Sunday Gulch & Sylvan Lake Loop

Sunday Gulch combined with the Sylvan Lake loop might be the most underrated hike in South Dakota. Everyone goes to Mount Rushmore, drives through Custer State Park to see bison, maybe walks around Sylvan Lake - but very few people drop down into Sunday Gulch. Their loss.

We started at the Sylvan Lake parking area and walked the lake loop clockwise first. Sylvan Lake is gorgeous - crystal clear water surrounded by massive granite boulders and pine trees. It looks like something out of a fantasy movie. The shoreline trail is easy and flat, weaving between boulders with constant lake views. Maybe 20 minutes to get around.

Then we took the Sunday Gulch trail heading down from the dam at the south end of the lake. This is where things get interesting. The trail drops into a narrow canyon and immediately becomes a scramble. We're talking metal ladders bolted into rock faces, stepping stones across the creek, squeezing between boulders, and using handholds to lower yourself down sections.

It's not dangerous exactly, but it demands your full attention. You can't just zone out and walk. Every step is deliberate. The canyon walls close in around you with ferns, moss, and water dripping from above. It feels like a completely different world from the sunny lake trail above.

The lowest point of the gulch has you crossing Sunday Creek multiple times on rocks and logs. After rain there's actual flowing water and some of the crossings get tricky. Our shoes got wet on one crossing where we misjudged a rock.

The climb back out of the gulch is the real workout. You're scrambling up the other side on steep stone steps and more ladder sections. It's maybe 400 feet of gain in a short distance and by the time you pop out at the top we were breathing hard. But then you're back at the lake and it feels like you just emerged from an underground adventure.

The whole loop took us about three hours with lots of stopping to take photos and carefully navigate the scramble sections. Distance-wise it's only 4 miles, but it feels longer because of the technical terrain.

We did this on a weekday morning in September and had Sunday Gulch almost entirely to ourselves. The lake trail was busier but the gulch was empty. Apparently a lot of people get to the top of the descent, look down, and turn back. Commit to it - the scramble is the whole point.

Best hike we did in the Black Hills, hands down. Better than any of the Rushmore area trails.