Parking
Start at Grizzly Bear Creek Trailhead off Camp Remington Road, just east of Iron Creek Horse Camp. After Norbeck #3, the mapped circuit follows the road from the separate Iron Creek access back to this starting point.
Overview
About Grizzly Bear Creek Trail #7 and Norbeck Trail #3 Loop
Why go
- Old-growth forest, beaver ponds, granite formations and Black Elk Peak views on one circuit.
Heads up
- A steep climb and long day with easy-to-miss wilderness junctions.
- About 1.6 miles of mapped road connect the two trailheads.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Custer map
Full mapElevation4,993–6,617 ft
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 and Norbeck Trail #3 Loop, 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 and Norbeck Trail #3 Loop
The full circuitThis 12.9-mile loop links Grizzly Bear Creek Trail 7 with Norbeck Trail 3, then uses about 1.
This 12.9-mile loop links Grizzly Bear Creek Trail #7 with Norbeck Trail #3, then uses about 1.6 miles of mapped public road between their trailheads to return to the start. Begin at Grizzly Bear Creek Trailhead and climb on #7 to the shared junction; follow #3 toward Iron Creek Horse Camp, then connect back along Camp Remington Road. It is a rugged full-day hike: allow roughly 8–9 hours as a planning estimate, and carry a map or GPS because wilderness junctions can be easy to miss.
Climbing Grizzly Bear Creek #7The lower part of 7 passes through old-growth forest and beaver-pond country before the climb…
The lower part of #7 passes through old-growth forest and beaver-pond country before the climb steepens toward granite formations and views of Black Elk Peak. The Forest Service describes roughly 1,500 feet of climbing on this trail. Expect a sustained uphill effort rather than a gentle creekside stroll.
Finding the Norbeck returnThe return follows Norbeck Trail 3 from the shared junction toward the Iron Creek access.
The return follows Norbeck Trail #3 from the shared junction toward the Iron Creek access. Trail #3, #7 and #9 intersections are reported as easy to miss, especially on the return, so check your position at junctions and stay with the #3 route. This itinerary does not include a Black Elk Peak summit detour.
Wilderness logisticsVisitors must register at a major wilderness portal and carry the registration form.
Visitors must register at a major wilderness portal and carry the registration form. There is no potable water at the Grizzly trailhead, so bring what you need for the long outing. Pets are allowed in the wilderness if leashed or under strict voice control; horses also use these trails.
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.
