Custer Is the Only Black Hills Stop for the Capitol Christmas Tree, and It All Happens at Way Park
October 29, 2026
October 29, 2026
On Tuesday, Nov. 10, an 80-foot grand fir headed for the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol will stop at Way Park, and Custer is the only town in the Black Hills it will visit. The Forest Service's published route has no stop in Rapid City, Hot Springs or Spearfish.
The same little park at 4th Street and Mount Rushmore Road is also where the Christmas Parade ends on Dec. 5, for the Juanita Fish Memorial Tree Lighting. That puts two of the town's biggest holiday evenings on one corner, less than four weeks apart, with the Custer Christmas Cash drawings running in between. If you live here, this year's two biggest holiday evenings both happen within sight of Way Park.
The 2026 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree comes from Idaho's Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests, on the Salmon River Ranger District. The Forest Service kept the exact location quiet until harvest. It's a grand fir, 80 feet tall, and this year's theme is "over the rivers and through the woods," per the Forest Service's August selection announcement.
The project partners named in the Oct. 1 route release are the Forest Service forests, the nonprofit Society of American Foresters and the Nez Perce Tribe. Idaho Forest Group is the 2026 presenting sponsor. On the official Custer event page, the local partners are the Custer Area Chamber of Commerce and the Black Hills National Forest.
The tour leaves Idaho, loops through Montana and northern Wyoming, then heads east across the middle of the country. Here's the stretch that matters to the Southern Black Hills, from the Forest Service's schedule:
After Custer, the tree's next public stop is Mitchell, two days later and across the state. For anyone between Hill City and Hot Springs, Way Park is the only place to see this tree up close before it reaches Washington. Friends in Rapid City who want to see it will have to drive down.
The celebration runs from 4 to 6 p.m. Both the official tour page and the Custer County Chronicle's Oct. 21 report give that window, and the tour page lists the address as 424 Mt. Rushmore Road. One entry on the Chamber's own events calendar shows 6 to 8 p.m., so plan around 4 p.m. and check custersd.com the week of the event.
Here's what the Chamber has lined up, according to its Oct. 15 letter to the city council and the Chronicle's report:
The tour page puts it simply: "View the tree up close, buy merchandise, and meet the team behind it all!" The banner is the piece of the evening that goes on to the Capitol. A message signed on Mount Rushmore Road in early November rides along to the West Lawn.
The Chamber is also planning a mini-parade to bring the tree into town, with local police, fire departments and U.S. Forest Service vehicles. As of the Chronicle's Oct. 21 story, the route was "awaiting final approval," and the Chamber said it would post details at custersd.com once arrangements were confirmed. If you're hoping to watch the tree roll in rather than meet it at the park, that announcement is the one to watch for.
Chamber director Dawn Murray described the stop to the Chronicle this way:
"The arrival of the Capitol Christmas Tree is a unique opportunity for Custer to showcase its community spirit, hospitality, and connection to the Black Hills and our public lands."
A 4 p.m. start on a Tuesday in mid-November means the light will be fading before the event ends, and the park sits right on the main road through town. Dress for the evening, and expect traffic control along Mount Rushmore Road once the procession plan is set. The Chamber's letter says it will coordinate traffic control and safety with the appropriate agencies after the route is approved.
Once the tree leaves for Mitchell, the season moves from a national event back to a local one. The Chamber's calendar lists Custer Christmas Cash throughout town from Nov. 27 through Dec. 18. The program's detail page describes weekly drawings for Custer Cash, with sign-up at participating businesses. It says "No purchase necessary," and it allows "Unlimited weekly entries." That same page still shows a Feb. 2, 2026 spend-by date from last season, so check this year's drawing dates and deadlines with the Chamber before you count on them.
Custer Cash only works locally. The Chamber's Custer Cash page lists the businesses that accept it, and the list reads like a walk down the main street. For breakfast and coffee there's Baker's Bakery, Calamity Jane's Coffee Shop & Grill, Miner's Cup, Wicked Espresso and Feel Good Cafe. Dinner options include Skogen Kitchen, Sage Creek Grille, Begging Burro, Maria's Mexican, Black Hills Burger & Pizza Co., Pizza Mill and Mount Rushmore Brewing Co. For dessert there's Purple Pie Place, Custer County Candy Company and Horatio's Homemade Ice Cream. For the errands that come with a Black Hills winter, the list includes Custer Ace Hardware, RP Lumber, Lynn's Dakotamart and Carson Drug. Gift shoppers can try Altitude Gifts & Sweet Shoppe, Art Expressions of Custer, Dave's Rock Shop, Jenny's Floral and the Black Hills Parks & Forests Assoc. This is the Chamber's general list of businesses that redeem Custer Cash, so ask at the counter whether a shop is signing people up for the holiday drawings.
The first Saturday in December fills the day from morning to night. The Chamber lists Santa's Village at 1645 Wildcat Lane on Dec. 5. Its detail page gives 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and its main calendar shows 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
That evening, the Custer Christmas Parade starts at 8th Street by Lynn's Dakotamart and heads west along Mount Rushmore Road to 4th Street at Way Park, where it ends with the Juanita Fish Memorial Tree Lighting. It ends in the same park where the Capitol tree will have stood less than four weeks earlier. The Chamber's parade page lists 5:30 to 6 p.m., and its main events calendar shows 7:30 to 8 p.m. Confirm the time with the Chamber before you claim a spot on the curb.
The Chamber has said updates on the tree's arrival and procession will be posted at custersd.com.
Our family has spent four generations watching Mount Rushmore Road dress up for the holidays, and a tree on its way to the nation's capital stopping at Way Park is something new to add to that list. If you're out on Nov. 10, say hello. And if a winter in Custer has you thinking about your own place here, or about what yours is worth, Black Hills Southern Realty is right down the road. Work With Amanda.
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