Sylvan Lake
Lake · Custer, South Dakota
A small lake ringed by granite spires at the north-west corner of Custer State Park, made in 1891 when Theodore Reder dammed Sunday Gulch Creek - so the most photographed water in South Dakota is artificial and nobody minds. It is the trailhead for Black Elk Peak, the northern end of the Needles Highway, and the one place in the Black Hills where the granite, the water and the pines line up into the picture everyone has seen.
Sylvan Lake Road, Custer, South Dakota, 57730, United States
Open year round, dawn to dusk. ⚠ IT IS INSIDE CUSTER STATE PARK, SO A SOUTH DAKOTA PARK ENTRANCE LICENCE IS REQUIRED to park here - the lake is not separately ticketed but the park is. The lodge, boat hire and general store are SEASONAL. ⚠ THE CAR PARK FILLS BY ABOUT 9 AM in summer because this is also the main Black Elk Peak trailhead. The Needles Highway to it closes in winter snow.