Parking
Use the Sylvan Lake Day Use Area parking on the south shore; parking is limited and the trailhead is very popular.
Overview
About Sylvan Lake Shore Trail
Why go
- Shoreline boardwalks frame clear-water reflections and granite walls.
- The short loop combines a smooth lakeside approach with a rugged far side.
Heads up
- Limited parking makes this popular trailhead difficult at busy times.
- The backside has uneven rocks and narrow passages, not an easy stroll throughout.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Custer map
Full mapElevation6,145–6,224 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 Sylvan Lake Shore Trail, 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.
See the Custer audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Sylvan Lake: Rocks and Water0:00 / 0:34
“You're coming up on Sylvan Lake, where tall granite outcrops rise straight beside the water. I'd stop here for the one-mile shore loop; allow about an hour to see the rocks and little coves up close.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Custer Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Sylvan Lake Lodge: A Meal Above the Lake
- Little Devils Tower: The Summit Scramble
- Needle’s Eye: The Rock and the Tunnel
- Why It’s Called Black Elk Peak
- 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 Sylvan Lake Shore Trail
A short circuit around Sylvan LakeThe Sylvan Lake Shore Trail is a one-mile loop around the water, combining lakeside boardwalks…
The Sylvan Lake Shore Trail is a one-mile loop around the water, combining lakeside boardwalks with granite boulders and a rougher rocky passage on the far side. Most visitors come for the close-up lake views and the way the granite walls frame the water. Plan about an hour for the full circuit, with extra time if you stop for photographs or wait for a clear stretch of trail.
Choose the full loop for mixed footingThe park describes the hike as easy to moderate.
The park describes the hike as easy to moderate. The smoother boardwalk sections make the lake edge approachable, but the far side is a different walk: uneven rocks and narrow granite passages require careful footing and a few short climbs. It is not a fully accessible route, even if parts near the day-use area feel level. If you want a gentler outing, stay on the smoother shoreline near the day-use hub and turn back before the rocky far side.
Follow the shore, then mind the junctionsStart from the Sylvan Lake Day Use Area and follow the marked shore loop.
Start from the Sylvan Lake Day Use Area and follow the marked shore loop. Boardwalks carry the main sections beside the water; around the opposite shore, expect a more rugged scramble among large stones and narrow gaps. The loop connects with Sunday Gulch, a separate, longer hike. Watch the trail markings at the connection and stay on the Sylvan Lake Shore Trail for the one-mile circuit rather than continuing onto Sunday Gulch.
Granite, reflections and a little historyLook across the lake from the shore boardwalks for reflections beneath the granite formations.
Look across the lake from the shore boardwalks for reflections beneath the granite formations. The formations also appeared in National Treasure: Book of Secrets as the imagined entrance to a hidden city; the real draw is the setting around the water. The trail passes the site of the original Sylvan Lake Lodge, which burned in the 1930s. These are good reasons to pause, but keep to the marked route while composing a view.
Access, parking and dogsUse the Sylvan Lake Day Use Area on the south shore.
Use the Sylvan Lake Day Use Area on the south shore. Parking is limited and this is a very popular trailhead, so finding a space can take time during busy periods. A lakeside general store offers snacks, gifts and lunch as a separate stop. Custer State Park requires an entrance pass. Dogs may accompany visitors on the trail on a leash no longer than 10 feet; keep them out of designated swimming beaches.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Custer
993 sightingsBisonMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
91 sightingsWapitiMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
260 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
85 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
259 sightingsBurroMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
711 sightingsPronghornMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Custer. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
