One of the most scenic and thrilling hikes in the Black Hills is Custer State Park’s Sunday Gulch Trail. The scenery is amazing, it’s not overly strenuous and the boulder scramble is a fun feature of this unique hike. The trail starts of Sylvan Lake. For less headache, arrive early as Sylvan is a very popular part of the park.
Sunday Gulch is a 4 mile loop trail. We took about 3 hours to complete both it and the Sylvan Lake Shore Trail. We opted to tackle the hike from a clockwise route. Our preference was to leave the boulder scramble for the end of the hike and scurry up the boulders versus down.
The first half of the trail offers excellent forest hiking and moments of expansive views of black hills spruce. Following the forest, the hike descends to the gulch floor and a couple creek crossings.
As the trail circles back, the climb starts as does the pipe railing and boulder navigation. This was honestly, the best part of the trail. Hoisting yourself from giant rock to giant rock with the aid of a metal rail was exciting. Your surrounded on all sides by the beauty of the gulch, bubbling tiny water features and interesting rock formations.
On the final leg of the trail we carefully stepped up some watery steps and tried to remind ourselves to look back over our shoulder as we heaved our way up the gulch. The thrill of the hike and the amazing views made me forgot about all the effort I was exerting.
For more hiking in the Black Hills and Badlands, see our posts on Roughlock Falls, Devil’s Bathtub, and Notch Trail as well as a visit to Mount Rushmore.
Happy Adventuring, Rochelle
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