Start – 8:53 AM, 28°F, South Boxelder Creek trailhead of Centennial Trail No. 89 one mile W of Nemo, SD
Chilly. Frost on the grass. Lupe didn’t mind the brisk morning air at all. She was eager to begin a big day of adventures exploring another section of Centennial Trail No. 89. Dalton Lake, her objective, was 6.1 miles away. If the Carolina Dog got off to a good start, she ought to have time enough to visit a few minor Black Hills peaks along the way, too.
As soon as SPHP was ready, Lupe set off on a level path heading NW by the main road. The path quickly led to a ford of Boxelder Creek. Since SPHP didn’t feel like fording Boxelder Creek on a cold morning, Lupe skipped the ford, too. Two bridges along the road got Lupe and SPHP over the creek twice in rapid succession.
Beyond the second bridge was an ATV trail on the R. A sign indicated the ATV trail also served as part of Centennial Trail No. 89. Loop followed it into the forest.
Centennial Trail No. 89 headed N gaining elevation at an easy pace. Lupe passed through a fairly dense pine forest featuring occasional stands of white-barked aspens.
Over less than 0.5 mile, Lupe gained 200 feet of elevation before arriving at a minor pass. Looper simply ignored an intersection with a dirt road and went straight on over the pass. The trail lost elevation before turning E toward more open country.
Lupe passed through a big meadow where several dirt roads intersected the trail. Just E of this meadow a small rise led up to another section of forest. The trail leveled off, curved SE, then began dropping again.
Lupe wasn’t far from Nemo. She started seeing buildings through the trees. However, instead of going on into Nemo, Centennial Trail No. 89 turned sharply N. The trail crossed over to the E side of Nemo Road, then went N 200 yards to a junction with Vanocker Canyon Road.
The trail now turned NE following Vanocker Canyon Road. After going over a small tributary of Boxelder Creek, the road curved N. Centennial Trail No. 89 continued to parallel the road for a little way, but then began angling E up a large forested draw. Lupe gained elevation steadily again on her way up to a second, somewhat higher pass.
At the second pass Centennial Trail No. 89 ran alongside USFS Road No. 144, which also headed E just S of the trail.
Once over the pass, the trail lost a bit of elevation before turning N away from USFS Road No. 144. Centennial Trail No. 89 made a long sweeping curve up a large draw, eventually rounding a sharp bend leading up to much flatter ground.
Lupe was now on a long ridge she would be following for the next 1.5 miles. This was the start some of the most remote country she would travel through today. Along the way she could expect a couple of minor peakbagging opportunities and occasional distant views.
Centennial Trail No. 89 headed NW. Loop was still gaining elevation, but very slowly. The forest in this area had been thinned by loggers. It was possible to see quite a bit of local territory between the remaining pines. This first part of the ridge was very broad and flat. The trail stayed far from the unseen edge.
After going 0.33 mile NW, it appeared that Lupe might be nearing the W end of the ridge. Her first peakbagging objective, Peak 5237 couldn’t be far from here, yet there didn’t seem to be any higher ground around. What could be seen of the terrain was almost perfectly level. SPHP called a brief halt to check the topo map.
The map showed that Peak 5237 was likely still a good 0.25 mile away. Before Lupe would get there, the trail ought to swing N a short distance then turn WNW crossing a much narrower and slightly lower section of the ridge. When the ridge started widening out again, Peak 5237 should be close by off to the SW.
It all worked out just as the map foretold. Within minutes of returning to the trail, Lupe did come to a decidedly narrower part of the ridge. She crossed it quickly, and as the ridge began to widen out again, the roar of engines was heard. ATV’s were approaching from the N. A forested slope with considerable deadfall timber and slash rose toward the SW.
Lupe and SPHP left Centennial Trail No. 89, disappearing up the slope before the ATV’s arrived. It wasn’t far to the highest ground, maybe 200 yards. Lupe found the top of Peak 5237 covered with slash. Not pretty, but a minor peakbagging success nonetheless.
Peak 5237’s actual high point might not have been much to look at, but only a few 10’s of feet away to the S and W were small cliffs from which Lupe could get some fairly nice views. The Carolina Dog could see SSW toward Nemo. To the NW she had a good look at Green Top (5,360 ft.).
