Sunday Gulch

For technical rope sports, the Black Hills are better known for climbing and caving. There are no known technical canyon(eer)ing routes or canyon scrambles. However, Sunday Gulch is such a novelty non-technical canyon hike, it is worth adding here. Railings added throughout the low angle descent of Sunday Gulch downstream of the dam, which creates Sylvan Lake, provide a great family hike and worth prioritizing if in the area. The parking lot is also the trailhead to Black Elk Peak, the high point of South Dakota.

While either direction works, hiking counterclockwise around the loop produces a downhill descent in Sunday Gulch.

It is only 1.3 miles total round trip to hike from the parking to the bottom of Sunday Gulch and reverse the path back to the parking. Otherwise continue downstream on the Sunday Gulch Trail and follow the loop back to the dam at Sylvan Lake and then to the parking lot.