Hiking the Lookout Point Loop Trail in Wind Cave National Park
Distance: 4.8 miles / 7.7 km
The Lookout Point Loop Trail in Wind Cave National Park is the combination of three separate trails to create a loop in and around Beaver Creek Canyon, allowing hikers the opportunity enjoy some of the more diverse landscapes that Wind Cave has to offer!
By this, I mean that other nearby trails, such as the Sanctuary Trail and the East Bison Flats Trail, are great for experiencing the wide-open prairies throughout the central backcountry in Wind Cave National Park, but I personally feel they lack diversity when it comes to exploring the park’s canyons.
This is why the Lookout Point Loop Trail, combined with the Centennial Connector and Centennial Trail, is so special, as it’s one of the best all-around day hikes in Wind Cave National Park, because visitors get to experience both the wide-open prairie and the one of the park’s most beautiful canyons!
U.S. National Park Pass
There is no entrance fee to visit Wind Cave National Park.
However, entrance fees are collected at Badlands National Park and Devils Tower National Monument, which is why I recommend purchasing your National Park pass in advance before traveling to the Black Hills.
Lookout Point Loop Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Lookout Point Trail is located in a small parking area just off the hairpin turn on Highway 87, about 1.0 mile (1.6 km) north of the turn into the Wind Cave Visitor Center.
Google Maps Directions: Lookout Point Loop Trailhead
Hiking Checklist - Wind Cave
Here is a complete list of must-have things that you will want for any hike in Wind Cave National Park.
Hiking the Lookout Point Loop Trail
The Lookout Point Loop Trail can either begin on the Lookout Point Trail or the Centennial Trail, on the other side of the parking area.
That said, it is most common to begin hiking on the Lookout Point Trail, which is where this post begins.
Initially, the Lookout Point Trail drops down a short hill toward Cold Spring Creek, but the loop does not spend much time in this canyon, as it does Beaver Creek Canyon on the other side.
At the bottom of the hill, the Lookout Point Loop Trail levels out until it crosses Cold Spring Creek for the second time, just a short distance ahead.
This is Western Poison Ivy, which is very common in Wind Cave National Park and the greater Black Hills area.
That said, it’s highly recommended that you learn to identify it if you plan to do any hiking here or elsewhere across western South Dakota.
At this split, go right to stay on the Lookout Point Loop Trail.
Immediately after crossing Cold Spring Creek for the second time, the Lookout Point Loop begins climbing out of the canyon.
That said, this ascent, along with the short 0.6-mile (1.0 km) stretch on the Highland Creek Trail, is one of the two places with the most significant elevation change on the Lookout Point Loop.
This short ascent gains roughly 110 ft. (34 m) in about 0.25 miles (0.4 km), making it much easier and shorter than the descent to Beaver Creek Canyon on the other side of the loop.
This is where the Lookout Point Trail reaches the top of Cold Spring Creek Canyon—and it’s where the loop begins some of the flattest, wide-open sections across the prairies of Wind Cave National Park.
The one thing I hope these photos show more than anything else is that there is very little shade on the Lookout Point Loop Trail, which is true for most of the day hikes across the open prairies in Wind Cave National Park.
This is why I highly recommend hiking the trail in a hooded sun shirt, as one will certainly be useful here and for countless other adventures across the Black Hills in western South Dakota.
The hill straight ahead in the distance is Lookout Point, but the Lookout Point Loop Trail does not climb to the summit.
Instead, the trail passes to the north.
This short hill is about as steep as the Lookout Point Loop Trail gets.
This is where the trail curves around Lookout Point instead of climbing to the summit.
If you look closely, Bison hair can be seen on this trail marker, which is common in Wind Cave National Park, as the Bison often use these markers as scratching posts, inevitably knocking them down.
After Lookout Point, the loop once again traverses very flat, wide-open sections, which is also where Prairie Dogs on the trail start to become more frequent!
The Highland Creek junction, where the Lookout Point Loop begins its descent into Beaver Creek Canyon, is located a short distance before the treeline straight ahead in the distance.
This is exactly what Bison do to the trail markers across Wind Cave National Park, and it’s why following the correct path on certain sections of trail can be so difficult.
South Lookout Point Loop-Highland Creek Junction
The first junction in the Lookout Point Trail is where the loop meets the Highland Creek Trail.
