Lookout Point Loop, Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota

Distance: 4.5 mile loop (7.2 km)
Elevation:  3,900-4,480 feet (1190 - 1366 m)
Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Time of Year: Any Time (be prepared for cold and snow in winter)

This relatively easy stroll across the prairie and down through a limestone canyon provides an excellent opportunity to see all of the main features of Wind Cave National Park, and if you are lucky (or not) a close up of Bison on the prairies.

Hidden amongst the prairie grasses are cactus

The trail begins at the Centennial Trailhead about 1/4 of a mile north of the junction of Hwy 87 and Hwy 385 within Wind Cave National Park. The Centennial Trail was built in 1989 to celebrate South Dakota's 100th anniversay and runs for 111 miles from Wind Cave NP through the Black Hills National Forest and up to Bear Butte State Park near Sturgis. This is its southern terminus.

Here, you can go either direction, but I will describe it by taking the Lookout Point trail first. The trail starts out descending to a creekside before climbing the grassy hills. Watch out for poison ivy along the rocky sections. As the trail climbs out of the drainage and onto the ridgetop, the views increase and you can see buffalo wallows and other signs of their presence on the prairie.

Approaching a large male bison on the trail



The bison on the otherside after taking a large detour through the woods

 The trail parallels the road for a bit before turning east and heading across the ridgetop towards Lookout Point. Be aware of Bison near the trail. For the most part, they ignore people, but are unpredictable, especially the bulls. If one is near the trail, leave the trail and make a wide route around them, keeping at least 150 feet away. If one gets aggitated, back off and give it lots of room and never challenge them.

Two more laying about 200 feet of the trail

The trail soon arrives at the highest point on the route at 4,480 foot Lookout Point. From here, their are expansive views across the 26,000 acre national park and out towards the Badlands beyond.

Beyond Lookout Point, you head across a grassy swale with large buffalo wallows and a colony of prairie dogs. In 2007, Wind Cave NP also reintroduced Black-footed ferrets, whose primary prey are prairie dogs. The Black-footed ferret, if you did not know, was thought to be extinct for decades before a small colony was discovered on a ranch in Montana. They were wiped out by ranchers who were poisoning prairie dogs and by their extreme sensitively to canine distemper.

From here, the trail enters a ponderosa pine forest and begins to descends about 400 feet into Beaver Canyon.  Once in Beaver Canyon, you follow the dry creek bed with high limestone cliffs above you. This grassy meadow also has nice riparian vegetation along its edges. At one point, you will come to a rocky cliff where you suddenly encounter water. The creek here suddenly drops into a cave and you can hear the rushing waters falling down below. Thus, it leaves the rest of the creekbed dry, except in high water.

Beaver Canyon

Continue to follow the canyon for another mile, crossing several rickity log bridges over the creek, until reaching the trailhead once again for a gentle and enjoyable loop around the heart of Wind Cave National Park.