After getting skunked on my morning run across the Needles Highway and then dilly-dallying with breakfast and laundry watching some clouds grow in the sky, I finally said “screw it!” and drove up to Sylvan Lake to the Trail #9 trail head for Black Elk Peak. The clouds continued to build as I watched from the parking lot and pondered whether to start the climb.
After about 45 minutes I saw no major changes and determined I better get moving before the sun goes down. Packed up my gear and started off.
Near the start of the trail there is a rather large sign with “THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW” before hiking to the summit. All of these are good advice. Carry more water than you think you need – a lesson I learned by packing up the gear hastily.
Most of the trail is just gravel hard pack with occasional exposed rocks and/or roots. I very much dislike this type of terrain the most, especially the parts where it is mostly exposed smaller rocks causing an uneven and irregular surface. Overall though I would say this is a well-maintained and heavily trafficked route.
For a while this trail is a nice but relatively boring walk as you are heading uphill surrounded by trees. I was focusing often on foot placement and just grinding the distance. Maybe around 1 mile in you’ll see some flat rocks that are great overlook viewpoints. The lower one is called Flasher’s View but I didn’t spend much time there. Second one is maybe 1/4 mile up the trail and has much more open views with less tree cover causing obstructions. Not a bad place to catch your breath either.
Then again, with views like this you may lose your breath just as quickly. I do love the drama added by uncertain storm clouds – well, at least once I am back at my computer and the trip is done. In the moment they can be a cause for concern especially once you get above the treeline. But for now let’s just enjoy the happy little trees.
It was at this overlook that I finally glimpsed the final goal. Using all the zoom available from my camera lens, I am just able to spy the massive fire lookout tower several miles away as the crow flies. From here it looks absolutely unbelievable that humans constructed such a thing.
Here’s a fun panorama taken with my iPhone that captures a bit more of the moody clouds and distant rain showers in the exact direction I am hiking towards. No lighting observed yet and the rain seems stationary so we march onward.
Here’s another look at the trail showing increases in undulation is growing as we climb upwards. The amount of exposed stones and larger rock surfaces increases making for more fun places to trip or roll an ankle. Don’t go so fast you aren’t paying attention to this, it will end your day just as quickly as anything else.
Views down across the valleys and ridges open through the trees from time to time. This reminds me a bit of the Blue Ridge Mountains as they seem to stretch infinitely to the horizon in a gradient of azure waves.
Just moments later it becomes a fun game of looking at the surrounding ridges and spires that tower above as the terrain dips into a small valley of it’s own. The path becomes a game of chutes and ladders all it’s own with constant change.
Around the midpoint you’ll find a sign saying “LEAVING CUSTER STATE PARK” which if I’m being honest I wasn’t aware of when I first set out. Many of the properties in a wide area are managed under the Custer park designation.
And not far from the Custer sign is another sign designating the area as managed under the Black Elk Wilderness which is also part of the Black Hills National Forest. Wilderness areas differ from regular forest lands in that they are even more untouched by humans. No motorized equipment, very often few or no roads and mostly only trails. Just what I’m looking for.
Rock formations in this area vary quite a bit. This one unique stone directly on the trail resembled something like a bird, maybe a hawk (well, at least to me). Some others are more like the famous “needles” of this area, and others are just large and rocky of no distinct shape. But for a flatland Midwesterner like me they are all very welcome sights.
The last mile or so you’ll find the trail climbs quite aggressively – something like 700ft elevation gain over that short distance. Often times the trail is composed of rocks arranged into steps. It was here that I started learning a valuable lesson: DO NOT make this the first hike you do all year, get some practice in before that. I had some wicked plantar pain from this point which was manageable but I wish I had seasoned my foot muscles ahead of time for this one.
Not much wildlife was observed along the route but I tried to capture it whenever the opportunity presented itself. Here I just barely caught a chipmunk eating some shrubs while sitting on a rock. No more than a few heartbeats later the little guy vanished just as quickly as I encountered him.
As the elevation difficulty ramps up, so does the challenge of the rocky trail. Steps get taller and less clear. Foot placement becomes more critical to channel your energy into upward motion. Keep grinding out the distance, it’s worth it!
Once you are very near to the summit some of the natural rocks are quite large but eventually give way to either paved steps or flat stones placed as steps by the original Civilian Conservation Corps builders.
Finally at the summit there are combinations of stone steps, paved steps, and metal steps. This entire hike is basically like doing 4 miles on a StairMaster so I hope you really enjoy climbing stairs!
