| Black Hills National Forest | |
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 The Needles from Black Elk Peak in Black Hills National Forest | |
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| Location | South Dakota andWyoming, U.S. |
| Nearest city | Rapid City, South Dakota |
| Coordinates | 43°56′11″N103°43′40″W / 43.93639°N 103.72778°W /43.93639; -103.72778 |
| Area | 1,253,308 acres (5,071.96 km2)[1] |
| Established | February 22, 1897[2] |
| Governing body | U.S. Forest Service |
| Website | Black Hills National Forest |
Black Hills National Forest is located in southwesternSouth Dakota and northeasternWyoming, United States. The forest has an area of over 1.25 million acres (5,066 km2) and is managed by theForest Service. Forest headquarters are located inCuster, South Dakota. There are localranger district offices in Custer,Rapid City, andSpearfish in South Dakota, and inSundance, Wyoming.[3]
Predominantlyponderosa pine, the forest also includes hard woods like aspen, bur oak, and birch. The lower elevations include grasslandprairie, but the National Forest System lands encompass most of the mountainous region known as theBlack Hills of South Dakota andWyoming. Within the forest isBlack Elk Peak which is the tallestmountain in South Dakota and the highest peak east of theRocky Mountains in theUnited States.[4]
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| SouthwesternSouth Dakota |
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| Sculptures |
| Geologic and natural history |
| Mountains |
| Caves |
| Forests and wildernesses |
| Lakes |
| Long-distance trails |
| Scenic byways |
| Historic sites |
After a series of devastatingwildfires in 1893,U.S. PresidentGrover Cleveland created the Black Hills Forest Reserve on February 22, 1897.[5] U.S. PresidentWilliam McKinley issued a presidential proclamation on September 19, 1898, appending the Black Hills Forest Reserve geographic boundaries while acknowledging the forest preservation decrees established by theTimber Culture Act andForest Reserve Act of 1891.[6] Upon the creation of the Forest Service in 1905, the reserve was transferred to the new agency under the United States Department of Agriculture and redesignated as aNational Forest two years later.Lakota wordspahá sápa meaning "hills that are black" (literally "black hills" as the adjectives (sápa) follow the noun) may be one of the factors in the regions naming. Early settlers and explorers called the Laramie Range the Black Hills prior toLt. G. K. Warren's expedition in 1857. Prior to explorations by theLa Verendrye brothers in 1742, many tribes frequented the Black Hills includingPonca,Kiowa Apache,Arapaho,Kiowa andCheyenne for at least the past 10,000 years. The smallpox epidemics of 1771 to 1781 broke the will of the Arikara who prior to that time held the Sioux east of the Missouri.American Horse's winter count of 1775-76[dubious –discuss] is interpreted as depicting the Sioux discovery of the Black Hills.[7][verification needed] The mountains and other key features in and around the Black Hills and now within the Forest were considered sacred to indigenous peoples and many came here onvision quests, forhunting and for trade.
The Black Hills National Forest provided theCapitol Christmas Tree in 1997, a 63-footwhite spruce.[8]
The forest is located in parts of seven counties in South Dakota and Wyoming. In descending order of forestland area they arePennington,Custer,Lawrence,Crook,Fall River,Meade, andWeston counties. (Crook and Weston are the only counties in Wyoming; only one-seventh of the forest acreage lies in Wyoming.)[9]
The Forest is located immediately west and south ofRapid City and can be accessed fromInterstate 90. The forest headquarters is located inCuster, South Dakota. The Peter Norbeck National Scenic Byway passes through the forest in proximity to Mount Rushmore and along with the Spearfish Canyon National Forest Scenic Byway, provide two of the more scenic drives in the Country.
Although surrounded by Black Hills National Forest, bothJewel Cave National Monument andMount Rushmore National Memorial are separate areas administered by theNational Park Service.Wind Cave National Park, which is another area administered by the National Park Service, borders portions of the forest in the southeast.Black Elk Wilderness is awilderness within the Forest and no motorized transport is permitted. Outside of the wilderness,mining,logging, andranching are permitted on public lands through land leases with companies and private parties, referred to as "permittees."
The Black Hills National Forest encompasses three distinct mountain ranges: the Black Hills and theElk Mountains in South Dakota as well as theBear Lodge Mountains in Wyoming. The Black Hills are by far the largest of the three ranges.
While ponderosa pine is the most common tree species found in the forest,spruce can be found in the higher elevations.Elk,moose,mule deer,pronghorn, andwhite-tailed deer are commonly seen.Black bears have been spotted in the Black Hills.Cougars are increasing dramatically as a result of prolific herds of deer and elk.Coyotes,bighorn sheep andmountain goats are also frequently seen by visitors.Bald eagles,hawks,osprey,peregrine falcon and another two hundred species of birds can be found in this forest, especially along streams and near water sources.
30campgrounds are located in the forest and there are 11reservoirs that are well stocked for sportfishing. 450 miles[citation needed] (725 km) ofhiking trails (including theSouth Dakota Centennial Trail) and hundreds of miles of equestrian trails provide access to more remote destinations and to the summit of Black Elk Peak. With over 5,000 miles (8,000 km) of Forest system roads, the Forest is also a haven for motorized travel.
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Black Hills National Forest travel guide from Wikivoyage| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
