Horse Thief Lake via Blackberry and Centennial Trail

From the Blackberry Trailhead across SD-244 from the Mount Rushmore parking facility to Horsethief Lake access, this is a 3.8-mile point-to-point hike. It follows Blackberry to Centennial Trail #89, then turns north on the local stretch of Horsethief Trail #14. Allow about 2.5 hours of walking. The route rolls up and down through the forest, with roughly 680 feet of cumulative climbing. Arrange a pickup at the lake before you start, or retrace the same corridor for about 7.6 miles on foot.

The Blackberry Trail is roughly a mile of fine-gravel tread with a maximum grade of 10 percent. It drops into a small valley, then follows a creek to the forest boundary. Several small water crossings and a wooden bridge break up the walk beneath ponderosa pine, quaking aspen and Black Hills spruce. Two picnic tables and horse tie-ups sit along this first section. Hikers share Blackberry with equestrians, so give horses room on the narrow gravel track. Start across South Dakota Highway 244 from the memorial parking facility, and save an offline map before you leave the road.

Centennial #89 makes the middle link between Blackberry and Horsethief #14. Here it is a wooded path with gentle rises and dips, beside a small stream for part of the way, with a short steeper pitch with steps cut into the hillside. This local connector belongs to the 111-mile Centennial Trail, built with several agencies to mark South Dakota's 1889 to 1989 statehood centennial. The route enters Black Elk Wilderness; bicycles and motorized equipment are prohibited in that section. The trail changes names at each junction, so follow the #89 and #14 numbers rather than looking for one continuous lake trail.

At the junction, turn north onto Horsethief #14. The route uses only its northern section, a natural-ground path through forest and granite country. The full #14 trail is 2.7 miles from its other access, but this itinerary takes only the short northern piece. The lake-side part of #14 is described with rocky or wet patches, stream crossings and small falls. It brings you to the south-side access road beside Horsethief Lake; the lake and its wooded, rock-lined shore are the payoff. For a phone photo, keep a strip of water in the foreground and include the pale granite formations across the lake.

The lake-side campground is a separate developed stop beside the water, not a service station along the trail. Dogs may join the hike: keep them on a leash shorter than six feet on the Blackberry segment and leashed or under strict voice control through the Black Elk Wilderness. Dogs are not allowed on the lake's swim beaches. The simplest day is to arrange transportation from the south-side lake access; walking back makes this a substantially longer outing.