On the S side of Hwy 87/89 a little less than 0.5 mile from where the road reaches Sylvan Lake Lodge (if heading into Custer State Park toward Sylvan Lake), there is a little dirt parking area where a small power line crosses the road. SPHP parked the G6 here at 4:58 PM (51°F). It was already quite late in the day to start one of Lupe’s Black Hills, SD Expeditions, but her only peakbagging objective was just 0.5 mile to the W.
Lupe and SPHP took off heading W downhill through the forest, quickly arriving at a larger parking area only a few hundred feet away. Lupe’s ascent of Sylvan Hill (7,000 ft.) (shown as Sylvan Peak on SPHP’s old USFS map) would start from here. Very conveniently, a grassy road climbed off to the WNW from the lower parking area. Lupe and SPHP followed it, going around a locked gate near the bottom.
The grassy road switchbacked part way up the mountain to arrive at a low sod-covered structure mostly buried into the hillside. It would have been easy to simply step onto the sod roof from the uphill bank, but Lupe and SPHP did not get on it.
The grassy road had ultimately gone more S than W to get to this point, so although Lupe had gained some elevation, she really wasn’t much closer to Sylvan Hill, yet. However, there were already some pretty decent views off to the SE from the sod-covered structure. Lupe and SPHP took a few minutes to appreciate the scene. Then it was time for Lupe to begin the real work of finding and climbing Sylvan Hill.
Lupe and SPHP started climbing WNW up a steep forested slope. Lupe had no problems maneuvering, but as the terrain became progressively steeper, SPHP had to take some care (and a few breathers) along the way. A big rock formation came into view up above. Near its base, Lupe discovered a section of old roadbed laboriously made of rocks. From the roadbed, SPHP discovered there was no practical way over or around the rock formation.
Back down Lupe and SPHP went. Lupe really didn’t have to lose all that much elevation, but it took SPHP a while, simply because the terrain was so steep. As soon as it was possible to go SW around the rocks, Lupe and SPHP did so. Lupe resumed her climb heading WNW again. The climb became less steep, and Lupe arrived at a saddle W of the big rock formation.
SPHP had originally thought the first big rock formation might actually be the summit of Sylvan Peak, but by now it was very clear that it was not. Lupe and SPHP climbed W from the saddle toward another higher saddle. This wasn’t nearly as steep a climb as the first one was, but it did get steeper near the top. Lupe arrived up on the higher saddle between two smaller, but still substantial, rock formations. They were separated by only a few hundred feet.
At the second saddle, Lupe was already higher than any of the rocks of the first big rock formation, which could be seen below to the E. SPHP still wasn’t certain where the summit of Sylvan Hill was. Since the rock formation at the S end of the second saddle looked like it was probably highest, Lupe went there first.
Lupe and SPHP climbed up a cleft in the rocks, arriving up on a shelf of granite very near the top of the S rock formation. (This was likely high point 6849 on the Peakbagger.com topo map.) From the granite shelf, Lupe could see the summit of Sylvan Hill, still 0.25 mile off to the NW. Lupe could also see Harney Peak (7,242 ft.) to the NE.
Lupe and SPHP scrambled back down off the granite shelf. Now that SPHP was certain of the direction to the summit of Sylvan Hill, there was no need for Lupe to climb the rock formation at the N end of the second saddle. Lupe and SPHP skirted it to the SW. From here on, the terrain was hilly, but not difficult. The main obstacle was the huge amount of deadfall timber. Pine bark beetles had killed much of the pine forest, which was in terrible condition.
Picking a way through the deadfall was very time consuming, but Lupe and SPHP made slow, steady progress toward Sylvan Hill. Lupe came to one more high point on the way, climbing most of the way up it before skirting around the SW side of the highest part. Lupe and SPHP tried to maintain elevation as much as possible, but Lupe had to lose a little before completing her ascent of Sylvan Hill (7,000 ft.).
Fortunately, there was an easy way up the last little stretch to the top from the W. When Lupe arrived at the summit, SPHP was very impressed! Sylvan Hill offered 360° views, which had to be among the best anywhere in the Black Hills. A great deal of the central and southern Black Hills was on display, but the most spectacular view was undoubtedly the rugged terrain leading up to Harney Peak to the NE.
The summit area on Sylvan Hill wasn’t very large, but there was room to sit down comfortably enough on small grassy areas. Since the evening was so gorgeous, and the scene so magnificent in every direction, Lupe and SPHP took a very long break. Lupe loved the views! She spent a lot of time surveying the Black Hills from her lofty vantage point.
As it always does, the faintly sad moment when it is time to leave the mountain arrived. Although Lupe’s return trip to the G6 followed basically the same route she had taken getting to Sylvan Hill, it went faster. SPHP did a better job of avoiding some of the worst of the deadfall timber, and Lupe did not bother returning to the granite shelf at the S end of the second (higher) saddle.
SPHP did make one mistake that took a little extra time. SPHP failed to lead Lupe down close enough to the first big rock formation. Lupe and SPHP wound up going down a large drainage that headed S. SPHP soon realized Lupe was still too far W. The drainage was not going to take Lupe back to the sod-covered structure. Lupe had to climb back up to the NE, before she was able to go over a ridge and head more to the ESE.
The bushwhacking was done when Lupe reached the low sod-covered structure again. From there, it was an easy trek down the switchbacks of the grassy road. At 7:56 PM (46°F), Lupe was back at the G6. Despite all of SPHP’s navigation errors, the blasted deadfall timber, and the long, lingering stay on top of the mountain, the trek to Sylvan Hill had taken only 3 hours.
Lupe really wasn’t tired. For many miles on the way home, she stared eagerly out the windows of the G6, hoping to see deer to bark at. She wasn’t disappointed, either! Life in the Black Hills is just great, if you’re a Carolina Dog! SPHP thinks it’s pretty great, too.
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Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 206 – Sylvan Hill & Peak 6733 (5-27-17)
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