My overall impression of this trail was that it was an extremely pleasant and well-graded hike (thank you again trail maintainers). Couldn’t you wait until after Labor Day to close the trail? Ah, man…īut then, as I inspected the sign a bit closer, I noticed more writing below in much, much smaller print that read, “Access to the peak will be allowed on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sunday.” Whew! I exhaled a giant sigh of relief. Did this mean we couldn’t hike to the summit during our visit? Did we just waste our time driving all the way out here to South Dakota? Don’t get me wrong – I’m immensely supportive of trail maintenance, but c’mon. Black Elk Peak Trails #9 and #4 will be closed till Octofor trail maintenance.ĭoh! My stomach lurched suddenly. I wanted to check out both of our options, so I approached the large map at the trailhead – and that’s when I spotted a neon orange sign with writing in a giant font that read: However, many folks opt to take the #9 Trail up to the summit and return via the #4 Trail, which allows a short side trip out to Little Devil’s Tower. The most popular option is a 6.4 mile roundtrip trek on the #9 Black Elk Trail. There’s several routes up to the summit of Black Elk Peak. This meant the we got to skip right past the crowd of cars queuing up at the gate this warm Sunday morning, and drive straight to the trailhead. The lake and nearby trailheads are part of Custer State Park, so I was glad I’d already purchased a week-long park pass a few days ago. Our hike to the top of South Dakota’s high point began at Sylvan Lake. And, this is why you’ll see most pre-2016 resources referring to this state highpoint as Harney Peak, while others (including me) will use its current name. Harney Peak was subsequently renamed Black Elk Peak – in honor of Black Elk, a noted Oglala medicine man for whom the surrounding wilderness area is also named. They were ultimately successful in 2016, securing a unanimous vote from the U.S. Over time though, members of the Great Sioux Nation lobbied the government to have the site renamed to something less inflammatory. And although he had some tactical successes out West, he’s often described as hot-tempered, vindictive, and susceptible to profanity and violence. He was accused of being disloyal to the Union during the Civil War (he was native Tennesseean) and his personal life was a complete mess. He was court-martialed four times during his military career. But, it’s worth noting that Harney wasn’t exactly a saint by anyone’s standard. government officials decided to name this summit “Harney Peak” after the controversial American general, William Selby Harney, who fought the the Sioux people and negotiated several peace treaties. The Black Hills area of South Dakota is home to the Lakota Sioux, and the peak’s original indigenous name meant “owl maker” because the surrounding rock formations resembled owls. McKinley in Alaska being officially renamed Denali). Black Elk Peak is one of the handful of state high points whose official name has been changed in recent years (similar to Mt. This trail ascends 1,500 feet over 3.2 miles and is challenging for many visitors because of the altitude.īefore a I get to the summary of this trip, I think it’s important to begin by clearing up some potential confusion. Type of Terrain: Well-graded, wide dirt trail with some larger rocks near the summit. You will either begin or end the route with a short road connector between the two trailheads.Route Taken: Black Elk Peak Trail #9 from parking area at Sylvan Lake – 6.4 miles (round-trip) This loop route can be run either direction but starts/ends at either Harney Peak (Trail #9) Trailhead or Trail #4 Trailhead. Ĭhristopher Luhman suggests the following loop variation: This trail loop allows you to reach South Dakota's highest natural point and take in additional views/terrain in Custer State Park from Trails #3 and #4. Professional but unofficial measurements in 2016 found the highest natural rock to be at 7,231.32 feet (2,204.11 m) NAVD88 and the nearby secondary peak slightly lower at 7,229.41 feet (2,203.52 m). Board on Geographic Names, which has jurisdiction in federal lands, officially changed the mountain's name from "Harney Peak" to "Black Elk Peak" on August 11, 2016, honoring Black Elk, the noted Lakota Sioux medicine man for whom the Wilderness Area is named. It is also known as Hiŋháŋ Káǧa (in Lakota). At 7,242 feet (2,207 m), it has been described by the Board on Geographical Names as the highest summit in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. The peak lies 3.7 mi (6.0 km) west-southwest of Mount Rushmore. It lies in the Black Elk Wilderness area, in southern Pennington County, in the Black Hills National Forest. Black Elk Peak (formerly Harney Peak) is the highest natural point in South Dakota, United States.
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