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Black Hills / Badlands

Thursday, June 11, 2026 - Thursday, June 18, 2026 -- $1900 ★


Escape into the wild heart of South Dakota with a multi-day hiking experience that explores the best of the Black Hills, including Custer State Park, the Black Elk Wilderness, and the legendary Mount Rushmore area. Each day offers a new trail, a new challenge, and a new chance to reconnect with nature while immersing yourself in the rugged terrain and cultural legacy of this iconic region — all without the need to carry a heavy overnight pack.


Over the course of several days, you’ll venture out each morning on expertly guided hikes ranging from 8 to 14 miles. You’ll return in the late afternoon or early evening to a comfortable frontcountry basecamp, where you’ll enjoy well-earned rest and hearty meals cooked the traditional way — in cast iron Dutch ovens over hot coals. This unique format allows you to experience the physical challenge and natural beauty of backcountry hiking without the weight and logistics of full backpacking.


Daily hikes will take you through a dynamic mix of landscapes, from rolling meadows dotted with bison and granite cliffs that scrape the sky, to deep pine forests and alpine lakes. You'll ascend to the top of Black Elk Peak, the highest point in South Dakota, where panoramic views stretch into Wyoming, Nebraska, Montana, and North Dakota. The summit’s historic stone fire tower offers a scenic and symbolic high point of the trip.


You’ll explore iconic areas of Custer State Park, such as the Cathedral Spires, Sylvan Lake, Little Devil’s Tower, and the rugged Needles — geological formations carved by millions of years of wind and water. In the Black Elk Wilderness, expect a quieter, more remote feel, where wildlife encounters are common and the trails feel timeless. One afternoon includes a hike around Mount Rushmore, offering a close look at this monumental sculpture while appreciating its dramatic natural surroundings and the controversies and histories behind it



Topographical Map of Proposed Route

See Topo map


Weather

June is one of the most pleasant and rewarding months to explore the Black Hills of South Dakota. The days are generally mild to warm, with average daytime temperatures ranging from the mid-60s to around 80 degrees Fahrenheit (18°C to 27°C), depending on elevation. Early mornings and nights tend to be cool and refreshing, often dipping into the mid-40s to mid-50s (7°C to 13°C). At higher elevations, such as Black Elk Peak, temperatures can be noticeably cooler, especially at sunrise and after sunset.


Weather in the Black Hills can change quickly, especially in June. While mornings are often clear and pleasant, afternoon thunderstorms are common. Hikers must be prepared for sudden shifts in temperature, wind, and rain. Proper rain gear, layered clothing, and sun protection are essential. Guides will adjust hiking plans if conditions become unsafe, but flexibility and preparedness are key.



Probable Trip Leaders

Beau Devlin
Any Other Guide(s) TBD

Michael Devlin



Cost

$1900 per person double occupancy. Here, double occupancy means that you will share a hotel room with another trip participant. Single room accommodations are available for purchase. You will also be responsible for transportation to and from Rapid City as well as personal equipment, restaurant meals and any gratuities for guides. You may also be charged for any parking charges for leaving your car at the hotel all week if you drive.


Covered expenses include 1 hotel nights, storage fees, 6 days of trail meals, airport transfers, ground transportation to/from/within the National Park, park permits, park entrance fees and awesome guides.


Tipping: In order to keep our prices competitive with (and hopefully favorable to) other outfitters, we shamefully can’t pay our guides as much as we think they deserve. Like most other guiding services, we rely on the generosity of our participants to make up this shortfall by tipping the guides. Gratuity can comprise a significant and important part of a guide’s compensation. The industry recommended gratuity amount is 10-20% of the trip cost. Gratuities are always optional and based on level of satisfaction but generally account for 30-60% of their income through gratuities. Fitpacking supports tipping to the greatest extent possible while remaining tactful and professional. Guides are not permitted to solicit tips in any way other than doing an exceptional job supporting and providing exceptional customer service to our participants. If your guides have served you well, please support them with gratuities so they can continue living their extravagant lifestyles of eating powdered meals, sleeping in the dirt and pooping in smelly outhouses and small holes they've dug.



