Reviews of Cathedral Spires Trailhead (Tourist Attraction)

Troy R

We weren't planning on hiking so it was rather impromptu. Very beautiful and worth it. Not strenuous.

Jody Bickle

Beautiful

Lori Crighton

Incredible scenery. Great drive

Chris Weber

Beautiful (and strenuous) hike. While it is a steeper hike, there were several smaller kiddos on the trail who made it just fine with some adult help in the rougher places. It was overcast when we went, but that made for some gorgeous pictures when some fog settled in. When you get to the fork in the trail (at the very end), go right at the trail signs if you want to get to the "End of Trail" marker. Left will take you on another trail.

Anna Klingbeil

Great little trail with nice views and some cool wildlife!!

Christopher Sanchez

A must see. Don't leave the Black Hills without checking this area out.

Norman Gregory Fernandez

It is beautiful here.

David Fintenot

Beautiful

Brian De Goes

An absolutely beautiful place to hike to. The path can be a bit rigorous at times, but very enjoyable, especially with your family, friends, or pooch. Be sure to take water and salt snacks along for this hike, and you will be sure to have a great time.

stan k

Quick 2.2 mile hike or you can enjoy the view from the road. The small parking area tends to get crowded though.

Chris Wilson

Beautiful Harley ride

Shana Vogel

Oh my...the views are amazing! The road gets narrow at times, slow down and enjoy the ride! The tunnel at the top is super narrow only one car can fit through at a time. No busses!

J Pineda

Take the trail on foot and be amazed at nature's wonders.

iAmDaD

i loved this place. good hike. Recommended

Wade Mangan

Really nice trail. Mostly easy, but some sections make you work. Great views of the backside of the spires and wonderful panaramic views of the surrounding valleys.

Bryce Hamblin

Really great place to go. I was surrounded by spires all around. Really great if you don't like the crowds even on Sturgis weekend.

Jennifer Martin

Super cool

oluwatoyin adebayo

Its so lovely n serene

Capn Awesome

Awesome.

Brian Burkhart

Great trail! It is rated "Moderate" and we thought that was appropriate. Had many areas where you had to climb over boulders, which was a blast. The view point had amazing views of the cathedral spires, you felt you were right in the middle. About 2 miles there and back. Go early because the parking lot fills fast

Kathy Chapman

Worth the drive, prepare for many stops and photos!

Kevin Kopp

Wonderful natural formation.

Jim Broshear

Worth your time to see the magnificent beauty of nature and all it's grandeur.

Azea Gafford

Wonderful ride. Beautiful scenery. Can't wait to do it again.

David Christianson

A must see! The roads to get there are very narrow. I saw some pick ups but I would check the hight and width of larger vehicles to make sure you got :)

Eric Magnuson

Best in the hills!!

Amber Sobota

Beautiful, quiet hike

Jerry Stordahl

We were there for the dedication

Cory Gerow

Very scenic, a definite must see.

T F Sakolsky

Awesome views, so worth the drive.

Aninditta Rao

Spectacular. Needles highway is a fantastic drive. Out of this world natural rock formations.

Jonathan Nikoleyczik

This was a great hike with some amazing views. The spires at the top of the trail are an awesome sight and you hike directly through them to get to the end of the trail. The hike was slightly more strenuous than I was expecting but this could have been because there was still some snow on the trail. I visited in early April and there was still snow up to my knees, so be prepared for that, even if it is well above freezing (it was a gorgeous 60 degrees on the day I went).

Pam Cunningham

Beautiful!!

Jennifer Camp

Beautiful area, but only drove through. When I go back, I want to hike.

Darren Stearns

Awesome views

Brenden Howe

Unbelievable place to visit and truly a wonder.

Jesse H

It is a beautiful and quick hike that can be strung out by connecting other trails like little devil's tower or harney peak.

Brittni Dye

Amazing hike. Well worth the effort for the stunning views.

Brent Chelewski

Must see if you visit the area

Steve Showalter

Excellent hike! Not difficult but certainly not easy. So many interesting rock formations throughout the entire hike. Well worth the effort.

