Black Elk Peak / Harney Peak Climber's Log

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scramblingbadger

scramblingbadger - Jul 29, 2014 6:41 pm Date Climbed: Jul 28, 2014

Trip # 13  Sucess!

Last time I hiked to the summit was 2009. Things sure have changed! Sad to see so much beetle kill on the mountain. Where there used to be a beautiful shady and very quiet section on Trail 4, between Cathedral Spires and Harney, now looks like the aftermath of a war. Still, this is a great hike.

Jimmy Rivers

Jimmy Rivers - Jul 6, 2014 2:07 am Date Climbed: Jun 10, 2014

Beautiful Black Hills!  Sucess!

State High Point#37. Loved this area of South Dakota! We took trail #4 from Sylvan Lake and found it to be a mild day in June, and a very pleasant hike. It was a bit windy at the Tower on the summit. I would love to come back and explore more in the Black Hills one day....

Paul McClellan

Paul McClellan - Jun 25, 2014 11:20 pm Date Climbed: Jun 20, 2014

South Dakota Gem  Sucess!

Beautiful weather and views. The rocks along the trail from Sylvan Lake were sparkling in the sunlight. Had a few minutes of solitude at the lookout between other hiking groups.

harbor

harbor - Jun 4, 2014 6:30 pm Date Climbed: Jun 3, 2014

Misty Hike - No views  Sucess!

Hiked from the State Park out and back 2 hours. Completely cloud covered. ~50 feet visibility in a lot of places. The tower area at the peak was completely covered in clouds/mist/fog (whatever you want to call it). I didn't actually make it over to the benchmark because of how thick it was. It felt like a medieval castle more than a western US peak. The mystic feel made up for zero views. I was surprised at how well marked the trails and junctions are. Next time I'm here I'll do a through hike from the state park down to horse-thief lake.

admiralcapn

admiralcapn - May 13, 2014 9:34 am Date Climbed: Jul 9, 2013

Solitude from the north  Sucess!

We hiked from the Willow Creek trailhead (along SD-244) and found the trail excellent, and sparsely traveled. One of the best kept secrets of the Black Hills, I guess. Great views from the tower - not a cloud in sight!

pingzingr

pingzingr - Apr 27, 2014 7:31 pm Date Climbed: Apr 26, 2014

Trail 4 to summit  Sucess!

Passing through the area to see Devil's Tower, Rushmore, and the Badlands I decided to knock out the SD highpoint. Good views of the Black Hills, Cathedral Spires, and Needles from the #4 Trail.

IdahoScott

IdahoScott - Apr 9, 2014 11:03 am Date Climbed: Jun 29, 2010

Highpoint #23  Sucess!

On a project assignment to North Dakota, I blazed across the state in a weekend to hit the highpoints of SD and ND. Even got some tourist time at Mt. Rushmore.

AF_Hiker - Jan 27, 2014 12:20 am Date Climbed: Sep 16, 2012

HP #5  Sucess!

I believe I hiked Trail 4 to the summit. What a beautiful area. The old firewatch tower was very cool. I will come back and hike more of the trails.

aedwards

aedwards - Nov 2, 2013 5:51 pm Date Climbed: May 20, 2013

Loop from SW up then to Little Devils Tower and back.  Sucess!

Great hike on a not-so-nice weather day. Only one on top, just me and the snow & ice pellets.

jamesglaze - Oct 18, 2013 10:36 pm Date Climbed: Sep 5, 2013

HP No. 24  Sucess!

Summited with my two daughters (No. 12). Warm, sunny day, a great day to hike. Great views from the the hut, including the back side of Mount Rushmore. We saw the from side also during our stay in the Black Hills. Harney Peak was one of five HP's during this trip. 1:40 both directions, nice to not be in a hurry for once. Saw a mountain goat within 75 ft. on way down.

Woodswalker

Woodswalker - Oct 11, 2013 8:01 am Date Climbed: Oct 28, 2007

Harney Peak  Sucess!

Beautiful country, enjoyable hike.

