Black Elk Peak Hike - Custer State Park - June 2017

This is probably one of my favorite parts of our Out West Trip 2017!  My son Paul and I went on a 7-mile round trip hike to Black Elk Peak (formerly know as Harney Peak).  We arrived at the trail head parking lot at Sylvan Lake at 7:00 am and began the trek!  We followed route number 9 (see below).


The beginning of the hike was relatively flat with some rolling hills and increment climbs.  The top of Black Elk Peak has a fire watch station and we could see it in the distance at several view points.  It looked a LOOOOOONG way from us!  On the way there, we only saw two other people.




The trail was quiet and peaceful in the early morning.  We made sure to pack water and snacks and we took a couple of breaks.  As we approached the top, the hiking was a little more strenuous with lots of built-in switchbacks to help ease the incline.  Paul bypassed a few switchbacks and went straight up the hill but not me!



There were three other people at the lookout tower when we arrived but they were heading down as we headed up the steps.  We made it to the top and we had the whole place to ourselves!


This is the highest point east of the Rocky Mountains and west of the Pyrenees in Europe!  On a clear day, you can see four different states from here (Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, and Nebraska).  Guess what?  We had an absolutely beautiful day and we looked in all directions and we're saying that we were able to see all four states!


 Once inside the tower, you can climb up to the lookout portion and then climb a separate set of stairs down into the bottom of the tower and out onto the rock.  The actual high point is located in the rocks and is marked with a geological survey marker.  There are some incredible views but no railings - so be careful if you have children and are exploring out there.  We were the only ones here at this time and it was awesome!



We took a couple of selfies and one of my favorite pictures of Paul!  It really was one of the coolest Dad/Son adventures ever!



 We had the whole place to ourselves for about 30 minutes and then some other hikers started filtering up to the top.  We decided to head back down to the trail head.  We also found this cool "Stone Couch" to take a break on...



On the 3.5 mile hike back, we counted over 300 people making their way to the top!!!  Several school/youth groups counting upwards of 40 each and lots of others families, couples, and individuals.  We are so glad that we got up early and went because we had the whole place to ourselves.  What a special memory and accomplishment!  It was about 7 miles of total hiking with quite an incline - but we did it!  And we made it back in time for lunch before heading out to Wind Cave with the rest of the family that afternoon.




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