"Starting at dinnertime, I rushed up the nonstandard Willow Creek trail to summit South Dakota's highpoint just as the sun was setting. In hindsight, I should have chosen the easier route from Sylvan Lake and began earlier in the day. This would have given me ample time to explore the summit area before twilight -- and I presumably wouldn't have nearly killed myself rushing up and down the mountain! The more strenuous route that I took (Trails #8 and #9 from the Willow Creek campground) was reminiscent of South Sandia Peak in New Mexico. The trails were similarly difficult, the rock formations were comparable, and the possibility of wildcats lurking nearby kept me on edge during both outings. The descent might have been even more taxing than the incline due to the seemingly neverending amount of "stepdowns" along the way. I wasn't able to gain any momentum going down because of having to step down from large, wide rocks every couple of feet. It was like Mount Whitney all over again, only not quite as long! Also, my right foot got really sore because of footwear issues that I didn't resolve until the following day in Wyoming's Laramie Mountains. " — theascent • Aug 18, 2019

"I drove in to the location where I started my climb. I drove South from Pactola Lake until I reached Victoria Lake Rd. After driving a ways on Victoria Lake Rd. I drove on a couple of Forest Service Roads until the road wasn't fit for driving on. From there I followed along the edge of 2 power-line clearings as far as I could. Then I made my own trail up to the summit; there was some challenge to it. Near the summit I ran into loose break-away rock, so I followed a line of trees through the rocks until I reached grass again. I figured if the rocks gave way I could hang onto the trees. Someone had arranged a stack of stones at the top as some sort of small monument with a sign on it. Near the top were a few excellent viewing locations allowing me to see for a long ways, especially to the West. However, I was also able to catch some views to the East, Northwest, and South. For me this hike was definitely worth it! If you do hike it, I suggest hiking it with someone else as I should've done. I didn't see any trace of another person until I made it to the top and was able to look down on the town of Johnson Siding." — montemickley • Jul 5, 2018

"It was 42 degrees when I started. I expected rain, so I packed my rain gear- just in case. I made it up to the summit in just under two hours taking trail #9. The tread was good with few rocks as I'm used to. The work that went into making the tower on the summit is really incredible. Anyway, I had the summit for about 10 minutes before a group of kids appeared. One of them immediately put his empty water bottle on the wall and watched it blow away. I decided to loop around on trails #3 and #4 instead of going back down #9. Soon it started to rain. Then the rain turned to snow. Fortunately I was prepared so it wasn't that bad, although it was pretty windy. " — Hillary • May 22, 2017

"We parked off the fork in road, 1.25 mile from summit, followed trail. 1 hour hike up. Temperature 65F, Low humidity, light breeze, kept the bugs away. Wind picked up, time to leave. Great pine smells up and back" — BadlandsBill • May 6, 2017

"Hiked up on a cold winter day after a fresh snow. It was 8 degrees at the trailhead and made for a very comfortable hike. The trek took four hours and when we got back to the trailhead the temperature was 29 degrees. That's Black Hills weather for you. " — ACDelco • Nov 27, 2015