Rapid City, South Dakota
Looking for the best hiking in Rapid City? We've got you covered with the top trails, trips, hiking, backpacking, camping and more around Rapid City. The detailed guides, photos, and reviews are all submitted by the Outbound community.
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Top Hiking Spots in and near Rapid City
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Keystone, South Dakota
Hike Willow Creek Trail
2.8 mi / 5200 ft gainThe trailhead is located at the Willow Creek Horse Camp. This trail doesn't allow motorized vehicles but you may share it with some horses depending on when you venture onto the trail. The trail itself is pretty easy, it will take about 1.5-2 hours depending on your pace and is shaded for about h...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 -
Custer, South Dakota
Hike Grace Coolidge Walk-In Area
6 mi / 150 ft gainGrace Coolidge Walk-In area is a fantastic place to go for a hike and do some fly fishing! There are 6 dams built along the 3 mile trail. You can start on either from Center Lake off of Playhouse Rd. or you can start at the southern trailhead near Highway 16A, that is not too far west from the St...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 -
Keystone, South Dakota
Hiking to Harney Peak
4.9The Harney Peak Trailhead #9 is located in the northwest corner of the parking lot just beyond Sylvan Lake. From there, the hike is very straight forward – the beginning of the trail is very moderate, being slightly flat with a few ups and downs along the way.Once you cross into the Black Elk Wil...Read more -
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
Kayak Sylvan Lake
4.02 miThere 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 c...Read more -
Hill City, South Dakota
Camp at Castle Creek Campground
5.00.25 mi / 0 ft gainCastle Creek is a challenging place to get to, the road in the off seasons can be even more difficult. In the spring/early summer when the road is wet it can become rutted. There is one road to get to the campground from the East from Mystic it is about 8 rough narrow miles, but you could arrive ...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
Fly Fish French Creek
0.5 mi / 15 ft gainThe creek has two main sections, there is Upper French Creek and Lower French creek, the upper/lower refer to the section of creek above or below Stockade Lake. The better fishing is below Stockade Lake. There you can find numerous sections of the creek that are on public land and easily accessib...Read more -
Vale, South Dakota
Hike the Sacred Steps of Bear Mountain
4.23.5 mi / 1200 ft gainBear Mountain or Mathó Pahá as it's called by the Lakota peoples, is the leftover remnants of an ancient volcanic plug. The mountain weathered away, to leave the harder igneous formation, for which plains tribes have been coming to for sacred communication with their Creator for 10,000 years. Thi...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 -
Hill City, South Dakota
Camp at Black Fox Campground
Black Fox is 9 miles west of Rochford has nine campsites along the Rhoads Fork Creek where it meets up with the South Fork of Rapid Creek. Campsites are nicely arranged for the most part with a fire pit and picnic table at each site. From the campground there are many things to do, many people en...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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