Important Note about this trip


As we prepare to visit and hike Bear Butte (Mato Paha), it’s important to recognize that this is far more than just a scenic hiking destination. Bear Butte is a sacred site to the Lakota, Cheyenne, and many other Indigenous Nations of the Northern Plains. For centuries, it has served as a place of spiritual pilgrimage, prayer, and vision quests. Even today, Native people continue to hold ceremonies and make offerings here as part of living traditions that are deeply tied to the land.


As guests on this land, we have a responsibility to approach Bear Butte with respect, humility, and awareness. You will likely see prayer cloths and tobacco ties hanging from trees or shrubs near the trail. These are sacred offerings and should never be touched, moved, or photographed. Please stay on designated trails, keep noise to a minimum, and avoid interrupting any individuals or groups who may be engaged in ceremony or prayer.


Hiking Bear Butte is a physical experience, but for many, it is also a spiritual one. This mountain represents a connection between earth and sky, between people and their ancestors. As we walk its slopes, we encourage you to do so with quiet reflection and gratitude not just for the landscape itself, but for the generations of people who have held it sacred.


At Fitpacking, we believe in more than just exploring wild places — we believe in honoring them. Thank you for helping us treat Bear Butte with the reverence and care it deserves.


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Itinerary
Weather
Guides for this trip
Cost
Important Note
Difficulty (Please Read)
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Itinerary


Thursday, June 11, 2026

Fly into Rapid City Airport (RAP) or drive into Rapid City. The best time to arrive is between 12PM-3PM, although flights may be limited. If you can save a substantial amount on your flight by arriving an hour or two later or earlier, then do so but let us know beforehand.

Call for a ride from guides to our local hotel Comfort Suites Conference Center Rapid City, 1333 North Elk Vale Road, Rapid City, SD, 57703, (605) 608-8576.

We will assemble at: Comfort Suites Conference Center Rapid City, 1333 North Elk Vale Road, Rapid City, SD, 57703, (605) 608-8576.

Equipment shakedown

Make-your-own trail mix bar. You craft your personal trail mix from a cornucopia of nuts, fruits, sweets and occasional wildcard items that we provide.

We will place all your off-trail stuff in storage. Please keep this to a small amount

Go out to welcome dinner at local restaurant. Cost of dinner not included in trip cost.

Stay in local hotel: Comfort Suites Conference Center Rapid City, 1333 North Elk Vale Road, Rapid City, SD, 57703, (605) 608-8576.


Friday, June 12, 2026

Begin hiking 0.4 miles from Camp Remington to Grizzly Bear Creek Trailhead

Hike 0.7 miles on the Grizzly Bear Creek Trail to Centennial Trail

Hike 2.9 miles on the Centennial Trail to a social trail cutoff to Mt. Rushmore

Hike 0.6 uphill miles to Mt. Rushmore

Take tour of Mt. Rushmore

Hike 0.6 miles on social trail to Centennial Trail

Hike 2.9 miles on the Centennial Trail to the Grizzly Bear Creek Trail

Hike 0.7 miles on the Grizzly Bear Creek Trail

Hike 0.4 miles back to Camp Remington

Camp at Camp Remington Lodge(s) 13003 Fdr 345, Custer, SD 57730 elevation 4980'

Miles today: 9.2. Total miles: 9.2

Possible bailout: Highway 16A/Fdr 345


Saturday, June 13, 2026

Shuttle to Badlands National Park and Drive the Badlands Loop Road (1.5hrs)

Enjoy the Badlands Loop road until we arrive at the Notch Trail Trailhead elevation 2750'

Begin hiking 1.4 round trip miles on the Notch trail which has a rope ladder to ascent and decent the trail elevation 2875'

Upon our return from the Notch Trail cross the road and begin hiking 1.4 miles on the Castle Trail to the Medicine Root Trail elevation 2560'

Hike 2.1 miles on the Medicine Root Trail to the Castle Trail elevation 2695'

Hike 3.2 miles on the Castle Trail elevation 2750'

Shuttle back to campground: Camp Remington Lodge(s) 13003 Fdr 345, Custer, SD 57730 (1.5hrs) elevation 4980'

Mileage Today: 8.1 Total miles: 17.3

Possible bailout: Badlands Loop Road


Sunday, June 14, 2026

Shuttle to the Spearfish Area and the Community Cave Trailhead (1.5hrs) elevation 3921'

