Start – 8:33 AM, 39°F at the Gold Run trailhead, Deerfield Reservoir
Nearly mid-November, but such a beautiful morning that an expedition way out in the W central Black Hills seemed like a great idea. Loopster might not have many more chances to get out in the high country before winter set in. She arrived at the Gold Run trailhead by Deerfield Reservoir to find a skiff of snow already on the ground.
Lupe’s primary objective was an easy one. She was here for a romp around Deerfield Reservoir exploring Lake Loop Trail No. 40L. The 11.65 mile long trail would be perfect for a leisurely all day expedition this time of year. The American Dingo would encounter a fair amount of elevation gain and loss along the way, but in easily managed chunks without any truly steep parts.
The Gold Run trailhead is located at the S end of an arm of Deerfield Reservoir. The plan was to follow Lake Loop Trail No. 40L clockwise around the lake. Lupe set off heading N along the W side of the bay. A thin shelf of ice covered by snow extended out from the near shore.
Lake Loop Trail No. 40L followed the S arm of Deerfield Reservoir N, but not all the way to the main body of the lake. Before getting that far, the trail turned W climbing a modest slope. At the top, Lupe found a road leading to a nearby picnic ground.
The trail followed the road a very short distance SW to a junction. Here Lupe turned R (NW) onto a road going downhill. 100 feet brought her to a marker where the trail left the road again. Lake Loop Trail No. 40L went W before heading S up a draw taking Lupe away from the lake.
After gaining some elevation, Lake Loop Trail No. 40L left the draw, crossed Whitetail Loop Road, and began gradually working its way W. The trail wound through ravines and along hillsides. Lupe was well S of the lake, glimpses of which were only occasionally in sight.
This part of the forest was full of deadfall timber. Fortunately, the trail was mostly free of it. Even so, Looper came to places where the trail would have been easy to lose. The trail was not marked at a couple of critical points. Paying a little extra attention went a long way toward staying on the right path.
Lupe got as much as 150 to 200 feet above lake level before Lake Loop Trail No. 40L started a steady descent. The trail eventually brought her down to Whitetail Loop Road again along the S shore near the W end of the lake.
The trail followed Whitetail Loop Road only a short distance W before cutting NW across a small field. A sign commemorating Deerfield Dam & Reservoir stood 50 feet SW of the trail.
After visiting the sign, Lupe returned to the trail. It took her around the W end of Deerfield Reservoir staying right beside paved Deerfield Road much of the way.
Beyond the W end of the lake, a footbridge over Castle Creek came into view. Castle Creek is Deerfield Reservoir’s main water source.
Lupe crossed the footbridge. Lake Loop Trail No. 40L followed Castle Creek SE. Nearing the W end of Deerfield Reservoir again, Loop came upon a forested high point.
Nearby rocks offered a unique vantage point. The American Dingo left the trail for a look around.
Lupe’s travels along the most accessible portions of Deerfield Reservoir were now over. From here on she would be in more remote territory. Beyond the rocky viewpoint Lake Loop Trail No. 40L headed NE into the forest. Lupe followed abandoned roads with a bit of snow on them. For quite a while Deerfield Reservoir was no longer in view.
After more than a mile, Lupe reached a junction with a spur trail from the unseen North Shore trailhead.
Shortly after passing this junction, Loopster reached a flat grassy area overlooking Deerfield Reservoir. A substantial portion of the main body of the lake was in view from here. Hat Mountain (6,779 ft.) could be seen off to the S beyond the lake.
Lake Loop Trail No. 40L now turned ENE paralleling the N shore of the lake. Lupe crossed hilly open terrain providing continuous lake views. Approaching High Point 6087 from the W, the trail re-entered the forest. Lupe gained elevation going around the S side of High Point 6087. (Scroll N from Hat Mountain on the topo map.)
Most of the way around High Point 6087 trees effectively blocked the views. Lupe and SPHP took a short break near a lone spot where it was possible to get a decent look around. Green Mountain (7,164 ft.) and even the top of more distant Copper Mountain (6,920 ft.) could be seen.
Continuing on after the break, Lake Loop Trail No. 40L wrapped around the E side of High Point 6087, too. The forest permitted occasional glimpses of peaks in various directions. Lupe saw Hat Mountain again, and got a pretty good look at Nipple Butte (6,800 ft.).
At one point, shortly before reaching a shattered forest, SPHP thought Castle Peak (6,358 ft.) could be seen off to the NE. Thinking Lupe would get an even better look at it, SPHP failed to take a photo. Unfortunately, Castle Peak never came into view again.
