Boulder Hill
The Black Hills are full of short hikes -- not even "day hikes," but "afternoon hikes" -- if you know where to find them. I've gotten to do a few of these ... although not nearly as many as I'd like.
As it happens, yesterday was gorgeous and the M-Man decided our visitors needed to see Boulder Hill, one of the close quick hikes. I hadn't been up there before, either, so I got to tag along.
Did I mention it was a gorgeous day? Because it was.
There are a few ways to get to the hill. The long(er) route would be to take the Flume Trail and hike the Boulder Hill spur; the shorter route is to find a spot to park on Boulder Hill Road, which connects Silver Mountain Road to the south and Sheridan Lake Road to the north. The shortest route is to take the turnoff from Boulder Hill Road at roughly N43 57' 30", W103 24' 4" and take the forest service road right up to the boulders themselves.
Of course, that's only the shortest if you've got a 4-wheel drive. If you don't, it could be the longest day of your life.
Anyway! From there, it's a short (and obvious) hike to the top.
And there are some excellent views.
There's also a view of the fire damage from 2002 and, of course, plenty of brown beetled trees.
It's a quick hike (from the up-close spot, maybe ten minutes) and totally worth tracking down.
Good day.
As it happens, yesterday was gorgeous and the M-Man decided our visitors needed to see Boulder Hill, one of the close quick hikes. I hadn't been up there before, either, so I got to tag along.
Did I mention it was a gorgeous day? Because it was.
There are a few ways to get to the hill. The long(er) route would be to take the Flume Trail and hike the Boulder Hill spur; the shorter route is to find a spot to park on Boulder Hill Road, which connects Silver Mountain Road to the south and Sheridan Lake Road to the north. The shortest route is to take the turnoff from Boulder Hill Road at roughly N43 57' 30", W103 24' 4" and take the forest service road right up to the boulders themselves.
Of course, that's only the shortest if you've got a 4-wheel drive. If you don't, it could be the longest day of your life.
Anyway! From there, it's a short (and obvious) hike to the top.
And there are some excellent views.
There was a fire watchtower up here some time ago; now the cornerstones alone remain. (You can tell it's a fairly mild hike -- not a lot of graffiti on the more strenuous ones.)
There's also a view of the fire damage from 2002 and, of course, plenty of brown beetled trees.
It's a quick hike (from the up-close spot, maybe ten minutes) and totally worth tracking down.
Good day.
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