Begin Hiking Community Cave Trail 0.6 round trip miles though it is a short trail there is a 236 ft. rock scramble to the top and bottom of the trail elevation 4157'

Return to vehicle(s) and shuttle a short distance to the Devil’s Bathtub Trailhead

Hike 1.6 round trip miles on the Devil’s bathtub Trail elevation 4026'

Return to vehicle(s) and again travel a short distance an unmarked pullout for the Iron Creek Trailhead elevation 3921'

Hike 4.0 relatively flat round trip miles on the Iron Creek Trail

Return to vehicles and shuttle to the Spearfish Falls and Roughlock Falls Trailheads (considered one of the most beautiful hikes in the Black Hills)

Hike 0.5 round trip miles on the Spearfish Falls trail elevation 3921'

Cross the road and walk to the Roughlock Falls Trailhead

Option 2

Hike 1.0 roundtrip miles on the Roughlock Falls trail elevation 3921'

If we still have energy and the group is feeling good we can add one last hike to the day. The '76 Trail is a 1.5 round trip miles strenuous trail that takes hikers to a summit offering panoramic views of Spearfish Canyon. It is a steep trail and climbs over 1,000 feet in a short distance elevation 4921'

Shuttle back to campground: Camp Remington Lodge(s) 13003 Fdr 345, Custer, SD 57730 (1.5hrs) elevation 4980'

Mileage Today: 7.7 (9.2) Total miles: 25.0 (26.5)

Possible bailout: Highway 14A


Monday, June 15, 2026

Shuttle to Custer State Park and Sylvan Lake to the #4 Trailhead elevation 6145'

Begin hiking 1.3 miles on the #4 trail to Trail #4B Little Devil’s Tower Trail. Along the way we will take a social trail to a gem called Poet’s Table. This is an iconic location and you will see why when you arrive.

Hiking 0.8 round trip miles on the Little Devil’s Tower Trail elevation 6980'

Hiking 1.3 miles on #4 trail to the #3 Trailhead

Hike 0.6 miles on the #3 Trail to Black Elk Peak elevation ‘7242 (The highest point east of the Rocky Mountains all the way to the Pyrenees Mountains in France)

Hike 0.3 miles on the #3 Trail to #9 Trail

Hike 2.7 miles on the #9 trail back to Sylvan Lake elevation 6145'

Shuttle back to campground: Camp Remington Lodge(s) 13003 Fdr 345, Custer, SD 57730 elevation 4980'

Mileage Today: 7.0 Total miles: 32.0 (33.5)

Possible bailout: Hwy 87


Tuesday, June 16, 2026

Shuttle to the Boulder Hill Trailhead and begin hiking 0.9 miles on the Centennial Trail to Trail #50

Hike 5.6 round trip miles on #50 Trail back to the Centennial Trail

Hike 0.9 miles on the Centennial Trail to Boulder Hill Trailhead

Shuttle back to campground: Camp Remington Lodge(s) 13003 Fdr 345, Custer, SD 57730 elevation 4980'

Mileage Today: 7.4 Total miles: 39.4 (40.9)

Possible bailout: Highway 385


Wednesday, June 17, 2026

In the morning pack-up camp and shuttle to Bear Butte State Park

Begin hiking at the Bear Butte Summit Trailhead elevation 3526'

Hike 3.85 round trip miles to the top of Bear Butte Summit and enjoy the amazing view at the top elevation 4426'

Mileage Today: 3.9. Total mileage: 43.4 (44.8)

Possible bailout: Bear Butte State Park

Shuttle back to local hotel: Comfort Suites Conference Center Rapid City, 1333 North Elk Vale Road, Rapid City, SD, 57703, (605) 608-8576.

Gather your off-trail items from storage

Farewell dinner at a local restaurant (Dinner cost not included in trip price)

Stay in our local hotel (included in trip cost)

This is the official end of the trip. You are welcome to spend the night at the hotel, however if you drove and would like to get on the road or if you flew and would like to schedule a late flight (or a red-eye if this is a West Coast trip) you can definitely do so.


Thursday, June 18, 2026

Free Breakfast (if hotel offered)

Take free airport shuttle or we will pay for a shared cab/Uber


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