Saturday brought the opportunity to visit Custer State Park and the 7,242 foot high Harney Peak. It is located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, not too far from the legendary Mount Rushmore (more on that later).

Harney was a white military commander in the 1850’s that killed a lot of Native Americans from the Lakota tribe. They have been petitioning to have the name of the peak changed for the last 50 years. As of August 16th, the peak has been re-named to Black Elk Peak. Black Elk was a native american holy man, and the surrounding wilderness is already named for him. All locals still refer to it as Harney.

Once you pay the $20 fee to enter Custer State Park, you are greeted rather quickly by the beautiful Sylvan Lake. We got started early so it was not very busy at all. Later in the afternoon, it was absolutely packed with kayakers, paddle boarders, and fishers.

We set off to hike the #9 trail to Harney Peak, which is 3.5 miles each way (7 round trip to save you the math). The trail climbs very gently towards the peak. There are fantastic views of the Black Hills all around. As we got started down the trail and started the ascent, we started to pass numerous views like this one.

The trail meanders through the woods at times. There have been a lot of issues with pine beetles in the area over the past several years. Unfortunately for the trees, they are mostly pine. Some clusters of trees seem to be un-phased by the assault, while other areas are completely devastated.

One of my favorite shots of the surrounding area and the trail. Cooper is hiking ahead on the right. The black hills have lots of exposed rock formations and lots of tall, slender pine trees.

Nearing the summit, the required trail selfie.

At the top of the trail, you arrive at an old lookout tower, which is opened to hikers. Its very cool – a lot of amazing stone work and some fantastic views from within.

I climbed up some steep, narrow stairs to the top of the tower. The view was truly panoramic.

Climbing down from the tower, we headed over to a bluff that overlooks the Black Hills. The natural highpoint was located here, along with the US Geological Survey marker.

No shortage of amazing views either.

We spent almost an hour at the top. The sky was clear and sunny and the temperature was mild. You couldn’t ask for a better day… so don’t.

Peak #24 in the book. It was a beauty and an awesome hike. Close to half way there!

If you are planning to hike Harney, a few details. The trail is super-easy to find. You can hike it in the summer or fall in trail running shoes or tennis shoes without issue. Trekking poles are always awesome so I would recommend them. Plan to spend some time hanging out at Custer afterwards. The lake is at the bottom of the trail and is beautiful. There is a vending machine with water and powerade right next to the bathrooms, and there is a store at the visitor center right across the like – a short walk.

Enjoy!