After a short break by the cliffs, Lupe and SPHP returned to Centennial Trail No. 89. The trail wound down a steepish slope to the N losing 100 feet of elevation before reaching a saddle. This was the lowest point along the ridgeline. Almost immediately, the trail began regaining all the elevation it had just lost.
Before topping out, Lupe came to a rock platform along the W edge of the ridge. This platform was very close to the trail and provided another good look at a broad expanse of territory to the W.
After a quick look, Lupe continued N. She soon reached the next high ground along the ridge. The Carolina Dog was virtually as high as she had been at Peak 5237. This region was quite broad and flat again for 0.25 mile. Near the N end, the ridge narrowed and began to drop slightly. Across a wide valley, Lupe caught glimpses of cliffs near the S end of her next peakbagging objective.
This next objective, which SPHP planned on naming Mile High Plateau, sat more than 0.25 mile off to the W of Centennial Trail No. 89. That was within reason. Mile High Plateau might be a fun place to explore. Lupe wouldn’t be able to head toward it, though, until she got to High Point 5217 where the ridge she was following more or less ended, and split off into branches going E and W.
High Point 5217 wasn’t much farther. The American Dingo was soon there. A power line went over the edge of the ridge here, producing an opening where Loop had a view to the N.
Centennial Trail No. 89 turned E here, but Mile High Plateau was W. Looper left the trail, and picked up a faint road going NW. She gained a little elevation. Pretty soon the road curved W and leveled out near the N end of a spacious, level, open forest interspersed with meadows.
SPHP was about to congratulate Lupe on reaching Mile High Plateau when a check of the topo map showed that the name didn’t fit. The highest contour was actually only 5,260 feet, a smidgen short of being a mile high. Well, phooey! Welcome to “Peak“ 5260 then, Looper!
Even “Peak” 5260 didn’t seem like such an apt name for this pancake flat region, but SPHP wasn’t going to call it Plateau 5260. In any case, it was what it was.
Lupe seemed perfectly happy with Peak 5260. She roamed SSW looking for an obvious high point, a big boulder or anything recognizable as the true summit. Nothing. Eventually the ground began to slope away.
No discernible true summit. Not even any views without dropping down to wherever the cliffs might be along the edge. While Lupe headed back N across the plateau, SPHP hatched another plan. A little farther NW of Peak 5260 was another slightly higher mountain. Since Lupe was in the vicinity, why not climb it, too?
An initial look at Peak 5300 was encouraging. Lupe could climb it easily enough. Shouldn’t take too long.
Loop and SPHP headed down into the saddle leading to Peak 5300. The easiest route up the mountain appeared to be a forested slope right in the middle of the SE face flanked by small cliffs on either side.
Lupe would have headed straight for this slope, but a huge long pile of logs stacked across the saddle forced her clear around the NE end. The Carolina Dog consequently wound up taking on a steeper portion of the slope more toward the NE.
A steep, but relatively short climb brought Lupe up onto flat, forested ground near the true summit of Peak 5300.
The top of Peak 5300 wasn’t nearly as vast as the top of Peak 5260 had been, but this smaller summit was also quite flat. Although Lupe had come up near the highest end of the mountain, once again no one point stood out as the exact location of the true summit.
Peak 5300 was as high as Loopster was going to get today, but she still couldn’t see much due to the forest. The one fairly decent view was of Vanocker Canyon Road off to the NW.
The topo map showed more high ground only slightly lower than the summit near the S end of Peak 5300. Lupe and SPHP headed that way in search of better viewpoints. The Carolina Dog found some, too! She came to a good spot to take another short break along the W edge.
It was the usual fare. Lupe had Taste of the Wild. SPHP consumed an apple. Contemplating the views W of Peak 5300 was relaxing. However, Lupe still had a long way to go to get to Dalton Lake. Better get a move on. Before leaving Peak 5300, Loop went to the far S end. This was a somewhat lower area, but featured the most dramatic viewpoint.
Having explored the top of Peak 5300 from one end to the other, Lupe left the mountain by the easiest route down the middle of the SE slope. She traversed the saddle leading back to the N end of Peak 5260, ultimately returning to Centennial Trail No. 89 near High Point 5217.
The time for peakbagging and any other dillydallying was over. Lupe headed E on Centennial Trail No. 89. To SPHP’s surprise, the trail did not stay on the high ground of the ridge to the E, but dropped into the forest a little down the N side.
