Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / South Dakota / Black Hills

Black Elk Wilderness Loop via Grizzly Bear Creek

Black Elk Wilderness, Black Hills National Forest and Custer State Park (Sylvan Lake)

The Black Elk Wilderness covers about 9,800 acres around Black Elk Peak, and Backpacker’s 2001 roundup of South Dakota trips described it as a “rugged wilderness of granite cliffs and tiny lakes” where elk, deer, and mountain goats are common. This loop, laid out by Paria Outdoor Products in 2022, takes in most of it: 27.5 miles over three days from Sylvan Lake, with Grizzly Bear Creek, a stretch of the Centennial Trail, and the summit of Black Elk Peak.

The hike

Paria’s loop starts at the Sylvan Lake Trailhead, inside Custer State Park; We’re in the Rockies notes that driving into the park requires an entrance license. Paria says most hikers go counterclockwise and splits the trip into days of 11.5, 9, and 7 miles.

Day one heads for the Grizzly Bear Creek Trail, with optional spurs of about half a mile each to Little Devils Tower and the Cathedral Spires. Hiking Project lists Grizzly Bear Creek Trail (#7) at 6.2 miles, linking the Norbeck Trail (#3) with the Horsethief Lake Trail (#14) and the Centennial Trail, and warns of “lots of blowdown” that can push you off trail. Its author also reported mountain lion tracks at a creek crossing. Paria takes a shortcut to the Centennial Trail and camps beside Grizzly Bear Creek, about 1.5 miles past the Centennial junction.

Day two follows the Centennial Trail. Paria offers Trail 5, the Willow Creek Rushmore Trail, as an alternative to walking along SD 244, if it isn’t closed for logging, and mentions a spur to the Mount Rushmore parking area. The second night is at a site Paria calls Campsite 2, near a seasonal creek that may be dry; it names a creek that crosses Trail 5 and passes under SD 244 as a backup.

Day three climbs onto a ridgeline toward Black Elk Peak, with a 0.2-mile spur to the summit, then descends on the trail Paria calls the Harney Peak Trail to Sylvan Lake. Camping is banned within a quarter mile of the summit.

Paria warns of poor signs in some areas and many trees downed by pine beetles. Felix Wong, who walked a longer 2016 loop through the same trails from Willow Creek, got turned around near Sylvan Lake and at a Trail 7 junction. Strong afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer.

For a shorter overnight to the summit, see Black Elk Peak via Willow Creek. The Centennial Trail continues south through Custer State Park to Wind Cave.

Tips

Camping

There are no designated backcountry sites in the Black Elk Wilderness. Order 159 bans camping within a quarter mile of the Black Elk Peak summit or in the lookout and within 100 feet of water, and caps groups at 25; the Forest Service FAQ recommends 10 or fewer. No bicycles, carts, or other vehicles, and no gear left more than 72 hours. Dogs must be leashed or under strict voice control. The wilderness rules allow open fires only in designated sites, and current restrictions are stricter (see the notice).

Sylvan Lake is in Custer State Park, where camping is allowed only in designated campgrounds, so plan your nights inside the wilderness.

Inside Intel: Paria picks a creekside camp on Grizzly Bear Creek, about 1.5 miles past the Centennial Trail junction, for the first night, where it says water is plentiful.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

A creekside night on Grizzly Bear Creek:

After an 11.5-mile first day, Paria's camp sits right beside Grizzly Bear Creek. See the sleeping bags testers rate for a good night's rest.

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Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.