Hiking Black Elk Peak

Black Elk Peak! In my quest to hit the 50 state high points, this wasn’t a hard peak, but was still a bit unique. The trails start off in deciduous forests that almost look like my home state of Virginia. You’ll probably park at Sylvan Lake which is photographed below, and then begin your almost four mile hike to the summit.

The trail doesn’t waste much time changing into evergreens, which is more of what I’d expect in a northern forest at high altitude. There is lots of wildlife that can be found here; everything from bears to mountain lions. With reasonable hiking traffic however, your chances of spotting such animals are low. This chipmunk was the only friend I ran into, other than the occasional blackbird!

So what makes this hike a bit unique? It’s the incredible rocky spires spread about the Black Hills! These two photos show some of the most unique and beautiful, a grove known as Cathedral Spires. Although the spires aren’t very tall, there are so many and their dramatic shapes alone make this hike worth it. Separately if you’re into technical climbing, there are plenty of short multi pitches you can ascend.

Your hike will be dotted with spires and fur trees all the way to Harney Tower, which is built at the top of South Dakota. The hike up the tower only takes a couple minutes. You’ll have to enter this tiny little cave followed by some stairs photographed below.

The total hike is roughly four miles in length with an altitude gain of 1,500 feet (450 meters). If you were pushing a light jog you could certainly reach the summit in less than an hour. I was enjoying the hike as an easy stroll and wore flip flops all the way to the summit. I was surprised to see some flags tied to several trees and posts at the very top. These weren’t Himalayan prayer flags but seemed to be inspired by them. The photo below shows the rest of Harney Tower, which was actually a fire watch tower when originally built.

Here are two photos from the top of South Dakota! Of the 50 state high points, not a single one requires class five climbing to reach the summit. The photo above shows part of the summit ridge, and it had me wondering. Perhaps without the summit tower and stairs this could have been the only summit that would require a rock climb!