The trail quickly led to a cool gap between limestone formations. Lupe emerged from the gap seemingly back on top of a ridge. However, the trail almost immediately made a very sharp turn to the NW and started a long descent. This jog NW proved to be a single long switchback. At the lower end, Centennial Trail No. 89 veered sharply E again.
Centennial Trail No. 89 maintained a course heading ENE for more than a mile. Still well up on a vast forested slope, Lupe lost net elevation only gradually. She could occasionally see the top of the ridge to the S as little as 100 feet higher than the trail. Little Elk Canyon was off to the N, but the forest seldom permitted more than a glimpse.
Mid-afternoon was approaching, the busiest part of the day. Several groups of ATV’s went by. Eventually the trail split. ATV’s were routed onto a lower track. Lupe and SPHP continued ENE on the upper track.
The trail went on and on without losing much elevation. Dalton Lake was down in Little Elk Canyon, and couldn’t be much farther E. Finally, just beyond a No Motorized Vehicles sign, Centennial Trail No. 89 left the roadbed it had been following and veered L (NE) down into the forest.
For the first time today, Centennial Trail No. 89 was a single track trail instead of an ATV trail. The descent into Little Elk Canyon now began in earnest. The trail wasn’t really steep, but Lupe was losing elevation a lot faster than before. She descended a series of tight switchbacks. Lower down the switchbacks were longer and more gradual.
The American Dingo passed through a gate as Centennial Trail No. 89 emerged from the forest. This was it, Little Elk Canyon! To Lupe’s R (E) was an outhouse. Ahead was USFS Road No. 224. On the other (N) side of the road was the Dalton Lake trailhead.
Of course, having come all this way, Lupe wanted to see more than just the trailhead. She wanted to see Dalton Lake itself, which was 500 feet farther W. Loop and SPHP trudged up USFS Road No. 224 to the Dalton Lake campground.
A walking path led to an arched bridge over the Dalton Lake spillway. Emerald green Dalton Lake sparkled in the afternoon sunlight.
Dalton Lake is small, a glorified pond really. Several docks exist along the shore. Lupe and SPHP headed for the dock on the N side of the lake intending to take another short break.
Lupe didn’t take much of a break at the dock. A chipmunk among the cattails along the N shore caught her attention. She spent the rest of her break time puzzling over how to get at that tricky, tiny squirrel. Meanwhile, SPHP enjoyed the lake.
The sun was sinking. SPHP encouraged the American Dingo to abandon her unsuccessful chipmunk quest. Before leaving the area, Loop and SPHP took a stroll through the empty campground on the S shore.
Late afternoon. 6.1 miles back to the South Boxelder Creek trailhead. Lupe and SPHP headed back to Centennial Trail No. 89.
With the exception of the peakbagging side trips, Lupe had to retrace her entire route. The Carolina Dog made great progress. The sun was still up when she went through the limestone gap shortly before reaching High Point 5217.
The sun had just set as Loop reached Peak 5237 again. Thinking there might be a great sunset, SPHP led Looper back to the summit, then on to the nearby W-facing cliffs. However, the sun had disappeared behind a bank of clouds. The whole sky was gray.
Rather than wait to see what would happen, Lupe and SPHP returned to Centennial Trail No. 89. May as well use the fast diminishing twilight to get as far as possible before having to bring out the flashlight.
10 or 15 minutes later, the forest back to the W was on fire. An orange glow highlighted the dark pines. The sunset had developed after all. Should have waited. Oh, well.
Darkness descended upon the Black Hills. By the time Lupe crossed Nemo Road to begin the final leg of the journey back to the South Boxelder Creek trailhead, a black, moonless, and nearly starless night had taken over. An hour to go? Something like that. Tramp, tramp. Sniff, sniff. Puppy ho! Onward! (End – 7:36 PM, 35°F)
Links:
Next Black Hills Expedition Prior Black Hills Expedition
Next Trail Section N
Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 273 – Centennial Trail No. 89: Dalton Lake to Elk Creek (4-5-21)
Next Trail Section S
Centennial Trail No. 89 map & brochure
Want more Lupe adventures? Check out Lupe’s Black Hills, SD & WY Expeditions Adventure Index, Master Adventure Index, or subscribe free to new Lupe adventures!