On top of Little Devil’s Tower in Custer State Park, South Dakota.
Little Devil's Tower Trail
Little Devil's Tower Trail is a 3 mile out and back hike that climbs around 700 feet in Custer State Park, South Dakota. The trailhead starts about 1 mile east of Sylvan Lake on Highway 87 and uses trail #4. The beginning of the hike is easy and then it starts to do a few switchbacks up the hill. On the top of the hill you can follow a trail to either Little Devil's Tower or Black Elk Peak. Near the end of the trail you have to scramble to the top of Little Devil's Tower through a crevice. Make sure you wear sturdy shoes for this part of the trail. At the top of Little Devil's Tower you can see the Needles, Black Elk Fire Tower, and a 360 degree view of the Black Hills.
***Note - This trail is not for anyone scared of heights or not capable of scrambling up rocks or boulders. It is also a harder hike that pretty much goes up the whole way. Make sure you wear hiking boots, bring lots of water, and a hiking stick***
Goes up and up with little shade.
Turn left to continue on Little Devil’s Tower Trail.
If you go right, you head towards Black Elk Peak.
Friend taking a break - it is hot - 91 degrees.
Pretty cool places to climb around.
This is where you start to climb up. It is not easy.
The occasional wildlife.
From here you have to scramble on rocks.
This is the trail.
Look for the blue signs.
Quite the scramble.
We found the summer challenge up here.
Needles on a smokey day.
Black Elk Peak in the distance.
The Needles in the summer.
Amazing views any time of year.
Awesome view of Black Elk Peak in the distance to the left.
On top of Little Devil’s Trail - just wonderful.
Time to walk back down.
Made it back to main trail - now which way do we want to go?
You can also combine this hike with the Black Elk Trail for a longer hike that is around 7.7 miles total. Just head back to the beginning of the trail where you turned towards Little Devil's Tower and instead take the trail that leads you to Black Elk. On the way back take the trail that leads to Sylvan Lake instead of Little Devil's Tower. This will lead you to Sylvan Lake and then you can just take the roadway back to the parking lot/trailhead of Little Devil's Tower, or take the trail from Sylvan Lake to Little Devil’s Tower near the parking lot/bathrooms. It is a beautiful loop that really lets you enjoy the different landscapes of the Black Hills. Bring plenty of water and snacks and enjoy a picnic on top of Little Devil's Tower or Black Elk Peak.