Hiker Maddog

This is a wonderful drive and great views

Lisa Rupert

Crazy cool, Needles hwy includes two single lane tunnels, no stop lights or traffic cops to coordinate the flow of traffic, people had to back up! one tunnel is pretty tight and we have a Ford Edge but we saw larger RVs go through...the tour busses had banged up rear view mirrors so check the dimensions before you go if you have a larger vehicle!.

braeden Brown

This particular mountain side we viewed a mountain goat up high

Erin Lewis

This place will take your breath away.

Jack Grissom

Coolest part of the black hills!

David Read

This hike is breathtakingly beautiful. The spires are so majestic. The terrain is fairly easy and sparkly. Yes, sparkly. The eroded granite in the area has left its footprint in the sand that sparkles. I tried to capture it with my camera but could not. Apparently you must see it in person. And did I mention, it's puppy friendly?

Eric Hutchings

Visited after day trip to Mount Rushmore

Jeff Henderson

One of numerous different trails that can lead to the top of Black Elk Peak (formerly Harney Peak). This beautiful trail, long-closed but reopened in recent years, brings you literally to the base of the amazing Cathedral Spires granite formation and beyond into the incredible valley between the Spires. This trail is less-trafficked than the very popular Sylvan Lake trailhead. Also unique, this trail near its origin plays host to the only small stand of Limber Pine in the Black Hills and for hundreds of miles around.

Christy G

Relatively short trail, but difficult in spots. Wonderful views. Definitely worth scrabbling over some rocky places to get to the top

Keegan Foose

Didnt stay in Custer state park very long, but what we saw of it was absolutely gorgeous. The pinnacle of our trip was definently the Cathedral spires. Short little hike in the woods with some pretty good views which eventually open up to the Spires, and experiencing them will show you why they got their name. If your in the area exploring Wind Cave, or Badlands make sure to stop here

braniff smith

Beautiful hike

Christopher Chiller

A little rough, but beautiful.

Adam Underwood

Great short but steep hike. Quick up and back, take an experienced hiker less than a hour and a half. Shaded in the beginning with great views of the spires at the end. Dog friendly!

Ellendea Nowak

Amazing!

Pauravi Gandhi

Very scenic and beautiful

Rebecca Kellems

Beautiful amazing

Tom Neely

Never seen anything like it

Nancy Canterbury

Worth it.

Ruby Roberts

Beautiful drive all the way through the park

Julie Parrish

The spires here are absolutely beautiful. The whole landscape is awe-inspiring it was very busy as we were there during the motorcycle rally but everyone loves seeing this area

Daniel Stokes

Must see part of the Black Hills area. Bring sturdy hiking shoes, water bottle, and camera for some great scenery. Pretty busy on the weekends. Parking can be tough to get. Be prepared to park and walk when it's busy

Rose Weeks

Lovely short hike. Great substitute if you or your group is not up for the black elk hike. Also can easily combine with little devil's tower.

paul baldwin

Amazing

Lance Lindbloom

Great hike and beautiful view.

Chris Davis

Beautiful spot for pictures here. A great hike filled with some fun challenges along the way.

blessing omoyemen

A sight to behold

Charles Hulsizer

Beautiful hike, not too difficult, only about an hour

Wendy S

Worth the visit. Show up early in the day to avoid crowds

Brett Slater

Awesome rock formations and really fun hiking!

Cassius Gates

GORGEOUS scenery and rock formations.

PJ Dever

Awesome! Great hike. Go early morning.

Ryan Lebeda

It’s a beautiful area to hike. The parking is on a tight bend in the road but is right next to the trail. Our young kids were able to manage about a two mile round trip. There are some great areas to get some nice panoramic photos.

Kristoffer Short

This is a well kept up trail, I personally normally use this trail to get to little devil's tower which has a great view

Nick Abraham

One of the most beautiful spots in the hills

Boondox RV

If you like the views from the Needles Highway you will love the views from the hike. Takes you up and in persons with what you're looking at from the highway. Not too difficult of a hike.

Cassie DeRocher

The trail is about 2.5 miles, it's a great little hike with some mountain climbing....climbing some rocks. Also, trees have fallen so there is some climbing over those as well.

Keith J

Beautiful and amazing, the trails are strenuous, but well worth the effort.

Catherine Piccione

Spectacular views. It's magical.

