Order of Visit: High Point #21
Date Visited: August 30, 2020
Route Taken: Black Elk Peak Trail #9 from parking area at Sylvan Lake – 6.4 miles (round-trip)
Type of Terrain: Well-graded, wide dirt trail with some larger rocks near the summit. This trail ascends 1,500 feet over 3.2 miles and is challenging for many visitors because of the altitude.
Elevation: 7,244 feet
Ancestral Lands: Cheyenne, Sioux
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Black Elk Peak is one of a handful of state high points that changed names in the 21st century.
In 1855, when South Dakota was still 34 years away from achieving statehood, a 25-year-old Army lieutenant named the mountain Harney Peak after his commanding officer in the 1855 Battle of Blue Water (also known as the Harney Massacre).
General William Selby Harney (1800-1889) was renowned for military raids against the Sioux people and, later, his position on the Indian Peace Commission, where he negotiated several peace treaties in the West. However, his legacy was problematic from the start, and would foreshadow the desire to eventually change the high point’s name.
The Lakota’s indigenous name for the high point was Hiŋháŋ Káǧa, which translates to “owl maker,” because they believed the rock formations surrounding the peak resembled owls.
Rather than returning the peak to its native name, local advocates proposed replacing Harney’s name with that of Black Elk, the noted Oglala Lakota (Sioux) medicine man for which the surrounding Black Elk Wildness Area is also named. In 2016, the US Board on Geographic Names approved the renaming request by a vote of 12-0.
Nicholas Black Elk (1863-1950) came from a long line of Oglala Lakota medicine men, healers, and holy men, including his father and paternal uncles. He fought alongside Crazy Horse at the Battle of Little Big Horn, survived the Wounded Knee Massacre, and toured Europe as part of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show where he performed for Queen Victoria of England in 1887.
In 1934, Black Elk returned to performing in organized shows. However, instead of glorifying or objectifying Native American warfare, he focused on teaching tourists about Lakota rituals, such as the sacred Sun Dance. Black Elk Peak is one of several state high points named in honor of Native American leaders, along with the high points of Massachusetts and Missouri.
TRIP SUMMARY
Our hike to the top of South Dakota’s highest point began at Sylvan Lake. The lake and nearby trailheads are part of Custer State Park, so I was glad I’d purchased a week-long park pass a few days ago. This meant we could skip right past the crowd of cars queuing up at the gate this warm Sunday morning, and drive straight to the trailhead.
There are several routes up to the summit of Black Elk Peak. The most popular option is a 6.4-mile roundtrip trek on the #9 Black Elk Trail. Some visitors also opt to take the #9 Trail up to the summit and return via the #4 Trail, allowing a short side trip to Little Devil’s Tower. I wanted to check out both of our options, but when I approached the large map at the trailhead, I spotted a neon orange sign with writing in a giant font that read:
WARNING. TRAIL CLOSURE. Black Elk Peak Trails #9 and #4 will be closed till October 1, 2020 for trail maintenance.
My stomach lurched suddenly when I read the sign. Did this mean we couldn’t hike to the summit during our visit? Had we just wasted our time driving all the way out here to South Dakota? Don’t get me wrong – I immensely support trail maintenance, but c’mon. This is a super popular trail. And it was the end of summer. Couldn’t the park wait until after Labor Day to close the trail?
As I inspected the sign a bit closer, I noticed more writing below in much, much smaller print that read, “Access to the peak will be allowed on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sunday.”
Whew! I exhaled a giant sigh of relief. We’d get to hike the trail after all!! Today was a Sunday!
My overall impression of this trail was that it was an extremely pleasant and well-graded hike (thank you again trail maintainers). Yet, I was surprised to feel a bit winded while trying to carry on a conversation with Keith. After thinking about it for a few minutes and checking my phone, I quickly understood why I was so out of breath. My fitness hadn’t magically plummeted. It was the altitude. Sylvan Lake was near 6,000 above sea level, and we were heading up to 7,244. So, while the slope over the next 3.2 miles wasn’t outrageous, it definitely resembled the feeling of hiking in the Rockies more than the Great Plains that I was expecting.
