Most hikes and overnight camping trips in Black Elk Wilderness may involve more than one trail. Our Black Elk Wilderness Trails Page provides lengths and amount of climbing by trail. However, a trip into and out of the Wilderness may require adding mileages and elevation gains on segments of different trails. We do that here by providing common routes through the area and approximate statistics for each hike.

Routes listed originate and end outside Custer State Park.  More routes may be added occasionally.

Each hiking route listed is accompanied by a simple map of the route. See detailed maps at Black Elk / Norbeck Colored Topo Map and Black Elk Physical Relief Map.

Free maps of the Black Elk Wilderness and Northern Custer State Park area are available from any of the Forest Service offices in the Black Hills. Some convenience stores and visitor centers in the Black Hills also sell National Geographic Trails Illustrated topo map, #238 Black Hills South, where Black Elk Wilderness is shown. Often a simple map of the area can be found at the registration box at Willow Creek Horse Camp trailhead.

Routes, Maps, & Statistics
All routes return to the same trailhead as departure. Loops are described as clockwise.

For overnight hikes listed as beginning from Big Pine Trailhead (north of Horsethief Lake) hikers can subtract a mile round trip if choosing instead to do a day hike from Horsethief Lake Trailhead (south of Horsethief Lake).

Route # 1—Big Pine TH to Mount Rushmore and back

TRAILHEAD—Big Pine
TRAILS USED—#14 Horsethief, #89 Centennial, Blackberry and return.
DISTANCE—9 miles
TOTAL CLIMBING—1600 feet
AREAS VISITED—Mount Rushmore, Centennial Trail, Horsethief Lake
DESCRIPTION—There and back. Each hike listed could be done as a single-day hike by energetic hikers, but this hike is most likely to be a day hike. Here is the way to get free admission to Mount Rushmore. You climb the hill south of the monument, look out over the parking lot. Then you notice that Washington and Lincoln seem to be looking right at you.

So then you walk right up to the visitors center. You don't even have to stop at the fee booth. Rangers can see your approach. But there is no charge for people who are willing to put this much work into a great little visit to the Black Hills biggest attraction.

Route # 2—Big Pine TH to Mount Rushmore. Return by Grizzly Creek.

TRAILHEAD—Big Pine
TRAILS USED—#14 Horsethief, #89 Centennial, Blackberry, #89 Centennial, #7 Grizzly Creek, #14 Horsethief.
DISTANCE—13 miles
TOTAL CLIMBING—1900 feet
AREAS VISITED—Mount Rushmore, Centennial Trail, Grizzly Creek, Horsethief Lake
DESCRIPTION—Loop. Can be done in one day or with primitive camp near Grizzly Creek. Lots of people have heard of the Centennial Trail in the Black Hills. It's about 110 miles long. Here is how you can claim to have hiked the Centennial, hiked into Mount Rushmore, and hiked the interior of Black Elk Wilderness all in one backpacking trip. Depending on which direction the loop is hiked, the larger workout (including the Blackberry Spur Trail to Rushmore) can be done on the first or second day.

Route # 3—Big Pine TH to Cathedral Spires viz Grizzly Creek

TRAILHEAD—Big Pine
TRAILS USED—#14 Horsethief Lake, #7 Grizzly Creek, #3 Norbeck, #4 Cathedral Spires.
DISTANCE—14 miles.
TOTAL CLIMBING—2700 feet
AREAS VISITED—Grizzly Creek, Cathedral Spires, Horsethief Lake
DESCRIPTION—There and back. This is as easy a route to Cathedral Spires as you'll get without going around to Custer State Park and hiking up from Sylvan Lake. Custer State Park requires a small entrance fee of about $2.50 per person or $5 per vehicle if you want to see the Spires the easy way.

The nice thing about this hike is that, if you camp at Grizzly Creek, you can do the hard workout on the first or second day. Either you camp before going up to the Spires or you camp after coming back down.

Route # 4—Big Pine TH to Cathedral Spires and return via Harney Peak

TRAILHEAD— Big Pine
TRAILS USED—#14 Horsethief Lake, #7 Grizzly Creek, #3 Norbeck, #4 Cathedral Spires, #9 Harney Peak, #5 Willow Creek to Rushmore, # 89 Centennial
DISTANCE—13 miles.
TOTAL CLIMBING—2800 feet.
AREAS VISITED—Grizzly Creek, Cathedral Spires, Harney Peak, Elkhorn Mountain, Horsethief Lake.
DESCRIPTION—Loop. This trip would work fairly well for a short first day and a long second day, with a campsite near Grizzly Creek. No camping is permitted a quarter mile from the Harney Peak summit. Water is unlikely after leaving Grizzly Creek, though there may be water at the base of Elkhorn Mountain, a second possible campsite. On this trip, you get the interior of the wilderness at Grizzly Creek, the high elevations of the Harney-Elkhorn Ridge, and you can see Cathedral Spires and the un-sculpted side of Mount Rushmore from Harney Peak and the ridge.

Route # 5—Willow Creek TH to Harney Peak and back

TRAILHEAD—Willow Creek TH
TRAILS USED—#9 Harney Peak
DISTANCE—10 miles
TOTAL CLIMBING—2300
AREAS VISITED—Harney Peak, Elkhorn Mountain
DESCRIPTION—There and back. In summertime this trail sees a lot of horse traffic from the KOA campground's guided tours. The KOA is located across highway 244 from Willow Creek Horsecamp and Trailhead. As one of the more difficult routes to Harney Peak, some hikers include a campout near the peak or at the base of Elkhorn Mountain. The only possible water source is a very small stream which the trail crosses near the base of Elkhorn Mountain. The availability of water there is not a certainty. It depends on time of year and amount of precipitation. Keep in mind that water downstream from the trail may be tainted by the horse traffic which crosses the stream.

This hike is basically the high elevations of Black Elk Wilderness, that is, the ridge between Harney Peak and Elkhorn Mountain. You get several views of the backside of Mount Rushmore from the trail. And you can see Cathedral Spires from the Harney Peak Tower.

Route # 6—Lost Cabin Trail and Harney Peak Loop

TRAILHEADS—Willow Creek Horse Camp TH or Palmer Gulch TH
TRAILS USED—#9 Harney Peak, #2 Lost Cabin Trail, (#3 Norbeck and #4 Cathedral Spires)
DISTANCE—13 miles (16 miles with side trip to Cathedral Spires)
TOTAL CLIMBING—2700 feet (3000 feet with side trip to Cathedral Spires)
AREAS VISITED—Harney Peak, Elkhorn Mountain, Lost Cabin National Historic Trail, (Cathedral Spires with side trip of 2 to 3 miles)
DESCRIPTION—Loop. For an overnight campout, possible water sources are along the Lost Cabin Spur Trail (the end of the Lost Cabin Trail closest to Harney Peak), Nelson and Palmer Creeks near the Palmer Gulch TH, and Palmer or Willow Creek at the Willow Creek Trailhead. Energywise, this is the most demanding trip of the six routes.

This is west Black Elk Wilderness and the Harney Peak Ridge. It includes the highest elevations of the wilderness area and a lot of variety. Lost Cabin Trail #2 is a National Historic Trail with a variety of vistas from meadows, streambeds and granite outcrops.