Lake Loop Trail No. 40L continued winding around NE of High Point 6087. Lupe came to a view of another part of Deerfield Reservoir more to the E which hadn’t been in sight before. The Carolina Dog could see the start of the first of two NW arms of the lake. She would have to go around both arms.
The trail turned NW then began to lose elevation. The first NW arm of the lake wasn’t in view again until Lupe was nearly down to lake level. Looper crossed a wooden bridge over a tiny stream in a scenic draw. Around the next bend to the E was the W tip of the first NW arm.
This first NW arm of the lake also had a slightly larger N tip. Lupe was soon heading N again on the way around the N tip.
The trail continued N past the end of the N tip reaching a fence line at the S end of Reynold’s Prairie, an extensive area of grasslands. Lupe had a great view of South Castle Rock (6,840 ft.), Castle Rock (6,783 ft.), Nipple Butte (6,800 ft.), and Flag Mountain (6,937 ft.) from here.
The trail turned E. Deerfield Reservoir was left behind. Lupe crossed a road leading to the Custer Trails campground. Eventually Deerfield Reservoir came back into view.
Soon the trail curved back around to the N again. Although it wasn’t in view yet, Lupe was getting close to the second and last NW arm of the lake. Lake Loop Trail No. 40L led across grasslands on the way N.
The second NW arm of the lake was longer than the first one, perhaps 0.25 mile in total length. Coming over the top of a grassy hill, Lupe saw the end of it ahead. She followed Lake Loop Trail No. 40 along treeless hillsides clear around the N end, crossing a tiny stream in the process.
Once across, the trail followed the tiny stream SE back to the second NW arm. Lupe was only slightly above the level of the lake.
After passing some pine trees on the way over a small rise, Looper came to a large grassy draw that led off to the E. She went through a gate in a barbed wire fence and found she had a couple of choices. She could go E on a trail heading up the draw, or follow a different trail back to the edge of the lake, hoping it would continue SE along the shore.
A sign did not clearly indicate which way the official trail went. Lupe and SPHP made a foray down to the lake. Nope. The trial faded away. The shoreline farther SE looked too heavily forested and steep to follow. Lupe headed E back up the draw, and soon came to markers for Lake Loop Trail No. 40L again.
Beyond the E draw, the trail headed SE or E across more open territory. Looking back to the NW, Lupe had her final views of South Castle Rock, Nipple Butte and Flag Mountain.
Lupe had now traveled the entire length of Deerfield Reservoir N of the lake. Lake Loop Trail No. 40L turned decisively SE. Lupe entered the forest again and started losing elevation. Before she had lost much, an opening on a hillside provided a first view of Deerfield Dam.
Continuing a bit farther down the trail, Lupe discovered an even better viewpoint where she could see both the dam and Castle Creek. A nice spot for a rest break while enjoying the scene! Castle Creek roared as it shot out of two large culverts at the base of the dam.
When break time was over, Lupe returned to the trail, which now headed S down into the Castle Creek valley. Upon reaching the valley floor, Lake Loop Trail No. 40L continued S on a road over Castle Creek, but Lupe didn’t cross the creek yet.
Lake Loop Trail No. 40L didn’t go to Castle Creek’s outlet below Deerfield Dam, but a dirt road did. Lupe had even seen a side road that went right up onto the dam itself. Seemed like the American Dingo ought to explore these highlights while she was in the area.
Loopster began her off trail investigations trotting NNW up the dirt road to Castle Creek’s outlet at the base of the dam.
After visiting Castle Creek’s exit from the base of Deerfield Dam, Lupe next went up the side road to the top of the dam itself. Deerfield Dam is oriented roughly NW/SE. Loopster reached the top of the dam near the NW end.
The lake was beautiful from the NW end of the dam, but SPHP figured Loop might as well go see it from the SE end, too. She was glad she did. If anything, the views were even prettier from here!
The side trip to the Deerfield Dam hadn’t taken all that much time, but it was definitely getting later in the day. Lupe and SPHP left the dam and returned to Lake Loop Trail No. 40 down by Castle Creek.
Lupe now took the road S over Castle Creek. This Castle Creek crossing was the lowest elevation point of the entire trek around Deerfield Reservoir. Lake Loop Trail No. 40L now began a long, steady, gentle ascent of a narrow, winding valley. This was the valley of Dutchman Creek. The creek was small, especially at first, but did have some flow.
0.25 mile up Dutchman Creek valley, Lupe came to a trail junction. She had been here once before a very long time ago on a day when she had been badly injured by barbed wire. Poor Looper had had to run many miles back to the G6 from here with a big bloody gash in one of her legs.
