A journey through the heart of the Black Hills

 

The summit of Black Elk Peak

(Photo courtesy of travelsouthdakota)

HILL CITY—Back in 1874 few white Americans had seen the Black Hills, let alone set foot in them. Custer led a gold prospecting expedition deep into the Hills up the only natural access, a canyon carved over millions of years by the waters of Beaver Creek, called Buffalo Gap. There was a bison trail that led high up to lush mountain meadows, and Custer set up camp along the southern spine of the Hills, a granite based spine that runs north from the present day city of Custer to Sylvan Lake, Mount Rushmore, and on to Hill City.

This spine was once at the bottom of the Niobrara Sea, some fifty million years ago, when a conical uplift brought the floor of that ancient sea up over ten thousand feet, making the young Black Hills the roof of the continent, this being long before the Rocky Mountains emerged.

Over tens of millions of years, erosion reduced these towering peaks by half, but Black Elk Peak is still the highest point east of the Rocky Mountains at 7,244 feet. Once called Harney Peak after General William S. Harney, who made his military bones devising an Indian fighting strategy that targeted women and children first. Custer was his prize pupil and employed that strategy at Little Big Horn in 1876, which is the primary reason his command was wiped out. The name of the peak was changed to Black Elk Peak in 2016, partly because calling it Harney was an affront to local tribal dignity, and partly because Black Elk had had his famous vision while sojourning up the slopes of the peak.

On top of the peak is an historic stone lookout tower, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps back in the 1930’s, open to the public, but what the website deems “an abandoned shell.” The lookout tower affords a magnificent view that takes in parts of five states. Plan on taking nearly three hours to reach the summit, but just over an hour to hike back down.

The summit of Black Elk Peak can be reached by a four-mile long hiking trail up from Sylvan Lake, a man-made lake that is one of the most beautiful lakes in the country. It is surrounded by a wall of picturesque granite, and hiking trails encircle the lake and fan out in several directions. The world famous Sylvan lake Lodge has hosted presidents and celebrities since the time of Calvin Coolidge. You could take a hiking trail all the way from Sylvan Lake to Mount Rushmore, which would take the better part of the day, and take you to Horse Thief Lake.

On the eleven mile stretch of highway that connects the city of Custer to Hill City, the main attraction is Crazy Horse Monument, a partially completed sculpture many times the size of Mount Rushmore. There are extensive exhibits, amusements and food and refreshment opportunities throughout the main buildings. There is also a bus tour up to the sculpture itself. Even if there is a downpour outside, there are still enough things to do inside to make the stop worth your while.

All along the east side of Highway 16, runs the most beautiful ridgeline in the Black Hills. The granite rises starkly above the dark forest, and the massive rocks interlock spectacularly, creating a vista your camera is going to love.

The Mickelson Trial was once a railway bed, and unlike the rugged Centennial Trail that also crosses into the area, the Mickelson is well maintained, covered by a layer of fine gravel, perfect for long treks on bikes. The rail line was built in 1890-91 by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. It last saw train traffic in 1986. The trail runs from Deadwood in the north, down to Edgemont in the south, almost 109 miles long. It has over 100 bridges and four tunnels. One of the tunnels has a water drip that freezes even in the middle of summer. An ice pillar as tall and thick as a man can form at the center of the tunnel. Whether the pillar exists or has melted, depends on the weather conditions.

Rabbit Bikes is located in Hill City right beside the Mickelson, and they have pretty much any type of bike available for traversing mountain trails. They also have a shuttle service that can take bikes to remote locales and retrieve them at set times.

Right across the street from Rabbit Bikes is the 1880 Train. The site has a restaurant, a museum, but mostly it has a train. The tracks parallel the old highway between Hill City and Keystone. You can take the train from Hill City to Keystone, or the other way around. It is always a good idea to take some Dramamine about a half hour before boarding, because motion sickness is common.

Both Hill City and Keystone have a Main Street set up specifically for the tourism season. Hill City has a Dinosaur Museum maintained by actual paleontologists. Down south at Custer, the town has a dozen fine restaurants you normally only find in much larger cities. The Bakery Café offers the best breakfast in the Black Hills and some delicious pastries. Maria’s Mexican Restaurant has the best shrimp or fish tacos. There are many more fine restaurants, and although they tend to keep odd hours, never fear, Pizza Hut is there and they are almost always open.

One of the best features of Hill City or Keystone is they are centrally located and offer the most convenient access to the rest of the Hills. You can take two roads down to Rapid City: Highway 16A and Highway 385. Highway 16A is a four lane, often split roadway, which offers the least scenic but quickest route. Highway 385 goes past Sheridan and Pactola lakes, before taking a right down the Rimrock Highway to Rapid City. The Sheridan Lake Road can be taken from Sheridan Lake to Rapid City. All Highway 385 options offer beautiful scenery.

(Contact James Giago Davies at skindiesel@msn.com)

The post A journey through the heart of the Black Hills first appeared on Native Sun News Today.

Visit Original Source