Discover the Scenic Splendor of Hell Canyon Trail

Moderate trail with beautiful views. Pack a lunch and enjoy a lunch stop along one of the many scenic views! We enjoy going around counter-clockwise.

We didn't make it all the way around due to storm coming in during our hike. The trail was decently maintained up until at least a mile and a half in. Plenty of beautiful wild flowers and pretty canyon views. I do not recommend going when a storm could possibly roll through. We had a pretty scary experience with hail and thunder and lightning. Trail was flooded pretty quickly.

One of my (and wife’s) favorite hikes in the Black Hills! We hike it every time we’re in the area. We like to go clockwise to get the elevation gain over with early. It’s moderate if you’re in halfway decent shape. We’re both north of 60 and neither of us find it too difficult or technical. There’s some CCC history there which adds interest. Another positive is hiking traffic is light. So do yourself a favor and hike here…You can thank me later:)

There is no wrong way to do this trail! It is gorgeous! You won’t get better views either way, and odds are you’re going to be looking side to side and occasionally behind you. If you go clockwise you get the bulk of the uphill done early on while you still have energy, it’s steep though. If you go counter clockwise it will be slightly more gradual, but it will come after you’ve done a good chunk of the hike. There are deer, woodpeckers, and an army of chipmunks, and once again the views are spectacular.

We had a blast here. Moderate hike along well-marked trail. We went in the morning and hiked the floor north the climbed up to the rim to return. Having to run the last half mile to escape an approaching thunderstorm made for a great story. Parking could definitely be improved, and be very careful in the last half mile of the floor heading north: I still have nightmares about how many ticks we had to pull off ourselves and we never ventured off the trail; it was like a horror movie. Whatever insect repellent you use, get stronger and apply a fresh coat ALL OVER yourself about halfway up the floor trail.