It was upon this peak towering over the Sioux Nation that a young Black Elk experienced a vision. The granite high point is sacred ground to Native Americans, especially the Sioux. The trail from Sylvan Lake to Black Elk Peak, formerly known as Harney Peak, is moderately difficult but fairly heavily traveled. The trail starts near Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park. There are no roads to the summit and it is only accessible by hiking just under four miles. The primary building material used by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the mid-1930’s construction was native stone manually hauled the nearly four miles to the summit. The historic fire lookout tower built upon the remote summit remains as an abandoned shell and is open to the public. A stone fire lookout tower sits atop Black Elk Peak. Nestled in a designated wilderness area, it is surrounded by the Black Hills National Forest.
Standing sentinel over the Black Hills, Black Elk Peak is topped by the stone fire tower that provides a magnificent view of the surrounding landscape. The fire lookout tower was built upon then Harney Peak, now called Black Elk Peak, to monitor the Black Hills for forest fires.Īt 7,242 feet, Black Elk Peak stands prominently as the highest point in the Black Hills of South Dakota. This change was in honor of Nicholas Black Elk and recognized the significance of the summit and Black Hills to Native Americans. The broad view of the surrounding Black Hills from the high point, Black Elk Peak, formerly known as Harney Peak. Board on Geographic Names officially changed the name from Harney Peak to Black Elk Peak on August 11, 2016. The highest point in South Dakota known as Harney Peak for over 150 years, was renamed Black Elk Peak in 2016.
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