Black Hills National Forest

城市概覽

The Black Hills of South Dakota are a lone series of mountains in the middle of the Great Plains. The nearest other mountains, the Bighorn Mountains, are about 100 mi (160 km) to the west. The nearest mountains to the east or south are several thousand miles away. It was formed by unknown means when some kind of 'uplift' occurred many millions of years ago. The Black Hills are possibly named black because of the Ponderosa Pine trees that grow there; young trees have black bark that turns orange as the trees mature. The Black Hills are sacred to Lakota people and were a refuge during harsh seasons on the plains. The hills unique ecosystem also provided many plants not found on the prairies that could be used for foodmaking or medicine. Nowadays the Lakota live mostly on the Pine Ridge Indian reservation a few miles to the south. Tourism is a big business in the Black Hills. In summer the temperatures rise and tourists flood in for a variety of reasons. Thus there are many touristy type shops, restaurants, casinos and so forth usually with a western theme, banking on the 'Wild West' image of Deadwood and the surrounding area.

Black Hills National Forest website

History The Black Hills were frequented by many tribes in the past, including Ponca, Kiowa Apache, Arapaho, Kiowa and Cheyenne. After conquering the Cheyenne in 1776, the Lakota Sioux took the territory of the Black Hills, which became central to their culture. In the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851 (the Horse Creek Treaty) the United States acknowledged that the Black Hills were Indian territory and did not claim any part of it. The treaty soon failed, the definitive breakdown caused by the gold rush of 1858. Competition for land and resources, and killing of buffalo, drove some tribes out of the area into territory of other tribes and lead to fighting between the Sioux and the Crow, and with the government. A new Treaty of Fort Laramie (the Sioux Treaty of 1868) was signed, ending the Red Cloud's War. The tre

當地交通

The Black Hills National Forest is one of the most road-built national forests in the country. Due to the odd history of South Dakota, the forest service land is patchworked in and out with private land, state highways, forest service roads, etc., through the area.

必看景點

1 Mount Roosevelt Friendship Tower. (updated Dec 2020)

體驗活動

The Mickleson Trail is a remarkable bicycle trail. It is gravel and runs along an old railroad track. It will have a very gentle uphill grade for several miles, and then a gentle downhill grade for several more miles. It stretches for 100 miles up through the hills hitting several cities such as Custer and Hill City, and passes right by the Crazy Horse monument. 1 Sheridan Lake. A lake that is great for boating and camping. There are also hiking trails around the lake. For the young and adventurous there are cliffs at one far end of the lake to jump off of into the water. Black Elk Peak is the highest point of South Dakota at 7,242 ft (2,207 m). Several trails can be taken to the top which has an old CCC fire lookout tower at the summit. (Some of the trails start in Custer State Park.)

Climbing There are several mountain climbing schools and equipment supply shops. Devil's Tower lies a few hours to the west of the area in Wyoming.

Caving The hills' unique formation of limestone rocks being shifted by the 'uplift', and then eroded and deposited-upon by water, make wonderful conditions for caves to form, and the area is dotted with many that you can visit. The federal government has taken over two of these via the National Park Service; Wind Cave and Jewel Cave. You can go on guided tours through these. There are several commercial caves owned privately by companies that also give tours.

美食

1 Hitchrail Bar and Restaurant, 421 Northern St (Pringle), ☏ +1 605-673-2697. A small town watering hole. (updated Sep 2022)

住宿

Lodging Custer is pretty much the "hub" for the forest, if you can call it that, and is the best place to find lodging.

Camping The Forest Service operates 32 campgrounds within the forest, which bear nominal fees during the summer months. Potable water and toilets are available at each site, while RV hookups most often are not.

1 Hanna Campground. (updated Jul 2025) 2 Iron Creek Horse Camp. (updated Jul 2025) 3 Rod & Gun Campground. (updated Jul 2025) 4 Timon Campground. (updated Jul 2025)

Backcountry As with most any U.S. National Forest, you are free to pitch a tent pretty much wherever you like, provided you are at least 50 feet away from roads, streams, or trails; that you do not take any road marked private; and stay no longer than fourteen days (they don't want people moving in).

順遊推薦

Custer State Park offers a number of nice hiking trails, including several routes to Black Elk Peak, highest point in the state of South Dakota. Several of the trails that start in the state park continue on into the national forest's Black Elk Wilderness. Deadwood is possibly America's most storied small town from the wild frontier days. Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a short drive away, and so is the even larger Crazy Horse Memorial. Rapid City is a transportation hub for the region. It has a few museums, and plenty of cheap hotels and restaurants (chain and local). Sturgis is the home of the famed Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in August. Wall has Wall Drug, whose ubiquitous signs will be more than familiar to any visitor driving on Interstate 90.