The highest point in South Dakota! Not only is Harney Peak the tallest point of this plains state, but it also has the distinction of being the highest point east of the Rocky Mountains and west of the Pyrenees Mountains in Europe. Impressive!

My hike to Harney Peak (alt. 7,242 feet) happened on a fairly dreary and cloudy day. Snow remained from snowfall a few days earlier and as you will see, many portions of the trail were covered in ice and thinly packed snow. It was not an ideal day for my journey, but nothing would stop me. It is not like I am in South Dakota's Black Hills very often!

I hiked via the standard route which begins at Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park. SummitPost has a very helpful article that includes routes, directions and other information about the area.

A short commercial: I am slowly building a web site dedicated to U.S. State High Points. If you have a web site, would you consider linking to www.HighPoints.us? Let's spread the high pointing joy around. Why should only I have all the fun? :)

Thanks for reading! -Steve

	A tunnel somewhere between Hill City, SD and the entrance to Custer State Park.
	A photo of Sylvan Lake. There is a $5 day fee to enter the park. The ranger will give you a map of the trails if you request one.
	At the beginning of the trail. It is a 3.5 mile walk each way. For the first two miles, a dirt road functions as the trail.
	Lots of snow up there! Notice the ice and hard packed snow in the upper right and middle photo. Yikes! By the way, if you love snow, below are some of my nicer snow pictorials and articles: Snow in Buena Vista, CO Snowy Road Conditions Snow at Cottonwood Pass Snow at Independence Pass Snowstorm in May 2008 Snowstorm in September 2008 www.Snow-Pictures.com (My Snow Web Site) White Christmas
	Approaching the summit. The stone staircase leads to the top. Notice how icy some of the steps were. Yeeesh!
	Harney Peak - South Dakota's High Point Two photos of the lookout tower.
	The views were very pretty. (Five adjacent photos) Fog covered about 30% of the views. I read somewhere one can see the back of Mt. Rushmore at this scenic point in the Black Hills. This was my 13th U.S. state high point. The others I have visited: New Jersey Highest Point Florida Highest Point Colorado Highest Point Connecticut Highest Point Pennsylvania Highest Point Maryland Highest Point West Virginia Highest Point Delaware Highest Point Iowa Highest Point Minnesota Highest Point Wisconsin Highest Point North Dakota Highest Point
	I was disappointed that there was no sign stating this was the high point of the Black Hills and all of South Dakota. This plaque, however, was a nice consolation.
	One photo at the top of the lookout tower.
	One happy photo of me. Don't be deceived by my look of ease - I was cold and the winds were chilly up there. I have no regrets about my day, but my suggestion is to summit this peak on a day where it is warm with clear blue skies. I would think the views would be even more amazing compared to what I saw.