About this campground
A 3.2 mile trail to Crow Peak Summit, with a 0.5 mile spur trail to Beaver Ridge. Crow Peak is a dominant landmark because of its geological makeup. Billions of years ago, this area was covered by an ocean. Layers of sediment were deposited on the ocean floor, eventually hardening to form limestone and other sedimentary rock layers. Underground molten rock called magma pushed the sedimentary layers upward forming hills. During the uplifting, crevasses within the limestone hills filled with magma. These flows of magma, called intrusions, cooled to form igneous rock. The limestone and other sedimentary rock erodes at a faster rate than the harder igneous rock. As the oceans receded, the overlying sedimentary rock eroded, exposing the igneous intrusions. Crow Peak and other peaks you can see from Crow Peak summit, such as Bear Butte, Spearfish Mountain, and Terry Peak, were formed in this manner. Erosion of the igneous rock and the sedimentary rock surrounding these peaks continues to shape the landscape of the Northern Black Hills.
Activities
- BIKING
- HIKING
- HORSEBACK RIDING
Nearby federal campgrounds
- Spearfish Quarry TrailheadBlack Hills National Forest2 mi
- D.C. Booth Historic National Fish HatcheryFish And Wildlife Service5 mi
- Northern Hills-SpearfishBlack Hills National Forest5 mi
- Dugout Gulch Botanical Trailhead (Trail #77)Black Hills National Forest8 mi
- Old Baldy Trailhead (Trail #66)Black Hills National Forest9 mi
- Red Lake TrailheadBlack Hills National Forest9 mi
Explore more South Dakota camping
Crow Peak Trailhead (Trail #64) doesn't take campsite reservations — but plenty of nearby South Dakota campgrounds do, and we'll alert you the moment a sold-out site opens up.
Browse South Dakota camping →Details from Recreation.gov's official RIDB catalog. Conditions change — confirm with the managing office before you go. Not affiliated with Recreation.gov or any federal agency.