Parking
Park at Grizzly Bear Creek Trailhead on Forest Road 345, just east of Iron Creek Horse Camp; reach it from SD 87 / Needles Highway. The access is on Forest Service land just beyond the Custer State Park boundary.
Overview
About Grizzly Bear Creek Trail #7
Why go
- Creekside forest, beaver ponds, and granite scenery make the long corridor varied.
- A quieter wilderness alternative to the busier Black Elk Peak routes.
Heads up
- The full return is a long 12.6 miles, with a steep upper climb.
- Wet creek crossings and no potable water at the trailhead.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Custer map
Full mapElevation4,993–6,677 ft
TrailheadGrizzly Bear Creek Trailhead, Camp Remington Road (east of Iron Creek Horse Camp)43.83366, -103.45617
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Custer Tour Guide
Your drive to Grizzly Bear Creek Trail #7, narrated.
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 area
Iron Creek: The Centennial Trail Traverse0:00 / 0:29
“You're coming up on Iron Creek Trailhead, the northern access to the park's Centennial Trail.”
Plays on the road 1.2 mi from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Custer Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Hole-In-Wall: A Bridge and a Rock Opening
- When Mud Became Schist
- Black Hills Playhouse: A Summer Show
- The Tunnels Beneath Pine Bark
- 82 audio storiesacross Custer’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Bison, Wapiti, Bighorn Sheep, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 40 trails, 49 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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
Hiking Grizzly Bear Creek Trail #7
The full walkGrizzly Bear Creek Trail 7 is a remote out-and-back through the Black Elk Wilderness, following…
Grizzly Bear Creek Trail #7 is a remote out-and-back through the Black Elk Wilderness, following a creek corridor from Camp Remington Road into forest and granite country. The trail-system map lists 6.3 miles one way, so retracing it makes about 12.6 miles total. Allow roughly 7 to 8 hours. The lower stretch rolls more gently; the upper miles climb sharply, with about 1,500 feet of gain.
Creek countryThe creek stays near the route for much of the walk.
The creek stays near the route for much of the walk. Old-growth forest and beaver ponds fill out the lower section, and wet ground and water crossings are part of the experience. Creek levels and stepping spots change, so don't assume a crossing will be dry or easy. Higher up, the trail reaches granite formations with views of Black Elk Peak.
Junctions and onward routesThe named 7 corridor reaches an upper junction in the wider trail network.
The named #7 corridor reaches an upper junction in the wider trail network. A map shows a connection with Norbeck #3, while a local route description names a nearby continuation toward Trail #4. This entry maps Trail #7 out and back; check a current wilderness map before making a longer link, and don't treat the #7 line as a loop.
Access and rulesStart at Grizzly Bear Creek Trailhead on Forest Road 345, just east of Iron Creek Horse Camp.
Start at Grizzly Bear Creek Trailhead on Forest Road 345, just east of Iron Creek Horse Camp. The route is on Forest Service land beyond Custer State Park's boundary, but it links into the Iron Creek/Norbeck network. Dogs are allowed if leashed or under strict voice control. A local route description mentions entry registration; current Forest Service instructions we checked didn't confirm a registration rule, so check posted notices at the wilderness entrance.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Custer
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.
