South Dakota peaks
South Dakota summits
First Ascent Awards
330 of 1,208 peaks 27%
Top climbing months
August 11%
June 10%
March 10%
South Dakota mountains highlights
Latest summits
"My first 7ker and State High Point summit ever as me and my friends climbed up Black Elk Peak. From the summit and lookout tower we could only see 3 miles out because of the canadian wildfire smoke. Roundtrip was 7 miles, 4 hours 45 minutes. The Black Elk Peak Trail aka Trail 9 is mostly easy but moderate at the end. Be careful walking over loose rocks, slippery rocks, or logs other than that it's a great hike overall." — timothywittrock1 • May 18, 2023
"Me and my friends drove up Iron Mountain. Once at the summit we watched a thunderstorm develop over Keystone, SD. 5 to 10 minutes later the storm started dropping hail on us so we ran to the truck while a powerful lightning bolt struck the mountain 300 yards from us." — timothywittrock1 • May 17, 2023
"Me and my best friends Aidan and Tristen climbed to the summit of Silver Mountain near Rockerville, SD from a dirt road called Forest Road 673 off of County Road 358! Most of the way up to the summit was a moderate bushwack. Climbing through thick brush at times, climbing over fallen trees, and with a moderate rock scramble to the summit. It took a total of 1 hour 15 mintues roundtrip to complete the hike. " — timothywittrock1 • May 15, 2023
"I probably underestimated this one a bit. Took lost cabin trail 2 up to the ridge and then bushwhacked to the summit. Was not easy, but the view is pretty rewarding. I enjoyed the summit area a lot, but the surrounding forest is very dense with lots of downed trees and I am not interested in doing that bushwhack again for a while. There’s definitely a class 3 route up the rocks, but it’s hard to find on the way up. If you’re a skilled scrambler, probably better to just work the class 3/4 NE ridge of Gap Lode. " — SchlongsPeak • Oct 18, 2022
"My new favorite in the black hills. The view is absolutely ridiculous. It’s a challenging bushwhack but well worth it. To reach the summit, you will need to be comfortable with low-end class 4/high-end class 3 scrambling, but if you are, that’s the best part. Not a ton of exposure. " — SchlongsPeak • Oct 17, 2022