Hiking the Sunday Gulch Trail from Sylvan Lake at Custer State Park

Looking for more fun things to do at Sylvan Lake?
It’s also the perfect place to swim and paddle!

CURRENT INFO

Visit the Custer State Park website for general information about the area. A map for the Sunday Gulch Trail is available on the AllTrails website.

GOOD TO KNOW

• Custer State Park has a $20 per vehicle entrance fee. When you pay, you’ll receive a pass for your car window that is valid for seven consecutive days. If you don’t yet have a pass, you can purchase one from the entrance station southwest of Sylvan Lake on Highway 87.
• Parking is limited. Arrive early to avoid congestion both in the parking lot and on the trail. This is a very popular spot! In summer, expect to share the trail with numerous other hikers.
• Restrooms and drinking water are available at the trailhead. There is also a general store near the south parking lot that sells souvenirs and a limited selection of food and drinks.
• Leashed pets are allowed.
• Bring water, shade hats, and sunscreen on sunny days. The summer sun can be intense and parts of the trail are very exposed. Get an early start to beat the crowds and the summer heat.
• Those attempting the Sunday Gulch Trail need to be in good shape, able to climb up and down large rocks and navigate uneven steps. There are handrails, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy! Hiking poles can be helpful, but you’ll want both hands on the rails on some sections. Shoes or boots with good traction are a must.
• Those looking for an easier hike should stick with the Sylvan Lake Trail. This one-mile loop is mostly flat, although there is a brief hilly section near the dam, and offers superlative views of the lake.
• Always follow Leave No Trace principles.
• Wondering if the Sunday Gulch Trail is a good fit for you? See the “Our Experience” section below for many more photos and an overview of what to expect.

HIGHLIGHTS

The Sunday Gulch Trail is all about adventure while the Sylvan Lake Trail takes in the full scope of Sylvan Lake’s beauty. Combine these two trails into one four-mile loop hike, and you’ll experience some of the best scenery Custer State Park has to offer.

THE KIDS’ TAKE

Yay! Another parkour hike! My kids are always more interested in a hike that provides a few physical challenges, and Sunday Gulch definitely fit the bill. Because we did the hike counterclockwise, we climbed down into the gulch at the start of the trail, which was the best part. That meant the second half, which involved a series of switchbacks under the hot summer sun, was a bit of a slog. Fortunately, the hike ends at Sylvan Lake, a dreamy place to swim and play in the water. Get out your float tubes and paddle boards, and they’ll forget about their tired feet in no time!

Special note: Not all kids and families will be up for this strenuous hike. I don’t recommend it for very young children who can’t yet hike easily on their own. Kids should be comfortable navigating boulders and steep steps, and have the endurance to keep going when the going gets tough.

WHILE YOU’RE HERE

Sylvan Lake is considered one of the jewels of Custer State Park. Take your time and enjoy this beautiful place; a swim or paddle after hiking is a great way to round out your day. We drove the scenic Needles Highway to reach Sylvan Lake, and highly recommend taking the extra time to enjoy this winding route during your visit to the Black Hills.

Sunday Gulch isn’t the only trail that starts from Sylvan Lake; the Black Elk Peak trailhead begins here as well. This was my favorite hike in Custer State Park, and although it’s longer than Sunday Gulch, we found it to be less strenuous overall. Little Devils Tower and the Cathedral Spires are two other great hiking destinations.

Looking for food? The Sylvan Lake General Store has a few pre-packaged options. On summer weekends, a grill stand near the general store sells burgers and hot dogs. If it’s not the weekend, or if you want a more refined atmosphere, drive to nearby Sylvan Lake Lodge. We splurged on a delicious post-hike lunch here. Don’t worry — coming in your hiking gear is A-OK (at least in the afternoon). Bon Appetit!

With so much to do, you might as well spend the night. Better yet, spend several! We camped at nearby Bismarck Lake Campground. Custer State Park also offers several campgrounds (beware — they fill up far in advance), cabins, and historic lodges.

Heads up: this post contains more photos than usual, but for good reason. A few photos simply can’t do justice to the varied terrain that makes up the Sunday Gulch Trail. By the end of this review, you may either be thinking, “I can hardly wait!” or perhaps, “Nope — I’ll stick with the Sylvan Lake Trail!” Either way, my job is done.

And what a beautiful job it is! We arrived at Sylvan Lake around mid-morning on a summer Tuesday. The parking lots were already overflowing, but luckily there was still plenty of roadside parking along the east side of the lake. We headed counterclockwise on the trail edging the lake, stopping at the restroom near the main trailhead parking lot.

As we continued around Sylvan Lake, we were treated to gorgeous views of the shimmering blue water. We detoured to climb out onto some of the massive boulders overlooking the lake, little knowing just how much climbing lay ahead of us. At the north end of the lake, the trail crossed more boulders and led down into a gully behind the Sylvan Lake dam.

As we crossed the boulders, we noticed others following other routes among the rocks. It’s hard to locate the official trail in some spots, and this is the one area where the otherwise gentle Sylvan Lake Trail becomes a bit more strenuous. Some routes are easier than others, but going behind the dam requires a somewhat steep decent down stone steps, then a short uphill climb back to the main trail. If this brief climb is too much, feel free to turn around and head back the way you came.

