center lake

We LOVE Center Lake!! We go camping here at least once a year. It is quiet and out of the way. There is no traffic sounds. The lake is beautiful, with a great beach area for swimming. There is a wonderful hiking trail that goes around the lake that offers breathtaking views. The pine smell is wonderful. The beautiful pine trees shades you and keep the temperature down. There are No Mosquitos unless it is a very wet year and then only a very few. The staff is very very friendly, especially Don. My son & I love the nightly programs put on by the Ranger. The Black Hills Playhouse is within a short walking distance. It is a short drive to wherever you want to go. Very Scenic, Very Beautiful, Very Safe.

We did not really take advantage of any of the multitude of options one could experience here (camping, fishing, hiking, swimming, etc) but it is a very pretty lake with lots of pine trees surrounding the lake. It is just a short distance off the main Needles Highway (or the Iron Mountain Rd from the other side) but apparently it gets much less traffic. The Black Hills Playhouse is on the same road, just where you turn to go into Center Lake. A pretty location and nice drive to get there.

This is the kind of lake you imagine when you think about a summer camp lake. Pine forests surround the lake with trees close to the shore. You can swim in the lake, and there was a small movie screen and restrooms located near the water. The water seemed to have a green algae tint, but was very nice.

The lake is great for kayaks, canoes or rafts and for swimming. As the lake is small the water warms up fast. There is great fishing and hiking as well. It has showers and pit toilets only. It is generally a great place to camp for pop-ups and tents, but it doesn't have electric.

I have visited Center Lake many times over the past 20 years. My favorite was two years ago when I watched a golden eagle make several successful swoops over the water catching fish with its giant claws. More times than not, I have been the only human visitor to the lake.

A small lake with fishing and great for canoeing. The lake is surrounded by campground so can get crowded in the middle of summer. A beautiful hiking trail long the creek. Check on status for summer 2014 as the lake is scheduled for maintenance.

Less scenic that Sylvan Lake, but offers great amenity for camping. Camp location worked best for us because it was central to where we wanted to travel.

I stopped here with my 11 and 13 year old kids and stayed for about two hours just climbing the rocks just to the south of the beach. This lake wasn't crowded at all and offered a great place to stretch our legs during the midday after driving the Wildlife Loop and before we headed north to Keystone. Not quite as dramatic as the scene at Sylvan Lake, but equally enjoyable in a different sort of way!

As we traveled cross country with our 11 and 6 year old boys, we attempted to tent camp every few nights to save money. Custer was a favorite stop in past trips, so we decided to try one of the campgrounds. We asked one of the rangers at the entrance station which campground was the most private (we really dislike public camping - we like a little privacy and quiet!). She recommended we check out Center Lake Campground. We had no prior reservations, but it was a Monday night so we were safe. She told us there wouldn't be much of a cell signal back there, but there was a park phone at the entrance to the campground that connected us directly to the National Parks Reservation system. Very cool.We drove around the Upper and Lower loops and decided we'd stick with the Upper Loop - farther from the lake, but definitely less full and more quiet. I used the campground phone and connected immediately to a nice reservation agent. They were able to tell me which spots were available and which were already reserved. It was a little more expensive than we expected ($25 for non-resident).We got a great site at the top of the Upper Loop - very spacious with a nice flat spot for the tent. They have boxed, gravel tent sites all ready for you. The tall pines offered shade and a wonderful scent. There was also a nice parking pad, set off the road through the campground.We drove the Wildlife Loop as dusk fell and returned just as it became dark. As we were getting the boys into bed, another group pulled up to the site next to us (around 9 p.m.). They were very loud as they set up their tent - four adults in their 20s. This continued until about 1 a.m. which was so rude. It ruined the feeling of the spot, but again, that's the downside to organized campgrounds vs. dispersed camping.The pit toilets were fine - didn't smell terrible. There was potable water just a few sites away. We were able to take showers the next morning with a short drive down to the lake area and Lower Loop. The showers were free and were decent. The beach area at Center Lake was kind of gross - lots of geese leaving their feces around, but overall it was a nice place to stop for the night. I did get one bar signal with AT&T at our campsite - enough to send texts back and forth.All-in-all, it was a nice spot with pretty much space. Can't help how loud the neighbors get!

The kids had a great time swimming near the sandy beach! Beautiful scenery and picnic area!! Will definitely be going again!

I am only writing this because I am moving out of South Dakota, otherwise I wouldn't share this secret. But this is a great little lake for camping, fishing, swimming, and kayaking. The water is pretty clear, you can see trout swimming in it quite easily. If you stand in the swimming area part of the lake, you will see fish swimming around your feet. I once caught a trout with my bare hands there. And bison walk through the campsite sometimes. You can only reserve a campsite here the day of your stay, though.

Pretty lake in a pretty setting. Closest CG to the Black HIll Playhouse. Very lovely picnic (day use only) area - right on the lake shore. CG areas are back a little - nice country feel, easy access.

This small lake with wooded shoreline and some handsome rock formations is a fine picnic and fishing spot. We fished directly off the dock by the boat ramp and caught enough trout for several dinners. We stayed as the sun went down, when the trout start surfacing and it was like watching a trout ballet as multiple fish spashed to the surface, some clearing the lake by 4-6 inches as they jumped into the air. We saw no more that 3 - 4 other people the whole afternoon we were there.

Nice place for a picnic or a swim. Clean, not crowded the day we went. Very peaceful.

Although we didn't catch much as this lake, our entire family enjoyed the scenic beauty, relatively easy access, amble picnic tables, and bathroom facilities available at this beautiful lake.