Here, you’ll encounter your first views of the valley below. When you reach the sign that announces you’re entering the Black Elk Wilderness, the trail turns sharply right. Wildflowers are plentiful during the summertime. You’ll cross a meadow dotted with trees, with the granite peaks of the Needles serving as a scenic backdrop. The ascent never feels especially steep, until perhaps the last half-mile or so, but you’ll be so overwhelmed by the views at that point you’ll hardly notice. From here, it’s 3.5 miles to the summit, with an 1,100-foot elevation gain. There are multiple ways to reach the summit of Black Elk Peak-more than a dozen trailheads in all, many connecting from other hikes via spurs-but most people set out from Trail Number 9 at Sylvan Lake. People have been making their way to the top pretty much ever since. Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer led a team of men to the summit during the 1874 Black Hills Expedition, making them the first Americans to reach the peak. The area had long been considered sacred to the Lakota Sioux, and the decision to rename the popular peak was applauded by Native Americans, who felt General William Harney’s military exploits against the Sioux weren’t deserving of honor. Up until 2016, the mountain was known as Harney Peak, but was renamed in honor of Black Elk, an Oglala Sioux medicine man and spiritual leader who received a “great vision” during a trek to the summit at the age of nine. At 7,242 feet in elevation, the summit ranks as the highest point east of the Rocky Mountains and west of the Pyrenees in France. There is so much to recommend about Black Elk Peak: jaw-dropping vistas, an historic fire lookout tower, acres of ponderosa pine forests, gently babbling brooks, and a wide variety of vegetation, including vibrant wildflowers and wild raspberries (in season, of course). It’s probably the most rewarding of all the hikes in the region (and definitely the most popular). If your time in the Black Hills is limited and you can only do one hike (perish the thought!), Black Elk Peak should be your go-to.
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