The views of the Black Hills along this route were stunning and I had to restrain myself from stopping to take lots of photos of the rock spires climbing upward. But there was also something else that (quite literally) caught my attention. The ground seemed to be strewn with tons and tons of silver glitter.
As I moved into the sun, I soon realized why. Some of the nearby rocks had shiny minerals in them, which were flaking off into the dirt. Clear and sliver mica flakes were making the trail sparkle like glitter whenever you moved and the sun’s rays hit them. Even Finn (full of his typical 13-year old sullen angst) was amused by the “glitter dirt.” Admittedly, the shininess didn’t photograph well, but I promise you it was more magical than anything Walt Disney could conjure.
Not much further up the trail, we spotted a stone bench facing a valley of more epic views of the Black Hills, including the tower at the summit of Black Elk Peak where we were headed. I appreciated seeing the bench was marked with the now-familiar triangle logo for the Highpointers Association. I’m sure many winded visitors appreciated the gesture and the A+ views it provided them.
The trail seemed to level out and even descend as we worked out way into the Black Elk Wilderness. Then all of a sudden, there was a large metal box in front of us from the U.S. Forest Service and directions to fill out a free permit. I had another brief moment of panic, since I didn’t exactly have a pen or pencil on me for this hike.
When I lifted the brown metal lid to grab a permit, I soon discovered a tray of little golf pencils to assist me. After filling out the permit, I deposited the top copy into the slot as directed and put the carbon copy in my pack so I didn’t lose it. We’d need to return the second half of the permit at whichever permit box we passed on the trail we took down (at this point we weren’t 100% sure if we were going to just to the out-and-back hike on the #9 trail, or try to make the loop and come back down the #4 trail).
After that, the trail resumed its ascent, and we made quick time of the rest of the journey. This was probably the section where we encountered the most people on the trail. The parking lot below had tons of cars in it, but we’d barely seen a handful of hikers up to this point. So I guess they must have gotten an earlier start, because we were soon asking to pass small groups of hikers. Nearly every quarter mile, we’d pass another group or two.
This was also the section of the trail that was obviously undergoing the trail maintenance. I saw rock steps being emplaced, new water bars, and clear evidence of recent work. And it was where we started to have to navigate around large rocks as the trail became steeper. But, the views were definitely worth the workout.
Then, just as we were getting ready to overtake another couple on the trail, we all stopped beside a fork in the trail. To our right was a sign that said something about stock animals with an arrow pointing up the hill. And to the left, the trail to the left seemed to descend a bit.
Neither option seemed correct. We didn’t want to go downhill (as the tower was still above us), yet we didn’t know if the sign for the uphill trail was: (a) for stock animals only; or (b) the route all stock animals were required to use. What to do??
As we all stood there, a group of four hikers came downhill toward using the “stock” trail. We took their appearance as the sign that we should continue heading uphill on the stock trail. Barely 100 feet later, we knew this was the wrong choice. We could see the tower now, but also a bunch of horses tied up with two guys tending to them. This alternate really was a trail for the stock, while the other one was for hikers.
It seemed too late to turn around, so we skirted around the horses on the wisp of a trail in front of the rope where they were all tied up. We were careful not to startle any of them, but I couldn’t help but to stop and ask if I could gently stroke the soft noses of two of them on my way past.
The final bit of trail up to the tower was an impressive engineering feat. First we had to climb some stone steps and squeeze through a tunnel in some giant boulders.
Then we had to climb up metal stairs over a chasm of open rock below. Normally I don’t mind stairs, but these were a bit vertigo-enhancing because you could see through the metal grate steps to the ground below.
