Hiking the Sunday Gulch Trail in Custer State Park in the Black Hills, South Dakota
Distance: 4.1 miles / 6.6 km
Elevation Change: 550 ft. / 168 m
The Sunday Gulch Trail in Custer State Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota is a fun day hike on the north side of Sylvan Lake that descends a steep, narrow gulch through a series of railings and stairs until the trail loops back around to the beginning.
That said, the Sunday Gulch Trail is almost always climbing or descending, meaning there aren’t many flat areas throughout most of the loop, which is one of a few reasons the Sunday Gulch Trail may not be suitable for all hikers.
However, those who are up for the challenge can enjoy one of the most uniquely beautiful day hikes in Custer State Park—not to mention, the Sunday Gulch Trail feels like two hikes in one, as it follows much of the loop around Sylvan Lake.
Sunday Gulch Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Sunday Gulch Trail in Custer State Park is located just off the Needles Highway, in one of a few different small parking lots surrounding Sylvan Lake.
Now, I want to stress the word small, as the Sylvan Lake area specifically is the busiest area within Custer State Park, meaning that parking can be a challenge to find.
This is why I recommend arriving early in the morning during the busy summer travel season and through the fall, so that you can enjoy Custer State Park and the Sunday Gulch Trail without having to worry about finding a spot.
Google Maps Directions: Sunday Gulch 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 Sunday Gulch Trail
The Sunday Gulch Trail begins at the Sylvan Lake Trailhead, where the first part of the hike follows the loop to the northwest side of Sylvan Lake, where the true Sunday Gulch Trailhead can be found.
With that in mind, there are two ways to begin the Sunday Gulch Trail, but it is often seen as a one-way hike beginning on the north side of the Sylvan Lake Trail, as this allows hikers to descend the steepest parts of the Sunday Gulch Trail first, making the loop easier on the return hike.
Sylvan Lake-Black Elk Peak Junction
Immediately after crossing the bridge to begin the north side of the loop, the Sylvan Lake Trail splits with a short connector that leads over to the Black Elk Peak Trail.
From here, go straight (left) to continue around the north side of Sylvan Lake.
Read My Separate Post: Black Elk Peak Trail
At this split, it doesn’t matter which direction you decide to go, as both routes meet again shortly ahead.
However, those who are interested in seeing the location from National Treasure 2, where Nicolas Cage put his hand in the rock, should go left, as the big rock in the photo below is this exact location.
This is where both sides of the trail on the north side of Sylvan Lake meet again, which also happens to be adjacent to the National Treasure 2 rock!
When the Sylvan Lake Trail reaches this gap on the north side of the loop, the trail follows the ridge down on the left, instead of the gully between the rocks.
East Sunday Gulch-Sylvan Lake Junction
This is where the Sunday Gulch Trail leaves the loop around Sylvan Lake.
That said, go right at this split to begin the true Sunday Gulch Trail.
Read My Separate Post: Sylvan Lake Trail (Coming Soon)
Sunday Gulch
After leaving the Sylvan Lake Loop, the Sunday Gulch Trail officially begins, where it immediately starts its steep descent into Sunday Gulch.
This initial descent will drop about 130 ft. (40 m) in just over 0.1 miles (0.2 km) through the narrowest parts of Sunday Gulch.
These beginning sections through the railings are often seen as the most fun and beautiful parts of the entire Sunday Gulch Trail, but there is one more section similar to this after the trail exits this first narrow canyon.
During the early spring and late fall, micro-spikes may be necessary to hike the Sunday Gulch Trail safely—especially when snow is melting during the day and freezing again overnight.
This is where the final steep descent through the first part of Sunday Gulch begins.
When the Sunday Gulch Trail reaches the flatter, more traditional trail at the bottom of the first canyon, the trail continues downhill for another 0.6 miles (1.0 km) until it reaches another similar narrow gulch near the bottom of the loop.
This is one of the few true switchbacks on both sides of the Sunday Gulch Loop, making it a nice mental checkpoint, regardless of the direction you decide to hike through Sunday Gulch.
I think it’s worth noting that this half of the Sunday Gulch Loop has significantly more shade than the hike back out, which is why I recommend hiking the Sunday Gulch Trail in a hooded sun shirt—especially if you plan to explore more of Custer State Park, like the Cathedral Spires and Little Devils Tower Trail.
This next granite formation is a nice sign that the Sunday Gulch Trail is approaching the second steep canyon through Sunday Gulch.
In my experience, the Sunday Gulch Trail was not the best trail for enjoying the changing fall colors in Custer State Park, but there were still a few pockets of Aspens here and there.
However, both the nearby Little Devils Tower Trail and the Black Elk Peak Trail have significantly more areas to see the beautiful golden Aspens compared to Sunday Gulch!
This is where the Sunday Gulch Trail enters the second and final steep section with railings and stairs before reaching the lowest point on the entire hike.
This is final set of stairs down Sunday Gulch.
Once the Sunday Gulch Trail exits the second narrow canyon, the trail will continue for another 0.3 miles (0.5 km) before reaching the lowest point of the hike.