Stu Brandel

Stu Brandel - Sep 30, 2013 5:31 pm Date Climbed: Sep 30, 2013

Black Elk (Wilderness) Speaks  Sucess!

The trail from the Willow Creek trailhead was incredibly scenic. The wind also was incredible. Lots of tree fall on the trail. Beautiful views.

double E

double E - Sep 17, 2013 1:33 pm Date Climbed: Sep 13, 2013

Mt. Harney  Sucess!

Before my hike my mom reminded me that it was Friday the 13th (9/13/2013). That was an ominous comment. : )
My hike up started around 9:30am from Sylvan Lake. It was 54 degree's, overcast and foggy at the start.
I took the direct route (path #9) with no deviations on other paths. This route is about 7 miles round trip. I saw around 30 others on my climb and only had decent visibility for the first mile up. After that the fog consumed all views greater than a couple hundred feet. This was my first journey up Harney and I found the climb to be very easy and the path well defined. Signage along the path was clear at every juncture, so much so that one probably wouldn't need a map when taking this route up, although I always strongly suggest having a map anyways. When I reached the juncture of route 9 and 3 the fog became much thicker and could be seen blowing by. It was still around 50 degree's at this point. From there the climb is a little bit more vertical to Harney, which is roughly .7 miles away. On the final descent the temps dropped dramatically and there was nothing to knock down the wind anymore. I arrived at the Firehouse in about an hour and forty five minutes. This included several stops to photograph and one to change clothes. I walk/climb at a pretty average pace. Anyways, due to the fog the visibility at the top was roughly 50 ft. The temp was alos down to 36 degree's, according to another hikers jacket thermometer. For a location that offers a view of four states and several great parks and monuments, that was a bit of a downer. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the hike up. On my climb down the fog turned to a mist, which thickened into rain..so I was thoroughly soaked by the time I arrived at Sylvan. All in all I loved the hike/climb to/from Harney. Just wished I could have seen the views it offers on a clear day! Cheers.

WZimmerman

WZimmerman - Sep 6, 2013 4:57 am Date Climbed: Aug 30, 2013

Harney Peak  Sucess!

Hiked to the summit behind my twin daughters (age 11). A great hike and a great day. Memorable experience for all.

Moogie737

Moogie737 - Aug 29, 2013 12:38 am Date Climbed: Aug 28, 2013

Trail #9 from Willow Creek CG/TH  Sucess!

This route is longer than Don Holmes says it is. My GPS pegged the one way distance at 5.76 miles. I marveled at the raw beauty of the Black Hills. Warm day-90 degrees. 1+54 up, 1+42 down. Crossed one trickle of a stream on this trail.

wyozach14

wyozach14 - Aug 25, 2013 4:20 pm Date Climbed: Aug 19, 2013

First State High Point  Sucess!

Great views at the top, easy but fun hike. Took my wife and I an hour up and 45 min. down.

grimbley

grimbley - Aug 6, 2013 1:35 pm Date Climbed: Jul 14, 2008

My wife's 1st Highpoint  Sucess!

Pretty easy hike. Forest had some trees being killed by pine beetle infestation (returned to the area in 2012 and it is much worse). After reaching the top return via a different trail to make a loop.

jfulcher

jfulcher - May 16, 2013 9:28 am Date Climbed: Aug 1, 1993

Family Vacation  Sucess!

Hike w/the folks.

tylordthemighty - Apr 15, 2013 9:15 am Date Climbed: Nov 26, 2012

Awesome place - one of my favorites  Sucess!

Going to school in Rapid, I've climbed this many, many times. Every time it is awesome, such a great view of the Hills. Makes me really miss the Black Hills!

DrPowercat - Apr 11, 2013 1:05 am Date Climbed: Mar 12, 2013

Sunny, but icy  Sucess!

great sunny afternoon hike with my boys, lots of ice in several spots on the trail, but we had a great time and had the summit all to ourselves until the wind chased us off

Viewing: 1-20 of 279
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