At this point, I knew we were near the turnoff for the Sunday Gulch Trail. Seeing what appeared to be a trail branching off to our right, I pulled up the map on my AllTrails phone app to check our location. Yep, looks good! Soon we were traipsing through the woods crossing logs and streams and puzzling over the best way to go. In retrospect, I’m not convinced this was really the trail. But, it got us where we needed to go. A word to the wise: look for the occasional blue diamond marking the way as you hike. These trail markers are used throughout Custer State Park.

Fortunately, our confusion didn’t last long. Ahead of us was a clear sign that we were approaching the real trail: stairs. Or rather, railings to help us navigate the uneven stairway created by a jumble of boulders leading down into Sunday Gulch. The kids raced ahead, eager to test their prowess crossing the rocks. Many others were already on their way down, or following closely behind us. Despite the challenges, Sunday Gulch is one of the most popular trails in all of Custer State Park.

We made it down the ravine without too much difficulty thanks to those trusty handrails, then rounded a bend and… more stairs! This time a few actual stair steps were nestled in among the rocks. Indeed, there were many, many more stairs to come. The Sunday Gulch Trail has an elevation gain of nearly 800 feet over the course of the hike. For experienced hikers, that probably doesn’t sound like much. But when a good portion of that elevation gain (or loss) takes place on paths like these, 800 feet takes on a whole new meaning.

The trail twisted through the ravine, leading us further down into the gulch. Just how far was hard to fathom, as every turn in the path seemed to lead to another set of stairs (or rocks).

This type of hiking can be wearing, although thankfully the handrails took some of the pressure off our knees. When researching the hike to Sunday Gulch, I tried to determine the best route to take: clockwise or counterclockwise? Now, having done it, I’m still not sure if there’s a “right” answer to this question. Ultimately, we were glad we followed a counterclockwise route, as navigating up all the stairs at the end of the hike may be especially daunting when you are already tired and hot.

On the other hand, our climb out of Sunday Gulch on a trail of mostly exposed switchbacks presented its own challenges. That section of the trail sees more sun than the gulch, so hiking it earlier in the day is often more pleasant. Some may also find that climbing up the boulders and stairs of Sunday Gulch is less jarring than going down. Ultimately, it’s hiker’s choice — pick the route that works for you.

Whichever direction you choose, be prepared with good hiking boots or shoes with solid traction and plenty of water. Although hiking poles won’t be much use when navigating the steep stone pathways (take advantage of the handrails instead), they can come in handy at other points along the trail. Expect that there will also be some water on the trail, as there are several small, very shallow creek crossings. This wasn’t much of a concern on our hike, but will vary throughout the year.

As fun as the climb down into Sunday Gulch was, we were glad for a reprieve. Deep in the ravine, the flat trail meandered through a cool green forest… for now. It wasn’t long before another series of stairs appeared ahead of us. By now, we were all ready for a break. The kids found a small cave off to the side of the trail where the chill of the rock walls created a natural air conditioner.

By now, I figured we had reached the bottom of the gully. Not so! Shortly after leaving the cave, we were greeted by yet more stairs.

Luckily, this staircase was the beginning of the end. Or was it? Dun-dun-duuunn!

Sure enough, we were soon at the actual bottom of Sunday Gulch, but this came with a significant realization: the only way out was to go back up. Not only that, but weren’t quite halfway through the hike yet. At first, this wasn’t so bad. The trail climbed gradually, and we remained in the shade. But as the trail rose, the shade diminished and we found ourselves toiling under the midday sun.

There are a few rocky up-and-down sections along the return trail, but nothing like the boulder-strewn descent into Sunday Gulch. Our biggest challenge was the heat. While not excessively hot, the beating sun rays were warm enough to slow our already tired legs. It’s a good incentive to start your hike early.

Little by little we climbed the final switchbacks that would take us back to Sylvan Lake. Signs of civilization appeared — power lines, and the sound of traffic from the nearby highway. Fortunately, we soon left the noise behind and our efforts were instead rewarded with stunning views of the surrounding Black Hills.

At last, the trail grew shadier. Now in the final stretch, a short stairway led to a passage between two of the massive stone pillars that make up the northern border to Sylvan Lake. We strode ahead confidently, although the boulders hanging suspended over our heads gave us pause:

For today, at least, those boulders weren’t about to budge. Forging ahead, we were soon greeted by the most wonderful sight for sore eyes: Sylvan Lake!

We took a brief side trip to check out the dam. Technically, Sylvan Lake is a reservoir, not a lake, as it was created by this very dam. Despite this, it’s hard to imagine Custer State Park without Sylvan Lake; it fits so naturally within its surroundings.

Our spirits lifted as we followed the final stretch of trail around the lake. The day was gorgeous, with bluebird skies overhead and sparkling water at our feet.

In the end, it’s hard to deny the magic of Sylvan Lake and the Sunday Gulch Trail. There’s something about that descent deep into the gorge and the triumph we felt on our return to Sylvan Lake that makes the experience all the more wondrous. If you, too, find yourself on the shores of Sylvan Lake someday, feeling ready to stretch your legs in search of adventure, I hope you give Sunday Gulch a try.