Sylvan Lake in South Dakota is THE most popular lake in Custer State Park and the Black Hills + Sylvan Lake Trail

Hi there!

Custer State Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota has a number of lakes.

One of these Custer State Park lakes is Sylvan Lake!

Sylvan Lake is the most popular lake in Custer State Park.

This also makes it one of the most famous lakes in the Black Hills.

Driving directly from Rapid City SD to Sylvan Lake is about a 50 minute drive.

I went to Sylvan Lake in South Dakota, and here’s what you need to know!

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Once you are near, there will be signs for Sylvan Lake, and you can follow that!

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

2. Sylvan Lake has a hiking trail that loops around the lake!

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How long does it take to hike around Sylvan Lake in South Dakota?

The hike around Sylvan Lake is listed as being around 1 mile.

You will be hiking the Sylvan Lake Shore Trail.

It is a lakeside walk!

You will be walking mostly along the Sylvan Lake, but there are spots where you’ll be hiking around the rocks of the Black Hills too!

The walk around Sylvan Lake might take you 30 minutes long… or longer if you stop along the lake or to climb up onto the rocks!

You can consider this a mostly easy lakeshore hike in Custer State Park!

There are also spots where you can go slightly off trail to hike to higher ground for grand views of the lake.

Sylvan Lake is not the only lake in Custer State Park with a lakeshore trail!

You can go for a nice lakeside stroll at Legion Lake and Center Lake too.

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3. There are big rocks and boulders around Sylvan Lake.

👆 You can hike the Sylvan Lake Shore Trail behind that “wall” of rock.

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4. You can go rock climbing at Sylvan Lake.

While I was walking the Sylvan Lake Shore Trail, there was a spot that I saw rock climbers!

Another spot I saw someone rock climbing in Custer State Park is near the Needles Eye Tunnel on Needles Highway.

5. You can rent kayaks at Sylvan Lake.

There are kayak rentals at Sylvan Lake so you can go kayaking in Custer State Park.

The other Custer State Park lake where you can find kayak rentals is Legion Lake.

6. There are benches along Sylvan Lake so you can take in the views slowly!

7. There are picnic tables along Sylvan Lake.

You can bring your own food and enjoy the views too!

8. There is a swimming beach at Sylvan Lake.

Can you swim at Sylvan Lake?

There is a small swimming lake at the Sylvan Lake of South Dakota, so Sylvan Lake is one of the Custer State Park lakes that you can swim at!

There are no lifeguards at the Sylvan Lake beach.

You’ll walk the Sylvan Lake Shore Trail to get to the Sylvan Lake swimming beach.

The quickest way to access the beach swimming area is from the opposite side of the lake from the Sylvan Lake Lodge.

9. There is a Sylvan Lake general store.

There is a convenience store, gift shop, and eatery near Sylvan Lake at the Sylvan Lake General Store.

10. The Sylvan Lake Lodge is located near Sylvan Lake.

Sylvan Lake has “resort cabins” which are the luxury cabins compared to the Custer State Park camping cabins.

The Sylvan Lake Lodge cabins are furnished cabins in Custer State Park.

11. Sylvan Lake has a restaurant with outdoor seating.

You can do outdoor dining at the Sylvan Lake lodge restaurant.

12. There are bathrooms around Sylvan Lake.

13. You can find the Sunday Gulch trailhead at Sylvan Lake.

You will take the trail that goes around Sylvan Lake to get to the Sunday Gulch Trail.

This is another iconic scene in the Black Hills as you walk with towering rock formations all around you!

See more about hiking from Sylvan Lake: Sunday Gulch Trail

14. You can start the hike to Black Elk Peak from Sylvan Lake.

According to the US Forest Service, Black Elk Peak is the highest point in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains.

There are several ways to get to Black Elk Peak.

One of the most popular ways is to start from Sylvan Lake!

You can start your Black Elk Peak hike from Sylvan Lake, and it will soon take you into the Black Elk Wilderness of Black Hills National Forest.

You will continue hiking in Black Hills National Forest until you get to Black Elk Peak and the fire tower!

So this is a hike in Custer State Park and Black Hills National Forest.

15. Sylvan Lake is located right off a main road that goes through Custer State Park.

To get to Sylvan Lake, you will drive the Needles Highway, which is one of the most popular things to do in Custer State Park.

Sylvan Lake is located just north of popular spots along the Needles Highway, like the Cathedral Spires trailhead, the Needles Eye Tunnel, and the Little Devils Tower trailhead.

16. The Sylvan Lake Campground is a little bit down the road from Sylvan Lake.

For tent camping and RV camping, there’s a traditional campground that’s managed by South Dakota state parks.

This is one of the many Custer State Park campgrounds.

This is a modern campground with regular bathrooms, showers, electricity, and drinking water available.

There are no camping cabins at the Sylvan Lake Campground.

17. You need a Custer State Park pass to go to Sylvan Lake.

The cost to go to Sylvan Lake is the cost of the 7-day Custer State Park pass. There is no one-day pass.

This means that the cost to go to Sylvan Lake is $20.

There is also an annual South Dakota State Park pass that is around $36 and will get you entry to all South Dakota state parks, and that includes Custer State Park.

And that’s a bit about Sylvan Lake in South Dakota!

There are many lakes in Custer State Park, and Sylvan Lake is one of them. The other lakes are:

• Legion Lake
• Center Lake
• Stockade Lake

If you are interested in Sylvan Lake, you may also be interested in these other South Dakota activities:

• Needles Highway and The Needles of the Black Hills
• Best hikes in Custer State Park for VIEWS
• Things to do in Custer State Park for views
• Can you see Crazy Horse Memorial from the road?
• Things to do in the Black Hills for VIEWS
• South Dakota state park camping cabins in Custer State Park
• Things to do in Black Hills National Forest
• Quick things to do in Badlands National Park
• Things to do in Jewel Cave National Monument
• Spearfish Canyon

HAPPY GOING TO SYLVAN LAKE!

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