Black Elk Peak, South Dakota’s High Point. Previously known as ‘Harney Peak’ Black Elk Peak sits within Black Hills National Forest, but most trailheads start within Custer State Park in South Dakota. The summit (actually a CCC fire tower) sits at 7,242 ft which is pretty impressive given most people think of the Dakotas as ‘flyover’ country.

It’s also incredibly beautiful. Trails give you access to view ‘The Needles’-the tall spires of rock that spread all across the area. We went in December-when everything was dusted in white and it was breath taking.

Even with snow covering the trail, and a few people who left the trailhead before us, it was easy to find our way from the Sylvan Lake Trailhead. We took trail #9, planning to make the common loop with trail #4, but the snow there was untracked. We opted to do an out and back. The map lists it as a 7 mile hike and I think we clocked it about the same.

We had just come from Colorado (a thwarted winter attempt to summit and ski Mount Elbert) so we felt pretty awesome covering ground over moderate elevation.

The first half of the video is our section from Colorado, with a cameo of the Nebraska High Point (very anti-climactic).

We also wore trail runners, Yaktrax and carried trekking poles-with some essential hiking gear as well- so we moved pretty quickly. There are several stairs at the top as you get to the fire tower, and it is so cool. As easy highlight for us. You can explore all around the inside as well-including going to the ‘lookout’ section which gives you the chance to see across so much! If you are there in the summer-there are perfect places to stop and rest just before the summit/tower as well so it doesn’t get too crowded.

We loved being there in the winter. Overall the trail seemed very well traveled, so unless you were there after a huge accumulation-snow shoes would not be necessary.

You can see from the picture above, we had lots of layers packed. We also brought our insulated sit pads and what we think of as essential…traction devices and trekking poles. Plus food, water, first-aid and the rest of the 10 Essentials. If you aren’t familiar with them, I wrote a blog post you can read here.

Custer State Park is a beautiful park, and South Dakota surprises us with every visit. If this hike isn’t on your list-add it!

Other great things about South Dakota?-Its cheap! If you are looking for a place to stay there are several places to camp. If you need a hotel-Rapid City is only about 30 mins from Custer and hotels are often under $100, and that’s booking last minute. There are a few great Mom ‘n’ Pop places to shop and eat, plus Rapid City has Firehouse Winery-one of our absolute favorite wineries. There is also Firehouse Brewery which is pretty popular on Main Street. Sadly, I don’t think our favorite pizza place made it through the pandemic.

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Hope the weather is getting nicer in your neck of the woods and you can get out and enjoy some Days Off!