At last we reach the fire lookout tower, also called (or previously called) the Harney Peak Lookout. It is indeed a formidable-sized building. Imagine you are one of the CCC workers tasked with creating such a thing, having to carry huge bags of mortar all the way upwards to glue together the stones. I’ve only just climbed here once now, doing it over and over again with 50-lb sacks of mortar on my back sound like a heck of a workout but not something I would enjoy just at the moment.
Along the stairs near the peak is a small plaque that reads VALENTINE T McGILLYCUDDY “WASICU WAKAM” 1849-1939. From what I read, these are his ashes entombed in the structure. McGillycuddy has quite an interesting history which you can read more about here. Wasicu Wakam, which translates from Lakota to “Holy White man” in English, has the Wakan heavily scratched on the engraving which I also suspect is due to his controversial life and actions. Strange thing is his birth place is listed as Racine, Wisconsin which is the county directly north of my hometown. Badgers are freakin’ everywhere.
At the doorway entering the tower is another plaque reading HARNEY PEAK LOOKOUT. Harney was nicknamed “Woman Killer” by the Lakota due to conducting raids on encampments that held women and children. The name has as of 2016 been changed to Black Elk Peak at the federal level, rightly so in my opinion. You can read more about Black Elk (Heȟáka Sápa) by clicking here; I intend to read more about him as he also led a fascinating life story.
Views from the top of the world in South Dakota. There is a prominent pole with prayer ties in immediate view. This place is sacred to the Lakota, if you visit be respectful. Enjoy the spectacular views, leave no trace, take only photos.
There is a small balcony which is a great place to take in the panoramic views that span in all directions (though for full 360 you do have to go behind the tower).
Just below the tower are several small trees that also have prayer ties attached to them. Again, be respectful, observe things for what they are without disturbing them.
I made a little friend here as well – a curious Dark-eyed Junco was hopping around chirping to his friends. I couldn’t even pull a precise focus on the camera, they are very small and extremely fast! I’m sure the little bird was just as confused and surprised as I was.
If you want to feel the true size of the world this is a great place for new perspectives. Sights like this never get old. South Dakota’s highest point at 7.242ft. Also the highest point east of the Rockies and west of the Pyrenees in Europe.
Another view as I rotate across the landscape. It is as if there is no end no matter which angle you choose to look.
A little bit more to the left now. The trail runs through part of this area though I don’t know exactly where. It’s all very small now.
My best attempt at an iPhone panorama, though the sun was not helping at this time of day. That’s what I get for watching clouds and trying to be safe. Oh well, still amazing scenery. Also check off another state high point from the list, woohoo!
On the way back down I was much slower than usual due to my foot pain but that’s fine. I also ran out of water but it was mostly a downhill return so not too much concern. Often times you see entirely new things on the return trip and today was no different. Outbound I took no notice, but coming back I was able to see Little Devils Tower right in front of me with some great foliage in the foreground. From here the sunlight faded quickly as it is accustomed to do near mid-October, and while I wish I could have taken more photos it took every minute of light just to reach the parking lot as I limped back to the truck.
Bonus photo of Sylvan Lake from the following day as I forgot to snap one before my hike. There are other trails that lead around the lake through the rocks which looks interesting but I had to pass on this trip. Honestly there is so much to do in the Black Hills you could spend a lifetime just exploring this area.
Not pictured: My feet were hurting something fierce. Luckily my right foot hurts the most so I used in on the truck’s gas pedal and camped at Stockade South State Park because they have showers and an open site. I went right to sleep and awoke early but decided to sleep in a bit so I could heal up just a bit longer. Showered in the morning and basically walking along slowly like I’m 100 years old so hiking is out of the question. Scenic drives are A-OK though so I’ll be biasing adventures towards in-vehicle scenery until I’m no longer in pain.
Hiking Data
I split the recording of my hike into two parts because I wanted to see the difference in speed between outbound and inbound legs. First is the outbound which follows the trail with minimal deviations. Of course walking around taking pictures is certain to add a little distance but not much.
Nearly 1,200ft elevation gain and an average moving speed of 1.4mph over 3.57 miles. That’s quite a bit longer than advertised on the sign which stated 6 miles round-trip. I’d say plan for closer to 7 miles total.
The inbound route is much cleaner because I basically walked without stopping all downhill right back to the truck. My feet were killing me and I was out of water, all I could do is trudge along like a zombie in search of a drink.
A matching 1,200ft descent with 1.8mph moving speed over 3.36 miles. Faster but I was slowed by the plantar pain, usually this would be over 2mph easy. Lesson learned, don’t get off the couch and make this your first hike of the season (but if you do it’ll be fine just some pain for the gain).