When we finally bent around the corner, we saw the fire lookout tower, which was super impressive. The plaque beside the door said it was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the late 1930s. After we finished this hike, I looked up the details, and it turns out that it took the CCC workers three years to build the tower. The rock was all sourced from the nearby French River, and all the materials and tools had to be carried (by mule or man) three miles to this site. Wow! Talk about hard work.
Wandering inside, we were treated to a small room with staircases leading above and below us. The roof’s stunning geometric pattern warranted its own photo. Then, we were taken to the top level, where we were taken to a small catwalk-like balcony with panoramic views out the windows.
Outside, the sun was shining brightly, and we stood on the stone patio, taking it all in. By now, though, our stomachs were starting to grumble. Instead of focusing on the fabulous views of the Black Hills in front of us, our thoughts wandered toward what we were going to eat for lunch (why didn’t we pack a picnic to enjoy on the summit?).
And so, it was time to head back to the trailhead with a bit more urgency to get some food in our bellies. Our hunger was also a deciding factor when we reached the trail junction where the #4 Trail split from the #9 Trail. If we’d brought a picnic lunch to the summit, I think we all would have enjoyed taking the alternate route down and exploring Little Devil’s Tower. But, it wasn’t in the cards for today’s trip. We’d stick to the same route up and down.
During our descent, we noticed even more people heading up the trail. It was warmer now, and while some of the trail had tree cover, much of it was exposed. More than a few of our fellow hikers had pink cheeks, ears, arms, and necks, indicating that they’d forgotten to put on sunscreen before hitting the trail midday.
Once back at the metal permit box, we dropped our half of the permit inside and could smell the finish line. All that was left was the stone bench and then the open fields by the lake, where we’d begun our scenic hike. All in all, I was genuinely happy with this highpoint adventure. It was a good solid morning workout, but didn’t take up the entire day. My sole regret is failing to bring a lunch so we could have a picnic up on the rocks near the summit and enjoy the last bits of summer sun.
DETAILS
When to Visit: Custer State Park is open year-round, but this moderately difficult hike is best tackled between May-October due to the snowy South Dakota winters. The trail is heavily-trafficked during the weekends and the peak summer season, often seeing 500 visitors in a day. If you want to avoid the mild panic attack I experienced at the trailhead, make sure to check the USFS website to learn about any temporary trail closures occurring during your visit. (This trail information will not be posted on the Custer State Park website).
Getting There: Black Elk Peak is located in the Black Hills National Forest, approximately 35 miles from Rapid City, South Dakota. If you’re coming from nearby Custer, SD, it’s only a 7-mile drive. Or you can opt to use take the longer, scenic Needles Highway Route (Highway 87) through narrow tunnels, around cathedral-like rock spires, and the through the highlights of Custer State Park.
Entrance Fees: Because the trailhead is located inside a state park, you will need to purchase a $20 visitor pass at the entrance. This pass will be good for up to 7 days and covers all passengers in your car.
Parking: The trail begins right next to Sylvan Lake. There is a paved one-way loop with parking for approximately 40 cars near the trailhead. A second gravel overflow lot with room for another 50-60 cars can be accessed from the top of the paved loop. Pit toilets are available beside Sylvan Lake approximately 100 yards from the trailhead.
Accessibility: This hike is along a well-graded, well-maintained path the entire way. During the last mile, the trail becomes more rocky and difficult (although this may have been partially due to the ongoing trail maintenance during our visit). Hikers should expect the combination of altitude, distance, and ascent to make this trek a healthy challenge.
Bonus: Once you’re in the Black Hills area, you’ll have your choice of epic outdoor sites to visit, including Custer State Park, which is renowned for its bison herds and scenic views, Mt. Rushmore National Memorial; Crazy Horse Memorial; and Wind Cave National Park.
Resources:
- Black Elk Peak Hiking Route (Using the #9 Trail out-and back)
- Black Elk Peak Hiking Loop (Using the #9 Trail up to the summit and returning on the #4 Trail)
- Fire Lookout Tower Info (Harney Peak Info)
- Renaming Harney Peak into Black Elk Peak (Smithsonian Magazine)