That said, the Highland Creek Trail heading south (right) simply leads to the Wind Cave Canyon Trail, about 2.4 miles (3.9 km) away, while the Highland Creek Trail going north (left) leads to the bottom of Beaver Creek Canyon—the same trail as the Lookout Point Loop Trail.
All that to say, go left at this split to begin the joint Lookout Point-Highland Creek Trail into Beaver Creek Canyon.
Read My Separate Post: Highland Creek Trail
For the next 0.6 miles (1.0 km), the trail markers on the Lookout Point Loop will reflect both the Highland Creek Trail and the Lookout Point Trail; hence, both numbers on the sign.
The one thing I can say after numerous visits and an extensive amount of hiking in Wind Cave National Park is that the Bison are sneaky!
By this, I mean that they are often hidden by little hills and the Ponderosa Pines throughout the park, like this one here, which is why it’s critically important to be aware of your surroundings as you hike!
This is where the Lookout Point Loop Trail begins—the steepest parts of the descent into Beaver Creek Canyon.
This descent into Beaver Creek Canyon will lose roughly 260 ft. (79 m) from the Lookout Point junction at the top to the connector junction at the bottom.
North Lookout Point Loop-Highland Creek Junction
Immediately after reaching the bottom of the descent in Beaver Creek Canyon, the Lookout Point Loop Trail meets the second Highland Creek junction.
From here, go left to continue on the Lookout Point Loop, noting that the next 0.4 miles (0.6 km) on the loop are referred to as the Centennial Connector.
Read My Separate Post: Highland Creek Trail
This is the lowest point on the Lookout Point Loop Trail.
That said, the hike back up to the trailhead is significantly easier than it may seem.
I say this because most of the elevation gain is spread out over the next 1.7 miles (2.7 km) to the final hill that leads up to the parking area, which is why the hike up Beaver Creek Canyon will feel very gradual, or even flat, as it makes its way back to the beginning.
In the summer and fall months, some of the bridges on the Lookout Point Loop Trail are not really necessary, as they are much more useful during the spring when snowmelt is at its peak.
This is another example of the same situation.
Lookout Point Loop-Centennial Junction
With about 1.6 miles (2.6 km) left, the Lookout Point Loop Trail meets the true Centennial Trail, which continues both north from this point toward the Wind Cave-Custer State Park boundary as well as back to the Lookout Point Trailhead.
At this final junction, go straight to continue hiking the Lookout Point Loop Trail.
Beaver Creek Cave
This is officially recognized by the National Park Service as Beaver Creek Cave, and yes, it’s not your eyes deceiving you—much of Beaver Creek actually disappears into the cave!
According to the National Park Service, Beaver Creek Cave is 58 ft. (18 m) in length, with a vertical relief of 22 ft. (6.7 m).
I can only imagine what this waterfall must look like underground, but I can honestly say I don’t think I’ve ever seen groundwater recharge as significant as on the Lookout Point Loop Trail in Wind Cave!
Once on the Centennial Trail, the trail markers on the Lookout Point Loop will start reflecting NPS 6.
Once again, I cannot stress the importance of wearing a hooded sun shirt on the Lookout Point Trail, as so much of the trail is open and out of the trees.
What these photos don’t show is that there is actually a Bison hiding in the creek, just on the other side of the little hill straight ahead.
This is, again, why it is so critical to pay attention as you hike, as I honestly got too close in this scenario before I noticed.
The end of the Lookout Point Trail is the top of the hill straight ahead!
Toward the end of the Lookout Point Loop, I had to leave the trail to get around a handful of Bison near the trail.
This is the last time the Lookout Point Loop Trail crosses Beaver Creek before returning to the trailhead.
This is the final hill on the Lookout Point Loop Trail.
Lookout Point Loop Trailhead (Centennial)
After 4.8 miles (7.7 km), the Lookout Point Loop Trail returns on the other side of the parking area from where this hike began.
Overall, I hope these photos show just how diverse the Lookout Point Loop Trail is between the canyons, the caves, the wide-open prairie, and the wildlife along the way—which is why, if you’re trying to prioritize what to do in Wind Cave National Park, I personally recommend choosing the Lookout Point Loop as one of the better all-around options!
