Doggin' The Black Hills: 15 Cool Things To See While You Hike With Your Dog

"If your dog is fat," the old saying goes, "you aren'tPeak may only be 5,760 feet high but what it lacks in
getting enough exercise." But walking the dog needheight, it makes up in difficulty. Your reward for a
not be just about a little exercise. Here are 15 coolgrueling climb is 360-degree vistas at the
things you can see around the Black Hills while yousummit.LOGGING FLUMES.
hike with your dog.ABANDONED MINES.Water flumes served two purposes in the Black Hills:
The old rail lines-turned trails are good places to seeto transport logs to railheads or to move water into
vestiges of old mines. Along the Deerfield Trail youisolated areas for hydraulic gold-mining. The latter is
can see the remains of the Black Tom Mine andbest exemplified by the Rockerville Flume, that
there are traces of several mines on the Mickelsonoperated in the 1880s. An 11-mile trail (the flume was
Trail. Chief among them are the White Elephant Trail,20 miles long) in the Black Hills National Forest now
where feldspar was pulled from the ground, and thefollows the route of the wooden flume. Remnants of
Wasp Mine, that collapsed on the rail line inthe Warren-Lamb flume used to float logs can still be
1927.BISON.seen along the Deerfield Trail.MOVIE SETS.
When hiking the prairie trails through the Black Hills itFor the 1990 Oscar-winning Dances With Wolves,
won't be long until you see North America's largeststar/director Kevin Costner filmed the Indian winter
land animal. Herds that once numbered in the millionscamp was set up in Spearfish Canyon in the Black
were reduced to as few as 15 animals in the 1880sHills National Forest; the exact spot of the final scene
before conservation efforts began. Now Custerwhere Costner and Mary MacDonnell leave the tribe
State Park is home to more than 1,500 free-roamingwas once marked by signs but have long since
bison, one of the world's largest public bison herds.succumbed to souvenir-hunters. The opening
Another small herd is in Bear Butte Statesequence, where Costner receives his orders at Fort
Park.BRIDGES.Hays to travel to Fort Sedgewick, was filmed on a
Railroad builders used bridges to level out theprivate ranch east of Rapid City. Two of the set
rollercoaster terrain of the Black Hills. There are morepieces, the major's house and the blacksmith shop
than 100 wooden trestles on the Mickelson Trailhave been moved to this tourist spot known as the
alone. The largest was the Sheep Canyon Trestle,Fort Hays Film Set (four miles south of Rapid City).
126 feet high and 700 feet long. Therickety trestleThe Sage Creek Wilderness Area in the Badlands
was considered so dangerous that engineers andNational Park was the backdrop for the wagon trip
brakemen would walk over the bridge instead ofthrough Sioux Indian country to Fort Sedgewick.OLD
riding the train.COLD WAR RELICS.FORTS.
In Memorial Park in Rapid City stands America'sAs you hike through Fort Meade Recreation Area
largest exhibit devoted to the Berlin Wall - doubleyou can still see stone jumps used to train horses in
12-foot segments of the concrete wall. On thethe old cavlary outpost. If you look closely, you may
ground on either side of the Wall are tank traps.also notice some circular depressions in the hillsides
Photos and interpretive panels tell the story of thecreated by exploding shells from artillery practice. The
dominant symbol of the Cold War. Memorial Park isOld Fort Meade Cemetery is still on the grounds as
on the Rapid City Recreation Path.DAMS.well.PRESIDENTIAL FOOTSTEPS.
Flood control has been a theme in the Black HillsCalvin Coolidge became the first United States
since the 1930s. Dams across streams and riversPresident to spend the summer west of the
have spawned water recreation areas that areMississippi River, selecting the State Game Lodge in
favorite destinations for an outing with the dog. TheCuster State Park for his "summer White House."
largest such lake in the Black Hills is the PactolaToday, the Grace Coolidge Walk-In Fishing Area is an
Reservoir with trails along much of its 14 miles ofeasy three-mile walk on a dirt path along a creek to
pine-scented shoreline. Others include the dam at ColdCenter Lake. Earlier Theodore Roosevelt was a
Brook Lake Recreation Area on the Fall River and thefrequent visitor to the Black Hills and a short trail
Cottonwood Springs Dam.FAMOUS CABINS.leads to Friendship Tower on Mount Roosevelt,
The Badger Clark Historic Trail in Custer State Parknamed in his honor. Alas, dogs are not allowed on the
starts at the former home of Charles Badger Clark,trails at Mount Rushmore and can experience this
South Dakota's first poet-laureate. Clark rook fivepresidential memorial only from the car.PUBLIC ART.
years to build the stone-and-frame cabin and livedAs you walk your dog around Belle Fourche you can
here for 30 years. He also laid out most of thesee bronze statues of some of the famous rodeo
footpath. In Wyoming, along Sand Creek, publisherperformers - human and animal - that have visited
Moses Annenberg built historic Ranch A, now usedtown. The favorite subject in Deadwood is Wild Bill
for meetings and classrooms. Canine hikers can viewHickok and you can see his likeness several times as
the log home at the Dugout Gulch Botanicalyou hike through the historic gaming town.RAILROAD
Area.GHOST TOWNS.SOUVENIRS.
Mining towns came and went very quickly in theAnyone can appreciate obvious reminders of the
gold rush days of the 1880s in the Black Hills. Therailroad age in the Black Hills like the caboose in
most intact deserted town in the region is Tinton,Edgemont Park but a more discerning eye can see
visited on the Big Hill Trails. There is an old miner's hall,more fascinating relics. For instance, on the Mickelson
a post office and the Black Hills Tin Company storeTrail near the White Elephant Trailhead, a canine hiker
to explore. At the Mystic Trailhead on the Mickelsoncan see a sign with a "W" emblazoned on it. This is
Trail is theMystic Townsite, where seven buildingsone of four places in the more than 100 miles of
and 14 foundations remain from a gold miningtrack that engineers were instructed to blow their
community.HISTORIC BUILDINGS.whistles to warn people and animals. And near a
Hikers can check out the Bulldog Ranch on Rochfordbridge trestle you can see one of the original mile
Road that was a favorite stopping point for travelersmarker signs made of heavy metal and painted white
in the late 19th century. Proprietoress Sarah Annewith a numeral that pinpointed a train's location on
Erbe was known as "Madame Bulldog" for two dogsthe line to .01 of a mile. Only a few of these old
she kept died up out back to dissuade chickenmarkers remain.copyright 2006I am the author of
thieves. Another building from that era that can beover 20 books, including 8 on hiking with your dog,
inspected up close is the Kroll Meat Market andincluding the
Slaughterhouse in Spearfish City Park.LOFTY PEAKS.widely praised The Canine Hiker's Bible. As publisher
There are many mountaintops in the Black Hills thatof Cruden Bay Books, we
can be reached with your dog. Harney Peak, at 7,242produce the innovative A Bark In The Park series of
feet, is the highest and Bear Mountain (7,153 feet) iscanine hiking books found at
right behind. Ski enthusiasts have carved 16 miles ofDuring the warm months I lead canine hikes as
year-round trails at Bear Mountain. The craggy peaktour leader for tours, leading packs of dogs and
of Flag Mountain serves up expansive views, includinghumans on
a long look to the east of Reynolds Prairie, theday and overnight trips.
largest of three open grasslands in the vicinity. Crow