One last adventure in the Black Hills and South Dakota before beginning the drive home awaited Taylor, Janice, and I: a short morning hike in Wind Cave National Park as we headed south from Custer.
Established in 1903, Wind Cave National Park is the first cave to be designated a national park in the world, and was the sixth U.S. national park established. Sadly, due to elevator repairs that closed public access to the cave in 2024, we would not be able to take a tour and visit the U.S.’s third longest cave. Not all was lost, as this national park is more than just a cave with plenty of beautiful prairie grassland to explore above ground.
National park highpointing is something I love, along with visiting fire lookout towers. Lucky for me, Rankin Ridge would check both of these boxes! This short, one-mile hike packs a lot of punch despite its short distance. With a long drive home, this would be the perfect way to cap off our weekend in the Black Hills.
Our hike started out in the shade of the trees on a gentle uphill grade. Wildflowers were blooming, and I was left trying to avoid shrubs with tent caterpillars in them (I HATE tent caterpillars). We chose to hike the loop clockwise, which saved the best views in my opinion for the last half of the hike. Another plus is that during the morning hours we did the uphill portion in the shade.
Out of the trees, we traversed a short ridge to the high point at 5,021 feet. The historic fire lookout tower was built in the 1950s, and now only rarely used during extreme fire conditions.
Our short and sweet hike was done in 45 minutes at our casual pace. We were the only ones out on this quiet Monday morning in May.
Before heading on to Cheyenne, we stopped by the visitor center, completing junior ranger books, stamping passports, and watching me slide through another caving tour sizing box.
The exhibits in the visitor center were closed, so we headed out to see the natural entrance, and read about the Lakota Emergence Story. We all decided that once cave tours resumed (which they have as of January 2025!) we would make the trek north to take a tour underground and spend some more time in this national park!
Details:
All Trails Link
Date Hiked: May 20, 2024
Trailhead: Rankin Ridge
Total Mileage: 1.11 miles (Garmin Forerunner 255s)
Total Elevation Gain: 295 feet
Total Time Spent: 45 minutes
Weather: Clear, sunny skies
Trail Conditions: Dry
Special Considerations: This hike is in Wind Cave National Park, which is free to enter. You may encounter bison on the drive to the trailhead (and maybe on the trail), so keep your distance. Rankin Ridge is the highest point in the park, and is prone to afternoon thunderstorms, so use caution if storms are in the area – you don’t want to mess with lightning! No pets are allowed on the trail.
The first day of our Black Hills adventure weekend can be read about here – our visit to Jewel Cave National Monument! Our second day was spent climbing Black Peak Elk, South Dakota’s high point, which can be read about here.
The Adventuring Heidi 
I’ve never been there but it seems like an interesting place. Today I learned about tent caterpillars. I looked them up and now I think I know why you don’t like them.
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National park highpointing? I’m so intrigued 👀
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Haha, yes! It’s a fun little thing to do, though I draw the line at bushwacking or super craziness. Peakbagger has some nice lists with the national parks and national monuments.
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