The trails at Sylvan Lake provide some of the best views in all of South Dakota’s Black Hills. Hike the easy and flat 1.1 Lake Shore Loop around Sylvan Lake, and add in the 3.1 mile Sunday Gulch Loop for a fun but challenging hike past a creek with several small waterfalls and then up into the mountains of the Black Hills. Other trail options also include Little Devil’s Tower, my favorite viewpoint within the Black Hills, and Black Elk Peak (formerly known as Harney Peak) which is the highest point in elevation east of the Rocky Mountains. The trail to Black Elk Peak gains 1350ft, making it a tough trail. Little Devil’s Tower is shorter with less elevation, but involves a significant rock scramble at the end. There is also a spur trail to Cathedral Spires, a unique set of towering rocks.
Oberg Mountain is a 2.5-mile loop hike with a gradual elevation gain of 500ft. This is a relatively easy hike with amazing views around the entire loop of the surrounding hills, Lake Superior, and Oberg Lake.
Caribou Falls is an approximately 1-mile out-and-back hike, off of MN-61 between Tettegouche and Temperance State Parks. This is a subtly marked hike, meaning that although it is just a short distance away from the scenic highway that runs along Lake Superiors shore, you just might get to enjoy this waterfall by yourself. Enjoy the peacefulness of the Caribou River along your hike to the falls.
Vacation Ideas to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park - Plan a trip for your family.. This post includes favorite hikes, places to visit, and ideas on where to camp.
What if society were more like nature? What if instead of trying to compete with other for who’s children are on the best sports team and who has the best job, expensive car, cleanest house, we saw what other people needed? What if we helped each other selflessly like the trees in the forest and when we looked at each other we saw the beauty of life instead of judging a difference? What if instead of creating excuses for why we deserve more than another person we took only what we needed? If we were more like nature, would we treat each other differently? Would we care for our planet differently? Would we share our resources more effectively if we thought about our survival through future generations? It would benefit us all to spend more time in wildness of nature, to feel more closely connected with it, and to see ourselves through nature’s lens.
