Скачать или смотреть Black Elk Peak - Highest Point of South Dakota!

Continuing my journey to summit the highest point of all 50 states of the United States (Plus Washington DC & Puerto Rico) with South Dakota - The Mount Rushmore State!

Black Elk Peak (formerly called Harney Peak) is the highest point of the state of South Dakota, with a peak elevation of 7,244 ft above sea level. In fact Black Elk Peak is the highest point east of the Rocky Mountains in the entire United States. The peak is located in the Black Elk Wilderness Area in the Black Hills region of western South Dakota. You need to access the trailhead through Custer State Park.

The total hike we did (which included summiting Little Devils Tower was about 8.25 miles to complete the entire loop, and just under 1,500 feet of elevation gain.

This is by far one of my favorite state high point hikes, a truly beautiful and enduring hike through the wooded and rocky terrain of the Black Hills. The mineral rock Micah covers the trail so it glistens in the sun. Black Elk Peak provided spectacular views of the nearby Cathedral Spires rock formation in Custer State Park and the backside of the famous Mount Rushmore.

The summit had an old rock fire watch tower that was built during the Great Depression, trees and poles draped in colorful garments - prayer scarves left by Lakota Sioux and other Native American tribes, and the grave of American surgeon and military veteran Valentine McGillycuddy, who befriended many Native American tribes on the frontier.

Note: there was a plaque at the high point that claimed Black Elk Peak to also be the highest point west of the Pyrenees Mountains that separate France from Spain (but there is no way on earth that can be true given the Andes Mountains in South America are some of the highest on the planet and there are several volcanoes and mountains in Mexico that are over 10,000 ft high).

Intro to Black Elk Peak Hike: 0:00
Hike to Black Elk Peak: 3:08
Reaching the Summit of Black Elk Peak: 24:05
Hike to Little Devils Tower: 46:01
Summit of Little Devils Tower: 52:03
End of Hike Summary: 56:36
Outro Song: 1:00:14

Outro Song - Explorer's Theme - written and performed by me on piano.