Black Elk Hike June - 2026

Black Elk Peak, Again (and we love it!)

It's a bit later in the year than normal, but we kicked off our "out of town" hiking season this past weekend by doing our annual Black Elk Peak hike. As with most years (other than our first summit in 2021), we started at the Cathedral Spires trailhead in Custer State Park and included a summit of Little Devil's tower.

Coming along with us were Tim and Heather who have become our regular Black Hills hiking partners. They provide great companionship along the trail, and often a place to crash the night before!

Also different than previous years, we pulled up to the trailhead a bit before noon. We've historically kicked off round 7 A.M. due to how crowded parking can be, and this year we barely managed to nab an awkward parallel parking spot facing the wrong direction - but totally appropriate considering much of the other parking that took place around us.

With a forecast in the 40's and 50's and a roughly 50% chance of rain during our entire hiking window, we came ready with layers. We received plenty of light precipitation along the way, though we never were soaked through. We heard a lot of complaints from who I assume were more casual hikers who preferred fairer weather. However, the cool was welcome and wet was not at all overwhelming.

As always, the hiking from the trailhead up to the Cathedral Spires provided an instant challenge and got our blood pumping. With my new training regimen that is hiking focused and heart-rate aware, I carefully monitored my heart rate to keep it below 150 as much as possible. This is new territory for me. I usually red-line it on a stretch like this as I try to push hard and show myself I'm "tough", but absolutely love this focus on staying in zone 2/zone 3. It made the entire hike more enjoyable.

Up Black Elk

Once to the Spires, we get to make a choice as to whether we want to summit Black Elk Peak or Little Devil's Tower first. Every year we go with the longer jaunt first.

This portion constitutes the bulk of the mileage and a majority of the elevation gain, but is almost entirely class 1 with short bits of class 2 hiking. The images and views are incredible.

There is quite a bit of fun climbing and bouldering to do along the way. It was a little more hazardous this time around due to the moisture. However, for those so inclined, there are some fun places to get yourself stuck (assuming you downclimb as poorly as I do).

The Summit

Harney Lookout is the highlight at the top of the peak (aside from the views, of course). Things become less of a trail as steps emerge and, ultimately, metal stairs lead you to the top. You can walk all around the lookout tower and get a panoramic view of the central Black Hills. I've never been anywhere like it!

Back Down and Up Again

We soon retraced our steps back towards the spires and made it back to the "choice" tree, and this time continued on to Little Devil's Tower. As much as I love Black Elk Peak, ascending LDT is my favorite part of this hike. There is a bit of class 3 scrambling along the way. Route finding requires looking for blue diamonds on the rocks. Ultimately, there is an amazing view of where you just hiked from.

Returning Home

The trip back is simply retracing our steps again, and heading back down towards the Spires to the trailhead. My knees were tired at this point and I definitely started feeling it, but my training program this year made this my easiest round trip of this loop yet.