Hiking Tales of the Old West: Black Elk Wilderness

So far on our South Dakota excursion we had explored different terrains on the outskirts of the Black Hills. From the Badlands to Devils Tower, my daughter Jessica and I had seen enough to satisfy most tourists. But her Old Man was not most tourists and besides she had not yet had her first ever backcountry experience. It was time to head through Custer State Park and into the heart of the Black Hills. Thus, it was time to leave the comfort of our cozy little Rapid City KOA and hit the wilderness!

What strange beasts would we encounter that might attempt to prevent us from entering this sacred space?

It would take much more than Bighorn Sheep to make us run away!

We spent the morning on the Wilderness Road just chilling before heading to the upper most corner of the State Park at Sylvan Lake.

You are almost guaranteed to encounter free range Bison along the loop.

The Wildlife Loop is aptly named as we also encountered Pronghorn Antelope.

Prairie Dogs

And something that caught my eye in the Park brochure – Begging Burros!

Burros are not native to the Black Hills and were brought in by Gold prospectors in the 1870’s. Later they were used by the Sylvan Lake Resort for trail rides to Harney Peak. Sometime in the late 1920’s the Burros were released from the resort and have been free roaming ever since. They formed a small herd along Iron Mountain Road and were later divided into two herds. They have become a roadside attraction to visitors as they come begging for food. Unlike most wildlife situations, feeding the Burros is permitted and to some extent even encouraged by various tourist literatures. Of course, once you encounter them then you will see that they are not shy about getting their handouts.

Jessica wanted a little more breathing room and hopped out of the car to share some Sun Chips with her new friends.

We found no lack of wildlife on our morning drive around Custer State Park.

There was one creature of the West that we hoped to encounter, but had to settle for a Post Card.

We also discovered that the State Park had been used for several Movies.

Another Post Card gave me the indication that all this show biz might have gone to a few of the local’s heads.

By the way, there are more than one Buffalo herd in the Park and as cute as they are please don’t approach!

The Bison rule the road and smart visitors will travel slowly and enjoy the drive through the herd. Idiots who want to risk being smashed to bits will honk their horns!

It was time to head across the Needles Highway and hit the trail.

We arrived at Sylvan Lake and began our adventure from the upper section of Custer State Park.

Near the beginning of the trail you get a look up at Harney Peak.

It is not long before you leave the State Park and enter the Black Elk Wilderness.

Long before the Fire Tower at the summit, the mountain had been traversed by an Oglala Sioux Holy man named Black Elk. The Lakota Sioux know this mountain as Hin Han Kaga, the center of the world.

There are no backcountry camp sites so we scoped out potential camping spots along our way to the top.

The trail makes its way through a forest of trees that occasionally open up for some beautiful views of the Black Hills.

The hike to Harney Peak from Sylvan Lake gains 1100 feet of elevation in 3.5 miles.

Harney Peak at 7242 feet is not only the high point in the Black Hills, but is the high point for the State of South Dakota.

The Fire Tower is unique and was open on our visit.

The views from the tower are breath taking.

While enjoying the views from the tower, I spotted some curious visitors to the peak.

We headed down the stairs and out of the tower to have a closer look and meet the Mountain Goat family.

We had seen a lot of wildlife of this glorious day; however, this was our first encounter with this creature that walks along the summit rocks as if walking on a flat surface.

We watched in wonderment and our patience rewarded with the classic National Geographic pose.

The Mountain Goats finally headed off down the mountain and after enjoying the views for a few moments longer we needed to find a camp site before dark.

As we headed down the mountain, I knew that we simply needed a clear spot for the tent as we had no need of a fire. By the time we set up camp and had dinner it was dark.