Hiking the Cathedral Spires Trail in Custer State Park in the Black Hills, South Dakota
Distance: 1.8 miles / 2.9 km
The Cathedral Spires Trail in Custer State Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota is a stunning and relatively easy day hike through the heart of the Needles for which the trail is aptly named!
I say this because the Cathedral Spires Trail begins directly off the Needles Highway and leads hikers through a number of beautiful, towering granite rock formations that make for great places to climb around and explore!
Furthermore, I also believe the Cathedral Spires Trail is one of the best effort-to-reward adventures off the Needles Highway because the hike, at only 0.9 miles (1.4 km) each way, is fairly quick and easy, with only a few short hills.
This is all to say that the Cathedral Spires Trail is easily one of the best things to do in Custer State Park and the greater Black Hills area, and for those already planning to hike to the summit of Black Elk Peak, the Cathedral Spires can be visited by making a loop with the Norbeck Trail on the hike back down.
Cathedral Spires Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Cathedral Spires Trail is located on both sides of a sharp hairpin turn on the Needles Highway, just 1.0 mile (1.6 km) east of the infamous Needles Eye Tunnel.
That said, the Cathedral Spires Trail is a very popular day hike, and the parking area along the Needles Highway at the hairpin turn is extremely limited, meaning that parking can be a challenge to find on any given day.
This is why arriving early in the morning during the busy summer travel season, and through the fall, can be a great strategy, but personally speaking, I actually recommend the Cathedral Spires Trail in the mid- to late afternoon for the best light, which will not help with finding a spot to park at the trailhead.
Google Maps Directions: Cathedral Spires Trailhead
Hiking Checklist - South Dakota
According to the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (GFP) and the U.S. Forest Service, there are Black Bears in South Dakota, but encounters are considerably rare.
That said, here is a complete list of must-have things that you will want for any hike in South Dakota.
Hiking the Cathedral Spires Trail
The Cathedral Spires Trail begins at the hairpin turn adjacent to the parking area off the Needles Highway, where it follows a mostly flat path for the first 0.4 miles (0.6 km) before climbing up to the Cathedral Spires at the very end.
It doesn’t take long for views of the Needles, or the Spires, to open up in the distance!
For the most part, there is not much to know about the Cathedral Spires Trail prior to the Cathedral Spires themselves, as the trail simply winds its way through a beautiful Ponderosa–Spruce forest until it reaches the steeper sections closer to the end.
The beautiful fall Aspens were the best on the trail around the switchbacks, just before the steep hill up into the Cathedral Spires.
This is where the Cathedral Spires Trail noticeably begins climbing, with the steepest sections of the hike located at the base of the Cathedral Spires a short distance ahead.
This is where the Cathedral Spires Trail reaches the steepest part of the entire hike, but in reality, this hill doesn’t last more than 0.1 miles (0.2 km) from this point to the top.
Some hikers may want to use trekking poles for this short but steep ascent.
Cathedral Spires
This is the top of the steep hill, which is also where the trail enters the Cathedral Spires and, in my opinion, the most beautiful section of the entire hike!
Cathedral Spires-Little Devil’s Tower Junction
The only time the Cathedral Spires Trail splits is where it meets the connector that leads over to the Little Devil’s Tower Trail, which is also the same trail that some hikers opt to return on after hiking Black Elk Peak.
Once here, go right to continue hiking the Cathedral Spires Trail toward the end of the hike, about 0.25 miles (0.4 km) away.
Read My Separate Posts: Little Devil’s Tower Trail (Coming Soon) / Black Elk Peak Trail
This final 0.2-mile (0.3 km) stretch is easily one of the most beautiful parts of the Cathedral Spires Trail!
If you look closely, another Needles Eye can be seen near the end of the Cathedral Spires Trail, similar to the one up the highway near the tunnel.
End of the Trail
This is the end of the maintained Cathedral Spires Trail, which I say 'maintained' because, as locals might tell you, there are countless little hidden gems that can be explored off the main trail!
However, that’s not the purpose of this post, but what I can say is that I think one of the best things about the Cathedral Spires Trail after the Little Devil’s Tower junction is how much exploring can be done if you’re willing to put in the work!
South Dakota
Wyoming
