Granite Boulder Cascade Near Sylvan Lake, Custer State Park

A small waterfall flows through moss-covered granite boulders in a forested canyon at Sylvan Lake, South Dakota.
A small waterfall flows through moss-covered granite boulders in a forested canyon at Sylvan Lake, South Dakota.

This small cascade lies along the granite outcrops surrounding Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park, part of South Dakota's Black Hills. The lake itself was formed in 1881 when a dam was built across Sunday Gulch Creek, and the surrounding trails wind through the same 1.6-billion-year-old granite formations found throughout the park. Sunday Gulch Trail, one of the park's more rugged hiking routes, follows a similar creek bed through boulders and stairstep drops on its way down from the lake.

Photo taken in July 2019.

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Custer State Park
Bison along Wildlife Loop Road, granite spires on the Needles Highway, and trails to Black Elk Peak in the Black Hills
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