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Last year when I was out hiking in South Dakota (the Black Hills area), I knew that I wanted to come back and do most of the hikes I had done again. The area is absolutely gorgeous, and I desperately wish that I could live closer to enjoy the nature and hiking! This year my brother suggested that we head out to Sunday Gulch, which is a 4 mile loop trail located in Custer State Park! It feels different than a lot of the other hikes I did out in Custer, although there were a few parts that felt similar to Lover’s Leap (we hiked Lover’s Leap last year and had hiked it a few days previously to this hike as well).
Loved this quote I found on a sign on the trail.
There is a huge lake (Sylvan Lake- it’s beautiful and there are beaches so you can swim and boat rental options as well!) and convenience store near the trail-head, so you can park right there!
As I mentioned, the Sunday Gulch trail is a loop (if I remember, it’s labeled a moderate/strenuous hike), so you can hike either way around it. I would suggest going clockwise. The end of the clock wise circle has you hiking up these somewhat slippery boulders (water going downhill)- there are railings and I never felt unsafe, but I wouldn’t want to be walking down them. Most people I saw were going the same direction.
This was towards the end of the hike, right before the incline with the water and boulders.
There are beautiful rock formations around Sylvan Lake and the start/end of the trail, but once you get past this, you’ll be walking up and down the hills and through the forest. It’s absolutely beautiful!
Make sure you bring enough water! I can’t tell you the number of people I see hiking with only 16 ounces of water, and that’s not nearly enough, especially since Custer is up at elevation. Make sure you bring several water bottles! I brought a Camelbak with me, and that was incredibly helpful!
If you want to add on a mile or so to your hike, once you close the loop of Sunday Gulch, you can walk the loop around Sylvan Lake. It was the perfect cool down, and the views are gorgeous!
Sunday Gulch was definitely towards the top of my list in terms of hikes that we did this year, and I would definitely suggest checking the trail out! If you want more information on Sunday Gulch Trail, click here.
Now it’s your turn to share! What do you look for in a hiking trail?
Looks gorgeous. I just love hiking because I get to be out in nature doing something good for my body.
likewise! I can’t get enough of it 🙂