Sylvan Lake, Needles Highway & Iron Mt. Road

 Monday, September 21, 2020

It wasn't easy, but we were up and on the road by daylight. The fact that it was only 34º F didn't make it any easier. A small reward for the early hours was getting to see several deer and a bunch of wild turkeys on the side of the road. 

I will make mention here that when I woke up the front of my thighs were so sore I wasn't sure I could get out of bed!! I am used to doing a 7-mile bike ride every day, but that ladder on the Notch Trail must have worked some new muscles that hadn't been used in a LONG time! 

From our apartment it took us about a half hour to get to Sylvan Lake. A park pass was required to get into Custer State Park, but when we reached the entrance point the registration office had not yet opened. A 7-day pass cost $20, but we wanted an annual SD park pass ($36) so we would have the option to also visit some parks closer to where we live. There was a self-serve drop box that we could have used IF we had the correct amount of cash...which we didn't. Bob decided we would just come back later when the office was open. (And this of course made me nervous because I was afraid we would get fined in the meantime.)

Only a couple of other cars were in the lot by Sylvan Lake when we arrived. The early morning sunlight was illuminating the opposite shoreline and the fall foliage reflecting in the still lake was beautiful!!

The Sylvan Lake Trail circles the lake and we began walking in a clockwise direction. For the most part we had the trail to ourselves. 

On the other side of the rocks and behind the dam, the trail intersected with the Sunday Gulch Trail. Bob had rock climbed here on multiple occasions and referred to this area as "Middle Earth". 

The Sunday Gulch Trail was a bit more strenuous than I wanted to attempt...and especially with my sore legs. To descend into the gulch required navigating over some large boulders and going down some rugged steps. Hand rails had been installed, but it was still pretty dicey trying to get down the rocks. Bob convinced me to go part way down, but I waited by a small stream (with an even smaller waterfall) while he went much further.

This trail was a reminder of how out of shape I really am...it was a struggle for me to get up and down a short distance of the path into the gulch. Bob, on the other hand, went all of the way to the bottom and then decided to RUN back up. What a guy!

More people were starting to show up on the trail and by the time we returned to the parking lot it was FULL! I guess it was worth losing a little sleep to have the solitude when we first arrived.

The latter part of the trail once we were behind the big rocks.

After backtracking to the entrance to purchase our annual pass (and finally be legal in the park!) we began the drive south on Needles Highway. It was only a short distance until we reached the Needles Eye, a large spire with an opening that resembles the eye of a needle (hence the name Needles Highway.) There is a small pull-out area where we were able to park and do a little exploring. This is also the location of the first of a couple of one-way tunnels on the road. 

The Needles Eye

Our next stop was at Cathedral Spires, a group of impressive granite pillars. The parking area was at the trail head for the Cathedral Spires Trail. This out-and-back trail is 1.5 miles each way and more than I thought my sore legs could handle. With the beautiful weather, I was content to stay at the car and let Bob go off to do the hike alone. I had a cell signal strong enough for FaceTime and had a nice visit with my sister while I was waiting.

Cathedral Spires Trail

Cathedral Spires Trail

It was lunch time when Bob returned. We sat on a rock next to the parking lot to eat the sandwiches we brought. It wasn't the most comfortable place to have a picnic, but oh those views!!

The remainder of the drive on Needles Highway was beautiful...lots of bright yellow trees mingled in with the dark green pines. I hadn't even thought about it, but the first day of autumn was the next day! Our travel dates were chosen just because it was when our AirBnB had availability, but I felt lucky that the time coincided with the fall foliage.

I had remembered to turn on the Gypsy Guide tour app but rather than follow the full route which would’ve taken us down to the Custer Wildlife Loop, we turned east on the Playhouse Road. I had read on TripAdvisor that it was the best way to cut over to Iron Mountain Road.

It was important to me to take the Iron Mountain Road going north. Why? Because the series of tunnels were designed so that looking north they framed a view (although distant) of Mt. Rushmore! 

Can you see Mt. Rushmore in the distance?

Several times we pulled over to take in the views...and along the way found a lone buffalo grazing on the side of the road.

One of the pigtail bridges leading to a tunnel on Iron Mountain Road.

Iron Mountain Road lead us straight to Mt. Rushmore. The plan was to visit the memorial in a couple of days, but I snapped some photos out the window as we drove past. Another quick stop was made to get a good profile of George. 😉

It was getting to be a long day of driving so when we got to the Keystone area we turned and headed back south to our Airbnb. Just before we reached the gravel road for our apartment, we went through the tiny town of Pringle. Here we made a stop to check out the "bicycle sculpture". I use the word sculpture quite loosely though. It was a heap of junk bikes all wired together with passage ways throughout. Interesting is maybe the best word to describe it. And just because it was also interesting, I snapped a photo of a nearby old barn.

Bob wishing he could scavenge some bike parts from the sculpture.

Dinner was the remainder of the lasagna left from the previous night. Bob took a hike up the hill behind our apartment and then we wandered downstairs and had a nice visit with the owner, Jim, and a couple of his neighbors. So much nicer than spending the evening in a hotel room watching TV!

Looking down into the valley from the hill behind our apartment.

Bob coming down the hill.

Tomorrow's plan was to head to the northern portion of the Black Hills...a long jaunt from our apartment.