french creek

First, let me say that fishing this creek is a major activity there. For me,since I spend so much time on back roads in the general Custer area, I have seen a lot of French Creek. In some places it nearly disappears and in others, it is right there to see but wherever you see it, it is pretty. It calls wildlife and wildflowers - so, I am happy to see it and enjoy the beauty.

This campground is our first pick when staying in the Hills. The campground is great for exploring and there are lots of things to see and do. A general store and restaurant are within walking distance.

We stayed at this campground in October. We have horses and this campground is perfect for horses. Lots of extra stalls to rent if you have more than 1 horse. Jim and Kathy, the camp hosts are top notch. They are such great people, loved visiting with them. We had buffalo, turkey, sheep and deer in camp all 5 days we were there. The campsites have power and there is a water on site. There is running water in the river for the horses. The trails are awesome. The shower house is clean. This is truely my favorite place on earth - can't wait to go back.

To the reviewer who claimed, "I had hiked the length of French Creek back in the 1970's...", I respectfully think you are full of it. The creek has a length of over 60 miles, much of which goes through private property. A good two miles or so of it goes thru the town of Custer and has parts which are completely unhikeable. I know this because I was born and raised there. Your complaints of poison ivy may be quite valid, sometimes it's bad, sometimes it's worse. However, you sure as heck have not seen the whole of the creek.

French Creek is the only place in Custer for backcountry camping. It is all primitive. No sites, fire rings, nothing at all. You have to pack in your own water too. At night you won't be bothered by anything except coyotes and owls.I recommend (per park staff) going in from the East side of the park as the trailhead is right there, at the West end I understand you will start two miles away from it.I did not complete the one way 12 mile trail, i went in about 3.5 miles and was happy with my site.

One reads about French Creek throughout history so it was fun to see it. We crossed the river multiple times, stopping to see the wildlife.

We found ourselves in Custer looking for somewhere to camp and came upon French Creek. Wonderful owners with a whole lot of history of the area. We will make a point of stopping here again and saying hello to Rock and Diane, spending some time talking and seeing more of the sights. Thanks for such a wonderful memory!!!Jim and Janet, Alto Michigan

French Creek Horse Camp is a great destination or stop-over point. Electric at each sight or sleeping cabins with electric, heat, and AC at reasonable prices. Wildlife roam the campground, especially buffalo! Our camp hose, Ron Hillyard and Ben were top notch!! They went above and beyond every single day to make our stay more interesting and pleasant!!! We plan to make the long haul from KY every summer!

Seriously, Grizzlies were once common here. French Creek has a long history, Native Americans, famous explorers, General Custer, logging railroads, and Presidential visits. The fishing is reportedly excellent. This is a scenic mountain stream that eventually meanders into the prairie. Bottom line: bring your hiking boots and combine with other stops in the area.

Poison ivy can be a problem. We go in the early Spring (April), when the plants haven't leafed out, and the problem is manageable. Take the kids somewhere else.We have a lot of success fishing with spinning gear. There are plenty of trout in the creek, and some are in the 20 inch range. The poison ivy keeps the faint-hearted away, so the fish have not received much pressure.If the fish are bumping the lure, but not taking it, try dressing the hook with a little bit of chub meat. Chubs are minnows that live in the bottom end of the many pools. They will bite on a piece of worm or critter found under rocks or logs.

Not a big creek if you are looking to fly fish, normal small trout. Pretty area to walk though, so may as well fish it if you are there.

I had hiked the length of French Creek back in the 1970's, as a teen. Nostalgic, we went back in June 2012 to hike there and found that it had been developed by Custer State Park as "French Creek Natural Area". The biggest use is by horse riders.The first thing you discover is that there are wide stream crossings literally every few hundred yards. To hike the whole 12 miles requires 42 crossings, either rock hopping or wading up to your knees.The next thing you see is huge high fields of poison ivy every where. These were the largest and healthiest poison ivy plants that I had ever seen in more than 50 years of hiking all over the world.We entered from the west, then drove around to the south central entrance and hiked in again. It was hard to even find a trail in the central area, and the ivy plants there were the largest.On the positive side, it is quiet, scenic, and has good wildlife viewing opportunities, especially bison (who blocked the trail on our return, forcing quite a bit of bushwhacking through the stands of ... ivy).