Black Hills National Forest Overview
The Black Hills National Forest encompasses 1.25 million acres in South Dakota and Wyoming.
Guide Sections
Use Black Hills National Forest Overview's guide sections to understand how this stop fits into the larger park plan.
Black Hills National Forest Overview Details
Difficulty
Open
Distance
N/A
Estimated time
N/A
Region
Learn About the Park
The Black Hills National Forest encompasses 1.25 million acres in South Dakota and Wyoming. The Park includes the Black Hills region sacred to local Native American tribes and featuring vast forests of ponderosa pine, swaths of grassland prairie, and 7,244-foot Harney Peak, the tallest mountain in the continental United States east of the Rocky Mountains. The park is about 100 miles long and 70 miles wide, and includes the Black Elk Wilderness Area, a 13,486-acre area of rugged, roadless backcountry. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service, Black Hills National Forest surrounds both Mount Rushmore National Monument and Jewel Cave National Monument. Wind Cave National Park sits on the National Forest's southeastern border. Camping, fishing, mountain biking, hiking, and off-roading are among the most popular activities in the park, which has 30 campgrounds, 11 reservoirs, 450 miles of hiking trails, and thousands of miles of forest roads. Park visitors may see a variety of wildlife, including elk, pronghorn antelopes, bears, bighorn sheep, and more.
