We are two women from Wisconsin who are crazy about trail riding. My friend, Phyllis Anderson, grew up in the cornfields of Nebraska riding ponies. Unfortunately, Phyllis got married and took 46 years off from riding with the exception of an annual trek to visit her brother near Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and to ride the Grand Tetons.
I grew up in Wisconsin, and raise Morgans and "Mor-Asses" (Morgan-bred mules). The herd had grown large, so three years ago, a mutual friend suggested that Phyllis might find a horse to ride.
Phyllis fell in love with Charlie, nicknamed "the couch" for his smooth gaits. He's now 19 years old. His half-brother, Higgins, turned 3 years old just one month prior to this trip. He has exceptional physical and mental strength, which convinced me that he'd handle the mountains.
I first rode in the Rocky Mountains in August 2001. Every summer thereafter, I returned to ride the Rockies: Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Montana. It was time to return to South Dakota and Wyoming. Phyllis had the time available.
Black Hills Trails
Broken Arrow Campground is a new horse camp near Custer, South Dakota; it's surrounded by the Black Hills National Forest. It offers covered pens, full hookups, trail access from camp, plus a rental trailer to get to other trailheads.
The Black Hills area has miles of marked, fairly easy trails. We rode three hours from the campground to the Blue Bell Lodge in Custer State Park for lunch.
Another day, we hauled 24 miles to the Willow Creek Trailhead on Highway 244. From there, we rode Trail #9 to Harney Peak (elevation 7,242 feet), which took 2½ hours. Harney Peak is a historic fire lookout that offers spectacular views.
The final mile has numerous switchbacks and rocks, but isn't dangerous. Near the top are rope tie rails to secure horses. We hiked the rest of the way on stone and then metal stairs. It was worth the ride!
We took another day ride from the Iron Creek Trailhead on the north side of Custer State Park heading north on the Centennial Trail #89 and then to Blackberry Trail to Mount Rushmore, which took two hours. The last half-mile is steep and requires climbing over and around large rocks, but it's doable!
At Mount Rushmore (www.mtrushmore.net), there are pipe rails to tie horses located in a secluded area at the far edge of the gravel parking lot. I'd advise driving rather than riding to fully tour the monument and museum. We continued from Mount Rushmore north on the Centennial Trail to Big Pine Trailhead on Highway 244, which took 2½ hours.
We spent Phyllis' 68th birthday in a helicopter touring the Black Hills sites: Crazy Horse, Mount Rushmore, Needles Highway, Horse Thief Lake, Cathedral Spires, Harney Peak, and a herd of buffalo. There are plenty of shops and restaurants to explore in Custer and Hill City.
