Legion Lake Trail

Legion Lake Trail is a roughly one-mile loop through pine and spruce woods behind Legion Lake Campground, separate from the easy shore path around the water. Allow about an hour. The trail gains roughly 340 feet as it climbs a rocky ridge, and it feels like a short uphill hike rather than a flat leg-stretcher. I’d choose it for a bit of work and a quiet forest walk, not for an easy lap beside the lake.

The first stretch starts gently, then steepens quickly. Higher up, granite breaks through the ground and the tread gets faint among the rocks. Follow the blue diamond markers when the path itself fades; they’re the useful guide through the roughest part. Counterclockwise puts the steep climb on the way up.

At the ridge’s high point, a rocky outcrop opens a limited view toward Mount Coolidge to the southwest. A view of Legion Lake is uncertain, so don’t count on a lake panorama. The payoff here is the boulder-strewn forest and that brief mountain glimpse, not a wide-open overlook.

The route descends through the trees on a wider, less rocky path and meets a Centennial Trail connector near the bottom. Keep to the Legion Lake markers to finish the loop instead of continuing onto the longer route. This short circuit shares a small piece of the 111-mile Centennial Trail, which runs from Wind Cave National Park to Bear Butte State Park.

The lake and trail honor American Legion Post 46. In the 1930s, the post leased this land and built the original lodge as a summer camp for veterans; the area joined Custer State Park in 1941. Start behind Legion Lake Campground near site 11E. Use the public lot by the lodge and walk across US-16A; don’t drive into the campground. A state park entrance license is required for vehicles. The campground is seasonal and marked closed October through April, but the park doesn’t clarify whether trail access remains open then, so confirm before an off-season visit. Pets are allowed on leashes no longer than 10 feet. The nearby lodge lists limited-service food and a convenience/gift shop, and the campground has restrooms, showers and drinking water when open; none are along the loop.