was really nice as well. So glad we went and definitely recommend on your trip.

Highly recommend this experience if you're in the area. I did the jeep safari and cookout combo. Our guide Kent was knowledgeable and friendly. The meal was terrific with a perfect medium rare steak. I also enjoyed the music by the two talented musicians. Everyone seemed to have a great time.