David McNEILL

Awesome place just to be

Hildred SunBear

A great place to visit. Definitely will be going back to visit

James Griffus

If you love nature; you owe it to yourself to visit this place

Ricky Brown

Nice walk and the site was amazing

DavidandTia Fontenot

Take water and a walking stick and do it! Take your time and enjoy it.

Paige Schartz

Great hike, with an anti climatic finish

Heather Hettinger

Amazing hike. Not super easy, but my 5 year old had no problem.

Scott Green

Very cool hike with spectacular views of the Spires and Black Hills. Sylvan Lake near by is also worth a stop and you can hike along it too!

John Bauer

Gorgeous

Paul Pasker

Beautiful hike. Trail had some challenging areas, but overall not too difficult. Parking was awful. Not many spaces and around a sharp bend which caused traffic issues as well.

Ron Mottl

Loved it, great place to hike!!

Jarrod Owsley

Awesome views.

Dennis Fuerst

God's work in His creation.

Roman Buchberger

Something that you can't normally see

cyndy swanson

Awesome rock formations. I'd never hiked on such sparkly trails (due to the high levels of mica).

Suzzette Grisham

Pictures don't do it justice. Beautiful drive and scenic byway.

Elisabeth Ewing

Beatiful scenic hwy nice hike with photography opportunities.

Charles Vitton

Great

Tony

Give yourself plenty of time to appreciate the views!

Shannon Williams

Such a beautiful trail. Loved pulling over and snapping photos.

margaret santangelo

Awesome

David Schenk

Short, moderately challenging hike with a reasonably steep section in the middle. It levels out near the top and the view is great.

Nathan Byrne

Beautiful trail leading to the backend of the spires. A good view of the front of the spires isn’t really possible while on the trail. The best view of the front is probably from the trailhead parking lot. Not too strenuous, a little steep at times. It’s a short hike that can be done round trip in an hour if you’re physically fit. Some portions of the trail are just big rocks. I wouldn’t recommend it for people that have trouble walking. The best views to be had on the trail are when you reach the flat meadow when the trail splits into different paths (near the end). All of that meadow is gorgeous with 360° views of spires all around you.

Bruce Heilbrun

Great hike. Saw a man goat along the trail.

Tom Zale

It was beautiful driving the narrow roads around the mountains seeing these peaks, these pointed narrow spires. It's always nice to see nature and landscapes in a manner we rarely get the opportunity to see

Trista Lindstrom

This was great, it took a really long time to find the needle's point, but the journey there was worth it. We also saw mountain goats, and lots of amazing overlooks. Then we found a beautiful lake not far from there, with amazing rocks, and there was a rainbow over the lake so the whole vista was pretty spectacular.

Stephen Smith

Awesome formation

JM Rowe

Beautiful and worth the hike.

Les Gunnink

One of the more difficult walkes but good

Chris Safford

This us a very nice hike. I would rate it as moderate to hard since there are a few steep sections but it is worth the effort. Trail us well marked.

Rob

Trail is not as tough as suggested if comparing to Big Horn or Rocky Mountain. Yes there are a couple of tough spots less than 50yrds that are steps. Get past those and you are on your way to a great view.

Adam Haner

2 mile hike round trip - Fun hike. Slightly treacherous in the snow and a bit difficult climbing boulders near the end. But the views of the needles at the end are fantastic.

Jordan Salisbury

Awesome hike! Definitely not the easiest hike, but nothing too hard. It took us 45 minutes or so to get to the end. We spent over 30 minutes exploring the area, and we only took 25 to 30 minutes on the way down. It is true that the end of the hike is NOT a much of a sweeping viewpoint. I truly think that the purpose of this hike is to see the amazing spires and to explore a bit. I was able to clearly see Harney Peak after scrambling around some rocks. We also saw some deer on our hike. They were totally unfazed by us. The picture I took was from 30 to 40 feet away. Overall, I would hike this again and again.

Tom

Great trail, awesome views.

Larry Ganschow

Scenic beauty beyond my expectations.

Alan Weissman

Wow, beautiful

Elaine Grace

Amazing!

Ira Mitchell

Gorgeous. Need to come back when it’s not snowing.