Canyons Trail

Established in 1908, Jewel Cave National Monument is home to over 179 miles of mapped cave passages. The cave features larger chambers and more interesting formations then nearby Wind Cave NP, and much of it is covered in spar crystals. A guided tour is the only way to see the cave system unless you are in the park's limited volunteer cave exploring group. Depending on the time of year, up to...

The Trailhead lies down in the canyon bottom, just one mile west of Jewel Cave National Monument and 13 miles west of Custer. Upon arrival, you are greeted by the parking lot, which is right off the highway and boasts a spacious gravel lot to park in. Since the trail is a loop, you can go either direction; most people decide to go uphill to get on the canyon walls first and then loop down and a...

Park on the South end of 6th Street at Harbach Park in Custer, just 2 blocks off Main Street. The entrance to the trail is marked by an archway and a "Custer Skywalk" sign. The path is a dirt/small gravel trail that has stairs built into the hillside. To get to the first observation point it is about a three tenths of a mile, there is a shelter lookout spot. good spot to take a break and take s...

There are a few reservoirs within the hot and dry Black Hills of South Dakota. The water here comes from the harsh winter month's snowpack or frequent afternoon thunderstorms. Sylvan Lake in the town of Custer offers many activities thanks to it's unique and rugged terrain. Hiking, biking, rock climbing, camping, kayaking, paddle board, swimming, and cliff-jumping can all be done in a single da...

Medium-sized campground across the road from Sylvan Lake. Run by Custer State Park - reservations can be made online. Several individual sites are available for walk-in camping, which makes for a backcountry experience.Make you campsite reservation here: https://gfp.sd.gov/state-parks...

To get to Sunday Gulch Trail you will need to walk around Sylvan Lake to the Northwest End of the Lake, there is a loop all the way around the lake, so either way will take you there. You will see a sign for Sunday Gulch Trail, it is trail #6.  The trail itself can be quite steep in places but it does have hand railing for much of the steep downhill on boulders. There is a creek that flows alon...