3+ easy Custer State Park lake trails! Things to do in the Black Hills South Dakota vacation ideas

Hi there!

If you’re looking for hiking in the Black Hills, one of the best places to visit in South Dakota is Custer State Park.

Here you will find a bit more challenging hikes in the Black Hills, and you will also find some easy hikes in the Black Hills too!

So, where to find the easy hiking trails in the Black Hills?!

In short, look for the lakes in Custer State Park!

 

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Custer State Park has a number of lakes. And around many of these lakes you can find trails! Most of them are trails that go right alongside the lake.

So you can make it a hike with lake views!

This is one of the best things to do in Custer State Park!

No matter what you plan for the day is when you’re in the Black Hills, you can start or end your day with a nice leisurely walk around one of these lakes!

You’ll also find picnic tables at some of these lakes so you can eat with lakefront views too.

Now, here are some easy walking trails with lake views in Custer State Park!

 

 

 

1. Sylvan Lake Trail

 

Sylvan Lake is listed as an elevation of 6,145 feet.

This is THE lake of Custer State Park.

It’s the most popular one.

There’s a shoreline trail that goes around Sylvan Lake that’s around 1 mile long.

You’ll find some great Black Hills rocks that you can climb on to get better views, and you’ll walk through rocks that will tower over you too!

 

 

And if you decide to hike the Sylvan Lake Trail, you may also be interested in the Sunday Gulch Trail.

Now, the Sunday Gulch Trail may not pass as a totally easy hike in the Black Hills, but this is a good one hiking trail to know about if you’ll be hiking the Sylvan Lake Trail!

By putting in a little bit of effort going up and down the stairs, you’ll get more amazing views in the Black Hills!

 

 

You will find the trailhead for the Sunday Gulch Trail as you are hiking the Sylvan Lake Trail.

The Sunday Gulch Trail is a loop that’s around 3.2 miles, but you don’t have to do the whole thing to for it to be worthy!

If you start the Sylvan Lake Trail on the side that’s closest to the Black Elk Peak trailhead, which would be starting off by walking with Sylvan Lake on your left side, then the first Sunday Gulch trailhead you see is the one I took.

You can take this trail for 5-10 minutes down and you’ll be walking with more towering rocks all around you!

 

See more about this Black Hills hiking trail in Custer State Park: Sylvan Lake

 

 

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2. Legion Lake Trail

 

Legion Lake is listed as an elevation of 5,010 feet.

There is a shoreline trail that goes around Legion Lake that’s less than a mile long.

 

 

After you’ve had your nice scenic walk around the lake, you can head to the Legion Lake Lodge restaurant for waterfront dining.

 

See more about this Black Hills hiking trail in Custer State Park: Legion Lake Trail

 

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3. Center Lake Trail

 

Center Lake is listed as an elevation of 4,685 feet.

There is a series of trails around Center Lake called the Lost Trails.

There is also a trail that goes along the lake from the swimming beach so you can make it a shoreline walk of 10-20 minutes.

 

 

And, since you can start and end this trail at the beach, after you go hiking, you can go for a post-hike swim!

 

See more about this Black Hills hiking trail in Custer State Park: Center Lake Trail

 

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4. Stockade Lake Trail

 

Stockade Lake is listed as an elevation of 5,171 feet.

The trail here is more like a trail that starts near Stockade Lake and then takes you into the forest for views of the Black Hills. There are some uphills (and downhills) on this trail, so it’s not AS easy as the other lake trails, but it’s not too difficult either.

There is no official hiking trail that goes around the lake, but there are parts in which the road goes along the lake.

This makes for a lakeside drive, and you can also walk the road too to make it a lakeside walk too!

 

 

Stay near Stockade Lake:

• Stockade Lake camping cabin
• Custer State Park campgrounds near Stockade Lake

 

And that’s a bit about some nice leisurely walks in the Black Hills!

 

More for things to do in the Black Hills:

• Breezy Point Overlook in Black Hills National Forest
• Things to do in Mount Rushmore National Memorial
• Driving from Mount Rushmore to Wyoming through Spearfish Canyon

 

HAPPY HIKING IN THE BLACK HILLS OF SOUTH DAKOTA!

 

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