Custer State Park, SD
A backcountry trail from Barnes Canyon down to French Creek.
Overview
Map & elevation
Plan your hike
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Custer Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Custer State Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Barnes Canyon: A One-Way Backcountry Walk“You're coming up on the Barnes Canyon trailhead, where an old two-track follows seasonal Dry Creek through woods and open country.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Custer Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“We recently toured Badlands, Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore and more! We learned so much from this app as we toured each of these sites. The audio tours are worth the money.”
Trail guide
Calkins Draw is a 4.4-mile out-and-back along the named corridor between the Barnes Canyon side and French Creek, about 2.2 miles each way. Allow 2.5 to 3 hours, plus a little time for the approach from the marked trailhead: the mapped line begins nearby, not at the parking pin. This is a natural-ground backcountry walk through a draw, not a summit route.
Follow the Calkins Draw branch down to its French Creek end. Park directions describe a sign at the creek, where the path climbs out of the canyon and meets an old logging road. From Barnes Canyon, that climb is the return: turn around at the creek and retrace the same corridor.
The park maps this as a shared hiking-and-horse trail. The surface is mostly soft natural ground, and the return climb is the main effort, at roughly 650 feet. Pets are allowed, but must stay on a leash no longer than 10 feet.
Wildlife
993 sightingsBisonMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
91 sightingsWapitiMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
258 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
85 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
256 sightingsBurroMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
707 sightingsPronghornMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Custer. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateBarnes Canyon Trail4.9 mi · 4.5 hr · At the trailheadA 4.9-mile one-way walk through Dry Creek backcountry.
ModerateGalena Trail6.4 mi · 2.5 hr · 0.5 mi awayA 6.4-mile out-and-back on a marked, shared-use Custer trail.
EasyBadger Clark Trail0.6 mi · 45 min · 1.3 mi awayRock-lined tread, poetry signs, and a loop beside Badger Hole.
ModerateFrench Creek via Centennial Trail8 mi · 4.5 hr · 1.3 mi awayA steep Centennial descent to rocky, crossing-filled French Creek.
ModerateSaw Mill Trail2.2 mi · 1.3 hr · 1.5 mi awayA forested ridge traverse links two mapped Saw Mill sections.
EasyLegion Lakeshore Trail0.7 mi · 30 min · 1.8 mi awayAn easy lakeside loop beneath granite cliffs and pines.
EasyHeddy Lookout Trail0.8 mi · 30 min · 1.9 mi awayA short wooded walk to a covered overlook above Heddy Draw
ModerateHeddy Draw Horse Trail7.1 mi · 4 hr · 1.9 mi awaySteep Black Hills horse trail with a long descent into Heddy Draw.Sight · 1.3 mi awayBadger Hole Historic SiteA poet’s furnished cabin with a short, story-filled woodland loop.
Sight · 1.6 mi awayLegion LakeBeach, paddling and an easy shoreline loop in one stop.
Lodging · 1.7 mi awayLegion Lake LodgeCabins, lakeside dining and boat rentals share one stop.
Scenic pullout · 1.8 mi awayHeddy Draw OverlookA short walk to a covered shelter and broad Black Hills views.
Entrance station · 1.8 mi awayWilson’s Corner Entrance StationA quick checkpoint before the Needles Highway’s granite spires and tunnels.
Campground · 1.9 mi awayLegion Lake CampgroundCamp in the trees, with the lake and lodge across US 16A.
Sight · 2.2 mi awayMount Coolidge Fire TowerClear-day views reach Rushmore, Crazy Horse and the Needles.
Campground · 2.4 mi awayFrench Creek Horse CampA creek-side base camp with two corrals at every site.Parkwolf’s Custer ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
