In early June, my friend Renee and I completed a hike along the Centennial Trail. It runs throughout the Black Hills of western South Dakota. It’s 124 miles long, officially, and it took us 10 days to finish. Here are our top five takeaways from this sweet Great Plains trail.
1. Welcome to the drug show (Tick)
Wildflowers to distract you while you walk through the tick factory.
I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND treating your hiking clothes, socks, shoes, tent, backpack, and anything else you can think of with permethrin before your trip. Fair warning, the trail can be overgrown at times and takes you through tick factories regularly. I thought maybe there would be two days where we would walk through tall grass: the first day and the last day. I was very wrong. We walk through tall grass and vegetation EVERY DAY. All the time. I have a pair of permethrin-treated pants from Exofficio that I planned to take with me and take on and off as needed. I forgot them at home. Honestly, I’m glad I did it. What a hassle it would have been to do that, because I would have either put them on and taken them off all the time, or I would have just endured the heat and worn them constantly. Surprisingly, in the end I only saw one tick. It was crawling around my tent. Maybe I was lucky and they weren’t born yet because it was a dry year. Or maybe I didn’t have them crawling on me all the time because I had smeared everything I was wearing with permethrin. There is certainly a chance of being covered in ticks.
As far as other bugs go, the mosquitoes were only bad on the last day near the Alkali Creek campground. I also carried a small can of DEET-based bug spray, but I only used it occasionally. Again, the fact that it was a dry spring before our hike is probably why they didn’t come out in full force.
2. Keep calm and carry on
It would be irresponsible of me to hike this trail and blog about it, but not warn people about the dangerous animals on this trail. And I mean this path. I don’t want to scare anyone. Just be smart. The buffalo are numerous, they will probably be right in the path and yes, they can attack you if you get too close. A poor woman was murdered in the Black Hills just weeks before my hike. Apparently, he was doing the right thing: trying to give the buffalo a wide berth. But it is said that the buffalo got scared and her husband managed to get to the other side of a tree and she did not. Take your time, walk slowly around them, give them enough space, and try to keep something solid between you, preferably a tree or rock. It is recommended to stay 100 meters away from them. People, that’s the length of a football field. It is definitely possible to hike a route this far from them on the Centennial Trail. Yes, it takes more time, more mileage and is a bit complicated. It is better than the alternative.
See this huge animal from the “safety” of a vehicle!
In addition to the buffalo you’re likely to see at Wind Cave National Park and Custer State Park, there are also rattlesnakes and mountain lions. I didn’t see any, while Renee saw a rattlesnake closer to Fort Meade on our last day. Rich, our cabin host near Nemo, had recent sightings of a mountain lion on his security camera.
There are numerous colonies of prairie dogs, especially in Wind Cave National Park. The little animals are certainly cute and I enjoyed watching them poke their heads out of their dens and chirp their signals at each other. Although there have not been any incidents that I know of in the Black Hills, it is possible that prairie dogs have fleas that transmit bubonic plague. While this sounds absolutely terrifying, it is very unlikely that a hiker will become infected. I personally wouldn’t camp near a colony. In my experience, buffalo are close to these colonies anyway, so a safer camp would be justified in any case.
3. Good morning angels!
The angel trail network is there if you need it. Yes, even a path as short as this has angels on the path. There is a Centennial Trail Angel Facebook page that is a great place to start if you are having trouble. Honestly, we didn’t have any problems, but we ended up at the two trail angel cabins just because. The people of South Dakota are very friendly and definitely willing to help you, especially if there is a problem. Whispering Pines was very hiker friendly and a great place to keep a mid-trail resupply. An outfitter in Rapid City called Roamin’ Around offers transportation to and from the trail. They also provide certificates of completion for official Centennial Trail finishers! I highly recommend visiting them when you’re done. The trail is fairly close to civilization at all times and there are places to bail out if necessary.
4. Choose your own adventure
The trail is great for those who want to hike super fast and also for those who want to explore hikes and adventures and take their time. Since the Centennial Trail has shorter mileage, it is definitely possible to hike greater daily distances and carry all your food along the entire trail. Do you want to carry even less food? Visit Legion Lake Lodge for a quick meal on the go. Stop at Whispering Pines Campground and peruse their small tent for food. Walk the short distance to Nemo to eat at any of its restaurants (there are several, although the town is small). Order a pizza delivery from Alkali Creek Campground. 😊
Do you want to go slow? Explore the many backcountry trails in the Black Elk Wilderness. Nearby are the Cathedral Spiers or climb the highest peak in South Dakota. Take the short trip to Mount Rushmore. Stay a while in Nemo and rent an ATV. There is a very strong network of OHV trails in the Black Hills that are great to explore. The Centennial Trail shares a short section with motorized vehicles. Pro tip: While walking, it’s helpful to know the hand signals drivers give you when passing, as they raise their fingers to indicate how many vehicles are following behind them.
There are several notable caves in the Black Hills, with tours available in all of them. There is the wind cave of the same name in Wind Cave National Park, Jewel Cave, and just north of Nemo is Wonderland Cave. There is so much to explore in this beautiful corner of South Dakota!
5. The Black Hills are mountainous!
While this trail wasn’t the hardest I’ve ever hiked, it was no walk in the park. The highest elevation of the trail is almost 6000 feet! The average elevation is around 5000 feet and the cumulative elevation gain is over 20,000 feet. Most of the climbs were short and gentle, but almost steady.
Honestly, what hit us the most was the heat of the first day. It was about 90 degrees and mostly exposed. There can be fierce storms in this part of the country, although fortunately we avoid that type of weather activity.
All in all, I had a great time on this trail. I loved meeting the people there. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. The Black Hills are beautiful, we saw lots of wildlife and the weather from early to mid June was just right. There were a few hot days, but most of the time it was good weather for hiking. If you’re looking to tackle a lower mileage trail or train for a bigger trip, you can’t go wrong with the Centennial Trail.
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