Seeing this power line for the first time is a nice sign that the trail is getting close to the lowest point of the entire hike, and the point where the Sunday Gulch Trail starts making its way back toward Sylvan Lake.
This is the lowest point on the Sunday Gulch Trail, which is exactly where the trail makes a hard turn back toward Sylvan Lake to begin climbing up the west side of the loop.
Immediately after the loop turns back toward the beginning, the Sunday Gulch Trail starts its climb back up to Sylvan Lake, which continues for the next 1.5 miles (2.4 km), gaining roughly 700 ft. (213 m) over this distance.
If not for the descent, some hikers may want to use trekking poles for the somewhat steep hike back up to Sylvan Lake.
This is where the cliffs around Sylvan Lake become visible for the first time on the climb back up the west side of the Sunday Gulch Loop Trail.
This drop may be steep, but it is not overly difficult to get down.
This is where the Sunday Gulch Trail starts to have a lot less shade, which will always be the case on this section, as crews work to keep the area around the power lines clear.
That said, I once again want to stress the importance of good sun protection when hiking in Custer State Park—especially considering how much easier it is to burn at these higher elevations.
This hard switchback is a nice sign that some of the steepest parts of the hike back to Sylvan Lake are almost over!
While the Sunday Gulch Trail is not done climbing when it reaches this point, the ascent back to Sylvan Lake becomes noticeably less steep!
It’s hard not to love the golden Aspens in the Black Hills!
This is where the Sunday Gulch Trail reaches the westernmost side of the loop.
If there’s one thing I hope this longer post shows, it’s that Sunday Gulch is one of the longer day hikes among the five most popular trails in Custer State Park.
This is why I highly recommend reading my thoughts at the very end if you’re trying to prioritize your time when visiting this area of the Black Hills.
Sunday Gulch-Needles Highway Junction
This is where the Sunday Gulch Trail reaches a hidden trailhead off the Needles Highway, which can be a great place to park if you’re interested in starting from somewhere less busy than Sylvan Lake.
That said, this hidden trailhead can be a great option if you arrive at Custer State Park late in the day, but if you arrive early, I recommend parking at Sylvan Lake, since it is the best trailhead for both Sunday Gulch and Black Elk Peak.
In any case, go left at this split to continue hiking back toward Sylvan Lake.
Google Maps Directions: Sunday Gulch Trailhead (Needles Highway)
This is the highest point on the entire Sunday Gulch Trail, meaning that from this point on, the hike back to Sylvan Lake and the trailhead is mostly downhill or flat.
This is where the Sunday Gulch Trail begins to wind its way through the cliffs on the western side of Sylvan Lake, and it’s a nice sign that there are only 0.3 miles (0.5 km) left before reaching the much more popular Sylvan Lake Trail.
Sunday Gulch-Sylvan Lake Cave Bypass Junction
This is where the Sunday Gulch Trail meets the bypass around a narrow cave along the Sylvan Lake Loop Trail.
From here, hikers can go in either direction to return to the beginning, but I recommend going left because this is the direction toward the Sylvan Lake Loop that passes through the beautiful cave/ slot canyon.
Regarding my thoughts above, I chose to go left toward Sylvan Lake.
This split is simply a connector back out to the same bypass trail previously left behind.
That said, go left at this split to continue toward the slot canyon mentioned previously.
West Sunday Gulch-Sylvan Lake Junction
This is where the Sunday Gulch Trail officially ends, beginning the return hike back around the Sylvan Lake Loop.
From here, go right to begin the south side of the Sylvan Lake Loop, as the trail to the left simply leads back to the same route taken at the beginning of this article.
Read My Separate Post: Sylvan Lake Trail (Coming Soon)
This is the fun cave/ slot canyon that I highly recommend hiking through as opposed to the bypass shown above.
Sylvan Lake-Sylvan Lake Dam Junction
After the slot canyon, the Sylvan Lake Trail reaches a junction that leads over to the Sylvan Lake Dam.
That said, Sylvan Lake is not a natural lake. Instead, it was created when Sunday Creek was dammed in the late 1800s, with the hope of increasing tourism in the Black Hills through recreation, before the creation of Custer State Park in 1919.
In any case, go right at this split to continue hiking around Sylvan Lake, or there is the option to go left to walk across the top of the dam.
Sylvan Lake-Sylvan Lake Cave Bypass Junction
Shortly after the Sylvan Lake Dam junction, the Sylvan Lake Trail passes the second junction for the bypass around the cave.
At this split, simply go straight to continue along the water toward the east side of the lake.
This split is for the alternative trailhead parking lot near the Sylvan Lake General Store, but to continue around Sylvan Lake back to the beginning, go left to stay along the water.
Sylvan Lake Trailhead
This is where the Sylvan Lake Trail completes the loop around the lake, with the same bridge crossed at the beginning on the left and the main parking lot on the right.
Overall, I personally think the Sunday Gulch Trail is a really fun day hike when exploring Custer State Park, but if you are interested in summiting Black Elk Peak on the same day, I honestly recommend starting with that and then seeing if you’re up for the full Sunday Gulch Trail, as combining both is almost 11.0 miles (17.7 km) of hiking, which may be a little for some but a lot for others.
South Dakota
Wyoming
