Rankin Ridge Nature Trail
Rankin Ridge Nature Trail is a self-guided hike.
Plan Around Rankin Ridge Nature Trail
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Rankin Ridge Nature Trail Details
Rankin Ridge Nature Trail is a self-guided hike with 14 stops along a one-mile (one way) trail that gains roughly 240 feet in elevation. A brochure available at the visitor center and online provides information about the animals and plant life in the park, the history of wildfires and prescribed burns, soil composition, and more. The tour ends below a fire tower that once was used to detect wildfires from afar. Today, firefighters usually use airplanes to keep tabs on fires, but the tower is still used occasionally when fire danger is extremely high. The tower is closed to the public, but the ridge affords equally pristine views of the Badlands, Black Hills, and surrounding prairie. Access the trail via the Rankin Ridge spur road off Highway 87.
Difficulty
Low
Distance
2 miles
Estimated time
45 minutes
Region
N/A
Nearby Parks Around Rankin Ridge Nature Trail
Compare nearby parks around Rankin Ridge Nature Trail when deciding whether to expand the route after this stop.
Nearby Points of Interest Around Rankin Ridge Nature Trail
Use nearby POIs to quickly expand your options beyond Rankin Ridge Nature Trail while the map context is still fresh.
1.0 mi away
Sanctuary Trail
This moderate, 3.6-mile (one way) trail connects to the Highland Creek Trail
2.9 mi away
Lookout Point Trail
This trail rolls up and over the prairie, climbing past Lookout Point.
2.9 mi away
Centennial Trail
The Centennial Trail is a 111-mile trail that spans nearly the entire state of South Dakota.
3.4 mi away
Wind Cave National Park
Forty miles south of Mount Rushmore is Wind Cave National Park, one of the world's longest and most complex cave systems.
3.4 mi away
SD-87
Highway 87 enters Wind Cave National Park from the north, via Custer, S.D.
