The views at the top of Black Elk Peak are so beautiful! The trail leading up to the peak is a…read moresteady incline with one short stretch where it goes downhill. Due to the incline, I recommend wearing a water pack to make sure you stay hydrated. It's the highest point in South Dakota and you will want to spend some time at the top taking in the views! There are also plenty of photo opportunities along the way. Make sure to wear good hiking shoes and enjoy soaking in the views!

We're all doing our part to abide by social distancing, while trying to keep ourselves sane and…read morehealthy. Hiking the Black Elk Wilderness for 11hrs seemed like a good way to pull off "all of the above" & it was! First: Expect to spend +4hrs hiking just to the summit and back. Additional time for side trails & photography, if applicable. As a diehard shutterbug, it took me almost 5hrs to get to the top. It isn't a race, take in your surroundings. Pack accordingly. It may be warm at the bottom & you end up in snow falling at the top, not too mention the "breeze" whipping. Layers work best & I found myself changing in and out of them. WATER- bring plenty of water, as well as food & sanitary items needed. The only toilets are at the start/end so be prepared to rough it a bit. PACK IT IN, PACK IT OUT. You will hit a Wilderness registration area and are required to register at that point, in order to continue. I would say it's a moderate trail. Along the way you can expect to encounter some wildlife- we had several deer encounters, nesting birds, chipmunks, squirrels, frogs and whatever else we didn't see! There are some magnificent views of the hills, rock formations & interesting vegetarian - fresh air & friendly faces. Easily among my favorites.

I feel that this is an underused and underrated set of hiking trails in Rapid City. Anyone who's…read moresemi- local or has driven on the ever busy Omaha street knows about M Hill- where the large white letters "sMd" were created to give wave to the School of Mines in Rapid. What many don't know as well or maybe simply forget or don't think about is that you can pretty easily climb to the top of M Hill and see out over all of Rapid- it's pretty incredible at any time of year! Where we parked there was a map showing the dozens of trails that zig zag these sets of hills, and though it seems a little outdated taking a picture of it and referencing it really helped us to know where we were going and not get lost, so I'd obviously recommend doing that. There are also little stakes in the ground at intervals that tell you what trail you are on or what one is about to start, so if you actually pay attention to those and keep an eye on the map you shouldn't get lost easily. There are kind of two main ways to get to the top of M Hill- and easy way and a hard way. We took the harder way up, which is much more scenic, and the easier way down. The easier way you walk right towards the golf course and make a turn before you hit the bridge across the creek. This is such a great way to get outdoors and exercise, without being too crazy exhausting! With stopping and resting and enjoying the view, it took us about an hour and ten round trip to the top and back. Highly recommend!

This park is a memorial to those that died in the Rapid Creek floods of 1972. An amphitheater,…read moreplayground, lake & war monuments are displayed here as well. There are sections of the Berlin Wall because this was the front line for the Cold War. Missile & launch control facilities are peppered through the grasslands & are run by the National Park Service.

We stopped here to view America's largest Berlin Wall exhibit and of course see the many beautiful…read moresculptures we had heard about. It is a lovely park with lots of greenspace and beautiful foliage but there were many unhoused persons and some seemed to be living/sleeping next to the statues so we weren't able to spend to much time enjoying some of them or get to close and we didn't want to bother anyone. The ones we did see up close were magnificent! We enjoyed walking through the park on the paved trails and perhaps it was just because we were from outside the area but we had difficulty finding anywhere close to park so we also had a nice walk to and from the park as well. The highlight for my husband was getting to spin the 9,000 lb piece of granite. The engineering makes it possible but it's still pretty tough to get that 4 ton stone moving. This park is worth a stop just for that.

Visiting from out of state and staying across the street from this park. I've taken walks each…read moremorning, and I believe this is one of the most beautiful and well laid out parks I have ever seen.

Eric is a true fisherman and an excellent guide. He took really good care of us for an afternoon of…read morefishing on Lake Sheridan. He knows where to find the fish and gave us several techniques that we didn't previously know due to our amateur status of fishing. We caught four rainbow trout and a whole bunch of bluegill, but most importantly we had a great day with Eric. His boat is immaculate and he sent us home with beautifully cleaned filets!! Yum!

Booked a half day with Erik this week for a family fishing day on Lake Sheridan. My 9 and 11 yo…read morekids had no fishing experience, but Erik was a wonderful, patient teacher and had them pulling fish out of the water in no time. The boat and all the gear was top notch and the day was a top highlight of our family trip through the Black Hills. Highly recommended--would absolutely do it again on our next time through the area. Book it today!

Cool trail. About 4 hours to complete. Boulders and rocks to trek across. Good scenery…read more ...........................................................................

Sunday Gulch Trail is a 3 mile hiking trail. This trail starts off by going downhill through…read moreboulders for about 1/4 of a mile. There are railings so that is extremely helpful. It will be important to take your time during this stretch and to use the railings. This trail, like many others in the park, is not wheelchair accessible due to the rock formations in the area. The views of the valley and rock formations are spectacular. Enjoy the views along the way!

+ Stunning topography. Massive boulders just casually protruding from the serene lake among…read moretranquil pine trees. Hope you brought your camera, cuz I sure brought mine~ + Not crowded. A pretty peaceful stroll for me. + Well-maintained restrooms. + People like to go fishing here. + The geese aren't shy. My 4th animal crossing this trip! Unfortunately I didn't find any National Treasure. Did I miss a clue?

Absolutely gorgeous lake! There's a place to rent kayaks, canoes, and paddles boards, as well as…read moreseveral piers to set your own in. There's a nice beach area to get in the water and also plenty of picnic tables. A trail goes the entire way around the lake and it's a great walk. We came on a Saturday during June and it was fairly packed. We managed to luck out and find a parking spot but other people were circling for a while

Nice playground in the border of downtown strip. Very simple and rustic like something I would…read morebuild in my backyard if I had more space and was slightly more industrious. Ground covering is loose soil with a thin layer of wood chips. Small historic information building as well as a picnic pavilion with vending machines and restrooms. Clean and maintained. Only issue is there is a bridge across the stream but it is currently closed off so accessing the playground requires a short walk on car bridge. That means running from the playground to the bathrooms with a potty training toddler is just part of the fun.

Bridge from parking lot to playground was closed off with caution tape this past week. Guessing…read morebecause of floods. We walked on the side street and over to the playground. Playground needs a little maintenance. Kids had still had fun on.