As of today, out of season, returns ~September. Earth Exhibit tracks the live conditions and flags it the moment it is on.
On one morning at the end of every September, the open prairie of Custer State Park fills with the sound of pounding hooves as cowboys, cowgirls, and park crews on horseback and in trucks drive the park's entire free-ranging bison herd, around 1,300 animals, across the grasslands and into the corrals.
It is one of the largest events of its kind in the world and a working roundup, not a show: the bison are gathered each fall so the herd can be health-checked, vaccinated, and managed to keep its numbers in balance with the land.
For spectators gathered in two designated viewing areas, the experience is visceral, a living river of two-thousand-pound animals surging across the hills in a cloud of dust, the ground shaking, riders flanking the herd to keep it moving.
The roundup begins around mid-morning and is usually over by midday, the herd safely in the corrals.
It anchors a weekend that also includes an arts festival with scores of vendors.
Bison once numbered in the tens of millions across North America and were driven to near extinction; watching a great herd run free across the Black Hills is a glimpse of the continent as it was, and a celebration of the animal's recovery.
Where to see it
A taste of where to see it. The full map, exact coordinates and the best timing for each spot live in the app.
| Viewing spots |
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| Custer State Park (Roundup Viewing Areas) |
This is the short version
This page shows a taste. The app has the full list of where to see this, the exact timing, and live conditions for 1,000+ natural phenomena worldwide, so you know the moment one is genuinely worth the trip.