Lead, South Dakota
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Top Spots in and near Lead
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Keystone, South Dakota
Sylvan Lake Shore Trail
5.01.1 mi / 39 ft gainSylvan Lake Shore Trail is a loop trail that takes you by a lake located near Custer, South Dakota.Read more -
Keystone, South Dakota
Black Elk Peak and Little Devil's Tower Loop
5.07.85 mi / 1621 ft gainBlack Elk Peak and Little Devil's Tower Loop is a loop trail that takes you by a lake located near Custer, South Dakota.Read more -
Keystone, South Dakota
Hike Sunday Gulch Loop
5.02.8 mi / 400 ft gainTo 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...Read more -
Custer, South Dakota
Hike to Little Devil's Tower in the Black Hills
5.0The trail starts at the Little Devil's Tower Trailhead which is located roughly one mile east of Sylvan Lake on Highway 87. Take Trail #4 for around 1/2 mile until a fork in the trail. The right fork takes you to Harney Peak, while the left takes you to Little Devils Tower. Along the trail there ...Read more -
Custer, South Dakota
Hike to Poet's Table
5.01 miThis hike starts at the Little Devil's Towers trailhead just east of Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park. Follow the main trail from the parking lot about 300 yards then there will be an unmarked trail off to the left, it is a beaten path more than a trail. The trail that leads up to Poet's Table ve...Read more -
Custer, South Dakota
Camp at Sylvan Lake Campground
5.0Medium-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...Read more -
Custer, South Dakota
Drive Needles Highway in Custer State Park
4.8Perfect for a pre or post Black Hills/Badlands adventure, Needles Highway is the joyride of a lifetime. Entrance to Custer State Park costs 10 dollars, and do be prepared to keep it in low gear behind RVs and motorcycles. Pull-offs for photos and general marveling are frequent.Read more -
Custer, South Dakota
Cathedral Spires in the Black Hills
4.81.65 mi / 200 ft gainThis is a moderate hike with a huge payout in the form of some of the Black Hills' most beautiful features — tall granite spires rising hundreds of feet above the surrounding terrain, reaching a maximum height of 6,860 feet. Starting from the Cathedral Spires Trailhead --where you may be treated...Read more -
Keystone, South Dakota
Hippie Hole
4.80.3 miWhile making your way to the parking area, you'll keep right for the most part. You'll also need a high clearance vehicle or the patience to drive very slowly. The dirt road to the trailhead is full of dips, holes, rocks, and essentially could be a close relative of off roading. If you do not hav...Read more -
Keystone, South Dakota
Hike Iron Creek Trail #15
2.4 mi / 200 ft gainThe trail is accessible from 2 different spots, both give you the opportunity for a scenic drive to get there. The approach from the Northeast side is on Iron Mountain road a beautiful scenic Black Hills highway, and you will be very near Lakota Lake. The Southwest trail head is a more rugged dr...Read more -
Hermosa, South Dakota
Stargaze at Spokane Ghost Town
Great all year long but, especially stunning when the galactic center of the Milky Way is visible from Spring to Fall, Spokane Ghost Town is a local favorite and a hidden gem. Set up your camera, and light paint some old buildings! The ghost town was originally a mine founded in the late 1800's w...Read more -
Hermosa, South Dakota
Explore the Spokane Ghost Town
1 mi / 4521 ft gainSpokane will always be one of my favorite locations in the hills. The town was founded in 1890 and features 3 intact structures from that time. The most intact structure is the manager's house which you can find up on a hill behind the other buildings. A few years ago the old school house finally...Read more -
Custer, South Dakota
Hike the Custer Skywalk to Big Rock Observation Point
0.6 mi / 370 ft gainPark 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 a...Read more -
Custer, South Dakota
Hike the Stockade Lake Trail
1.2 mi / 500 ft gainThe trail starts near the East side of Stockade Lake just outside Custer, South Dakota. The trail is a 1.2 mile loop, and climbs up to 5,650 feet above sea level. The trail is easy to follow and is well worn. Also the trees have blue diamonds nailed to them for even easier route finding. Once you...Read more -
Custer, South Dakota
Hike through Hell Canyon
5.3 miThe 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 ...Read more -
Custer, South Dakota
Tour Jewel Cave
4.00.5 mi / 20 ft gainEstablished 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 y...Read more
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Go Great Places in South Dakota
In the Mount Rushmore state, travels to South Dakota are full of one-of-a-kind adventure with wide-open spaces as endless as the horizons. Between legendary landscapes and scenic drives, you can always find space that shifts life into park. When you’re ready, go great places.
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