Harney Peak South Dakota Climbing Trip Report with photos

April 13-14th, 2002

Harney Peak is the highest point in South Dakota and a very beautiful highpoint to visit. Sitting at 7242 feet it sits only 22 feet higher than my house when I lived in Laramie Wyoming. Most people wait until summer to climb Harney Peak but I wanted to get it done before summer so I can concentrate on the higher summits during the summer. Climbing this peak in April was enjoyable because the typically crowded Custer State Park was a ghost town compared to the summer crowds.

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Since your web browser does not support JavaScript, here is a non-JavaScript version of the trip report. NOTE: the slideshow above with not work with JavaScript disabled.April 13th, 2002After completing an early morning mountain bike ride I contemplated what to do with the rest of my day. I had been wanting to climb Harney Peak before summer so I could use the short summer climbing season to focus on the Colorado 14ers and some of the more challenging highpoints. I checked the forecast for the Harney Peak area and the weather looked favorable all weekend. I quickly packed some gear and hit the road around 4 pm. Just outside of Fort Collins I realized I forget to throw in my shell which serves and my rain and wind protection. Oh well, too late now, I guess I would be one of those unprepared people I usually make fun of. I arrived in Custer South Dakota around 9 pm and checked in the Super 8, there's not much of a selection of hotels and I've slept in my car on previous highpoints and just didn't feel the need to do it again for this trip.April 14th, 2002I woke up around 7 am and took my time getting ready thinking that the entrance to Custer State Park wouldn't be open until 8 am. I was delighted to learn that the entrance gates were unattended and you just put your entrance fee in the drop box and put the permit in your car window. I had heard that the Sylvan Lake trailhead was one of the prettiest of the highpoints but I remained skeptical until I arrived there. It lived up to the reputation and the lake was still frozen and the were large rock formations in the middle of the lake encased in ice.

The trailhead warns of steep trails and a strenuous climb. Knowing that it gained 1500 feet in 3 miles, I thought how strenuous can it be. Climbing Mount Borah in Idaho gained 5500 feet in 3 miles so I didn't believe the hype. Anyhow I was on my way and quickly came to an overlook of some impressive rock formations and Harney Peak itself off in the distance. The tower can be seen in the center of the photo below.

The trail had some snow and ice in parts but for the most part was relatively dry. So far so good and I was praying that it wouldn't rain since I didn't have a jacket. The wind was howling but the trees kept me well protected. This was one of the prettiest high point I had hiked so far even more enjoyable the the Painted Basin of Utah's King's Peak. At a trail junction a rock formation shown in the photo below came into view resembling a small version of Devil's Tower.

As I hiked on I noticed strands of red cloth tied to trees along the way and arrows drawn into the dirt. I guess somebody didn't want to get lost but the trails are well marked and the Sylvan Lake trail blazes the number 9 and all junctions I encountered were well signed. I arrived at the summit around 10 am after hiking for a little over an hour. After looking off the tower platform I noticed a suspicous rock outcropping and decided to investigate it a little closer. The Highpoint Guide I had written by Don Holmes said there wasn't a USGS benchmark on the summit. After scrambing around on the rocks away from the tower I found the USGS Benchmark. The photo below is looking directly off the platform on the tower, the benchmark is on a high spot across the rocks.

The photo below was taken from the spot where the USGS benchmark is looking back at the summit tower. I guess it's worth exploring the summit sometimes, you'll never know what you'll find. It was extremely windy on the summit and after playing around for about a half hour I was pretty cold and ready to retreat from the winds (guessing 30-40 mph, and being from Wyoming, I know all about wind) and take shelter in the trees.

The hike back down was rather uneventful, although I did finally run into some other people on the trail once I got close to the trailhead. I decided since Mt. Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Monument were so close, I might as well check them out before heading back to Colorado. I do wish I had another day to cruise up and do North Dakota's highpoint since it was only about another 250 miles away but that will have to come another day.Mount Rushmore was just liked I remembered it, except there was about 30 people there total instead of the hoards of tourists it has in the summer season.

The Crazy Horse Monument is definitely a work-in-progress and still has about 10 - 15 years before completion. Since it is all funded by entrance fees, I was glad to contribute my $9 to the cause. You can see the outline of his horse that will eventually be carved into the rock as well as the chief. Overall it was a very good getaway and well worth the long haul from Colorado.

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