Centennial Trail Thru-Hike 2026

I thru-hiked South Dakota's Centennial Trail starting on June 27th and ending on July 3rd, going from south to north. The trail was built in 1989 to mark South Dakota's 100th year of statehood, and it runs 124 miles through the Black Hills, from Wind Cave National Park up through Custer State Park, Black Elk Wilderness, Black Hills National Forest, Fort Meade BLM, and ending at the top of Bear Butte. Along the way I took a side quest off the Centennial Trail to visit the Cathedral Spires, the iconic towering granite rock formations. I also hopped on a short spur trail off the Centennial Trail to check out Mount Rushmore. #centennialtrailsd #centennialtrailsouthdakota 0:00 Intro 0:21 Day 1: S Terminus to French Creek 9:58 Day 2: French Creek to Grizzly Bear Creek CS 21:44 Day 3: Grizzly Bear Creek CS to Sheridan Lake 31:58 Day 4: Sheridan Lake to Whispering Pines CG 40:01 Day 5: Whispering Pines CG to Wildlife Guzzler 50:56 Day 6: Wildlife Guzzler to Cattle Tank 1:02:07 Day 7: Cattle Tank to N Terminus