This junction was with Deerfield Trail No. 40, which goes 23 miles E to another junction with the 111 mile long Centennial Trail No. 89 before ending at the Deer Creek trailhead. SPHP had forgotten exactly where Deerfield Trail No. 40 meets Deerfield Lake Loop Trail No. 40L, but this was it. Lupe had found the junction again.
Without ever leaving the Lake Loop/Deerfield/Centennial trail system it’s possible to go all the way to Wind Cave National Park in the S or Bear Butte State Park in the N. Be that as it may, Loop just needed to head back to the G6 now. Another sign at the junction said she was a mere 2.5 miles from the Gold Run trailhead.
Lupe and SPHP continued S on Lake Loop Trail No. 40L. Dutchman Creek exhibited greater flow, not less, as Lupe progressed up the valley.
Lake Loop Trail No. 40 eventually veered W. Dutchman Creek vanished. The trail continued on following dirt roads most of the time.
Other unmarked roads began to intersect the road the trail followed. Which way? Trail markers weren’t reliably present at important points. The trail had been following a road S again for quite a way when Lupe came to a place where the road divided. S or W? A broken marker lay on the ground, but which direction it was supposed to point was no longer clear.
200 yards on the road going S revealed no more markers. Worse, the road seemed to be turning SE, definitely the wrong direction. Loopster returned to the junction with the broken marker. Taking the road W, another road quickly came into view at the far end of a field. Better yet, a single track trail angled S off the road Lupe was on into the trees. A pink ribbon tied around a tree highlighted a small marker nailed to the trunk.
No question now. Lupe headed S on the single track.
For farther than SPHP expected, the single track went S paralleling the road Lupe had seen at the far end of the field. This was Deerfield Cove Road, which goes N to Dutchman Campground then on to a boat ramp on the S shore of Deerfield Reservoir. Lake Loop Road No. 40L finally turned W and crossed this road.
The sun was low. Only a mile back to the Gold Run trailhead! Slanting sunbeams highlighted the forest as Lupe crossed the highest ground reached anywhere along Lake Loop Trail No. 40L. Looper was now in the vicinity of High Point 6248 and couldn’t have passed far from it.
The long gradual uphill stretch that had started way back at Castle Creek was over. The terrain near High Point 6248 was fairly flat for quite a distance. Finally the trail started down. Lupe was on the descent to the E side of the S arm of Deerfield Reservoir. When she got there, the Gold Run trailhead was in sight.
A shortcut across a field at the S end of the lake directly to the Gold Run trailhead would have saved a bunch of distance. However, the field was fenced off, and Lupe would have had to cross Gold Run Creek. So she stuck with Lake Loop Trail No. 40L, which went the long way around all the way S to Deerfield Road before turning back N to the trailhead.
The sun was still up, but not for much longer, when Lupe reached the Gold Run trailhead again. (End – 4:12 PM, 41°F) The American Dingo had successfully explored all of Lake Loop Trail No. 40L. She’d gone clear around Deerfield Reservoir. Even so, Loop wasn’t quite done yet.
Barely enough daylight left for a quick peakbagging effort! The sun was so low, SPHP drove Lupe W to USFS Road No. 691 (Williams Draw Road), then S to a side road only 0.5 mile N of Hat Mountain.
Lupe had seen Hat Mountain (6,779 ft.) from so many places on Lake Loop Trail No. 40L, that climbing it seemed like a great way to end the day. Up and back wouldn’t take long. No sense in lugging the backpack along was there? SPHP left it in the G6. (Start – 4:19 PM, 41°F)
Lupe followed USFS Road No. 691 a little farther S before plunging into the forest. Halfway up the NE slope, SPHP realized leaving the backpack behind meant no flashlight. Doh! Too late to go back for one now. Just another reason to hurry. No flashlight meant Loop wasn’t going to get to tarry more than a few minutes up on Hat Mountain.
The sun was already down by the time Lupe reached the summit, but the sunset was still developing. The Carolina Dog could linger enjoying the colorful display a bit longer than expected.
The glory of sunset faded as quickly as it arrived. The rush back down to USFS Road No. 691 began. Sensing the urgency SPHP felt, Lupe charged ahead.
Made it with photons to spare! A short easy road hike back to the G6, and Expedition No. 240 was done. Another adventure come and gone. No complaints. None at all. Lake Loop Trail No. 40L had been a perfect day. (End – 5:16 PM, 39°F)
Links:
Next Black Hills Expedition Prior Black Hills Expedition
Deerfield Lake Loop Trail No. 40L – Map & Brochure
Gold Run trailhead directions: From Hill City take Deerfield Road (Highway 17) 14.6 miles NW to a signed R turn onto a dirt road. The trailhead is visible from this turn 0.2 mile to the N.
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