Custer State Park: Sylvan Lake

Custer State Park encompasses over 70,000 acres of the Black Hills’ fantastic granite peaks, rolling plains, and pine forests. There are fantastic trails throughout the park, although some are grueling mountain climbs. For an accessible trail run, our favorite option is the path around Sylvan Lake. These beautiful blue waters are surrounded by spires of granite, as well as a smooth dirt path. The loop is just over a mile long, but runners looking for more mileage can hop on the Sylvan Lake-Harney Trail, which leads to Black Elk peak. The Black Elk trail eventually gets quite steep for running, but the first couple of miles are fairly easy going.