Centennial Trail: Pilot Knob to Samelius Peak (Pactola and Sheridan Lake)

Black Hills National Forest (Pactola Reservoir, Sheridan Lake, near Hill City)

The middle of South Dakota’s Centennial Trail (Trail 89) runs through the central Black Hills between two of the forest’s largest lakes, Pactola Reservoir and Sheridan Lake, and over Mount Warner, the trail’s highest point at 5,889 feet. The Forest Service lists the Central Hills section at about 29 miles.

It is the most developed stretch of the trail, with highway crossings and lakeside recreation areas, so camping takes more planning than in the north or south.

The hike

From Pilot Knob, where the motorized section from Dalton Lake ends, the trail heads south to the Deer Creek Trailhead. Adventures of Lupe hiked the five miles between Rapid Creek and Deer Creek northbound in 2018. Heading south, the short spur from the Deer Creek Trailhead joins the main trail at an easy-to-miss junction; the trail crosses Silver City Road, shares a pass with the Deerfield Trail (No. 40), and tops out near 5,150 feet in Smoker Gulch’s aspens. It then drops through Boarding House Gulch to Pactola Reservoir, staying about 30 feet above the water at the north boat launch inlet, crosses US 385, and descends to a pond at the base of Pactola Dam and the Rapid Creek Trailhead. The steepest climb, about 500 feet in three-quarters of a mile, is next to that trailhead.

South of Pactola, the trail heads toward Sheridan Lake. Jason Brocar, who completed a Fastest Known Time on the trail in May and June 2026, reported recent and current logging between the two lakes, with the trail hard to find in places.

Adventures of Lupe describes the 8 miles from the Spring Creek Trailhead to Samelius: a nearly level spur along Spring Creek, with three bridges, to the Sheridan Lake dam, then the shore 30 to 40 feet above the lake to the Blue Wing inlet, where the Flume Trail (No. 50) begins. From there the trail climbs on switchbacks, rolls along a mountainside, and climbs a ridge to Mount Warner, then continues about 1.5 miles to Samelius. SummitPost says the Samelius Trailhead, on Highway 16 about 6 miles from Hill City, is about 3.3 miles from the summit, and calls the trail mostly single track and well marked. Pine beetle deadfall lies along the level stretch beyond Mount Warner.

Treeline Review notes several highway crossings in the Sheridan Lake area and calls the ridges above Pactola open high country. Expect afternoon thunderstorms in summer.

North of Pilot Knob, see Alkali Creek to Pilot Knob; farther south, past the Big Pine Trailhead, the trail continues through the Black Elk Wilderness and Custer State Park to Wind Cave.

Tips

Don’t camp near the lakes. Use designated sites around Pactola and Sheridan Lake, or camp well away from them.
Fill up at Rapid Creek or Spring Creek, and treat the water.
Watch for logging between Pactola and Sheridan Lake, and look for the Trail 89 markers.
Cross highways with care, especially US 385 near Pactola.
Check the Pactola closures on the forest alerts page.

Camping

This section is all Black Hills National Forest. Dispersed camping is allowed in most of the forest, but the Forest Service says that around developed reservoirs, lakes, and campgrounds, camping is allowed only in designated areas. Elsewhere, camp at least 100 feet from creeks and half a mile from developed recreation sites. There are no open campfires in the South Dakota portions of the forest (see the notice for the current fire order). Dispersed stays are limited to 14 days (see needs_review for the period).

Inside Intel: No camper accounts recommending a specific site were found. A 2018 thru-hiking group writing on iNaturalist left the trail at Pactola, the halfway point, to spend a night in town and resupply.

Trail facts

Distance: About 29 miles (Forest Service, Central Hills section)
Route type: Point to point (part of the 111-mile Centennial Trail)
Difficulty: Moderate to strenuous
High point: Mount Warner, 5,889 feet
Trailheads: Pilot Knob, plus Brush Creek, Calumet, Dakota Point, Deer Creek, Rapid Creek, Samelius, and Spring Creek (Forest Service list)
Campsites: Dispersed, away from developed lakes; designated sites near Pactola and Sheridan Lake
Water: Rapid Creek, Spring Creek, the lakes; treat all water
Permits: None found for dispersed camping
Fires: No open campfires; Stage 1 in South Dakota as of Sept. 24, 2026 (see notice)
Last verified: October 17, 2026

The Lowdown

Picking ground between Pactola and Samelius:

Dispersed camping is allowed in most of the Black Hills National Forest along this stretch, so you choose your own ground. The side-sleeper tips include what to look for in a flat, soft site.

Get the side-sleeper tips →

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.