Ponderosa Pine Trail near Black Elk Peak, Black Hills, South Dakota

Hiking trail ascending through ponderosa pine forest in fog on Black Elk Peak, South Dakota.
Hiking trail ascending through ponderosa pine forest in fog on Black Elk Peak, South Dakota.

Black Elk Peak, once named Harney Peak, rises to 7,244 feet in South Dakota's Black Hills, making it the highest point in the state and the highest natural point east of the Rockies. The Lakota consider the summit sacred ground, tied to Black Elk's vision as recounted in "Black Elk Speaks," and the peak was officially renamed in 2016 to reflect that history. A stone fire lookout tower, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1938, still stands at the top. The trail up passes through stands of ponderosa pine, the dominant tree across the Black Hills, en route to a summit that offers views reaching into four states on clear days.

Photo taken in July 2019.

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South Dakota
Badlands, Black Hills, and Custer State Park across multiple trips
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Black Elk Peak
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Custer State Park
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