The
hike to the top of Black Elk Peak from Sylvan Lake may be the most popular and
most scenic of all the trails in South Dakota. The features just keep coming, a
beautiful mountain lake, open pine forests, an astounding array of granite
spires and pinnacles, a designated Wilderness Area, and finally the historic
tower on the top of the state’s highest peak.
Entering the Black Elk Wilderness.
When
I lived in the Black Hills, Black Elk Peak and the trails in the surrounding
wilderness were some of my favorite destinations. But more recently on trips
with Jean I’ve had less luck, the thick summit fog of our last visit has become
our metaphor for a blank gray palette. But coming into this trip the weather forecast
looked good, and we decided to try the hike for our first day back in the Hills.
The
main trail (#9) from Sylvan Lake Picnic Area is still a wide, heavily used
path. An examination of the map posted at the start showed that the spur trail
to Little Devils Tower had been relocated, and that the connector between Trail
4 and the Cathedral Spires had been reestablished, but otherwise things looked
comfortably the same as our last visit in 2004(!) 
The Cathedral Spires and Little Devils Tower
The
trail starts with a steady climb to the Lost Cabin Trail junction. Just beyond
is the first great view of Black Elk. The side by side wide trail then makes a
long, gentle traverse to the east teasing with occasional glimpses of the high
peak ahead. Soon we entered the Black Elk Wilderness and got ready for another
climb. Wandering among the granite outcrops we came to a junction with Trail 3,
then ventured onto the final spur trail to the summit.
Close up of the Cathedral Spires.
Black
Elk is capped by a magnificent CCC constructed stone tower. The view is
typically great, but ours was somewhat restricted by smoke blown in from
wildfires in Canada. We could still see west to the range capped by St Elmo and
Sylvan peaks, all across the Wilderness dotted with an inexplicable pattern of
granite outcrops, and east to the “backside” of Mt Rushmore. But the true
eyecatchers are the Cathedral Spires and the adjacent wall of Little Devils
Tower to the south. Back in the day I’d climbed several of the spires with my
friends Karl and Tod. Looking at their steep exposed faces it was hard to
imagine meeting that challenge now. Along the stairway we noticed the repository of
the ashes of Valentine McGillycuddy, part of a group of the first white
explores to climb the mountain. 
The summi tower on Black Elk Peak.
One
would think that a mountain in the middle of Wilderness would change little
over time, but this was not the case here. When I lived in the Black Hills this
was Harney Peak, named by explorer Gouverneur K. Warren for his commanding
general, who was later held responsible for attacks on Sioux tribesmen. In 2016
the U.S. Board on Geographic Names officially changed the name of the peak to
Black Elk Peak in honor of the Oglala Lakota holy man. The change has
precipitated a cascade of further name changes as features named for the peak,
such as hiking trails, gradually replace the name Harney with Black Elk. In addition
to the name, change a more recent survey showed the peak listed as two feet
higher.
Prayer flags on Black Elk Peak.
The
new name fits better with the peak’s cultural heritage. There are now clusters
of prayer flags around the summit, and the peak must feel more welcoming to
native peoples. We were lucky to see only a few other hikers when we arrived,
and for a while we had the summit to ourselves. On the return trip we passed a
steady flow of hikers. We decided to return via Tral #4, first passing the
group of spires north of the Cathedral Spires. Next we could see a pair of
climbers on one of the Cathedral Spires and walked down the new connector trail
to the spires for a closer look. After summiting their pinnacle, the climbers
spotted us talking photos and yelled down an address for us to send them
pictures.
Climbers on Javelin(?)
For
the icing on the cake, we took the side trip to the top of Little Devils Tower,
with its scary steep view off its north face toward Black Elk. Attracted by a
relatively short hike to a magnificent vista the trail was packed, a long way
from the seemingly isolated peak where I’d crash/camp after a day’s rock
climbing in the spires.
The top of Little Devils Tower with Black Elk Peak in the background.
After
so many awesome sights the rest of the walk back to the car was bound to seem tedious,
but we dragged out what energy was left after two long driving days from Ames. On
our return the parking area was packed, so arrive early if you try this hike. But
what a way to start the trip, with enticing hiking all around and a perfect weather
day. 
Little Devils Tower summit.
 |
| Our route in yellow. |
