South Dakota's High Point - Harney Peak (alt. 7,242 feet)
Posted by: 
Geoboss
N 43° 51.966 W 103° 31.866
13T E 618032 N 4858049
The highest point in South Dakota! Not only is Harney Peak the tallest point of this plains state, but it also has the distinction of being the highest point east of the Rocky Mountains and west of the Pyrenees Mountains in Europe.
Waymark Code: WMB0PT
Location: South Dakota, United States
Date Posted: 03/20/2011
Views: 30
The peak was named in the late 1850s by Lieutenant Gouverneur K. Warren in honor of General William S. Harney, who was commander of the military in the Black Hills area in the late 1870s. Board on Geographic Names Decision: Harney Peak (1906)
The first European Americans believed to have reached the summit were a party led by General George Armstrong Custer in 1874, during the Black Hills expedition. Custer, along with five other men rode on horseback much of the way, and Custer forced his mount higher after the others in his party had dismounted, which one of the party, engineer W. H. Wood, later described as "cruel."
Harney Peak is the site of the Sioux Native American Black Elk's "Great Vision" which he received when nine years old and the site to which he returned as an old man, accompanied by writer John Neihardt, who popularized the medicine man in his book Black Elk Speaks.
Neihardt recorded Black Elk's words regarding his vision as follows: “I was standing on the highest mountain of them all, and round about beneath me was the whole hoop of the world,” he is quoted as saying in Neihardt's book. “And while I stood there I saw more than I can tell and I understood more than I saw; for I was seeing in a sacred manner the shapes of all things in the spirit, and the shape of all shapes as they must live together like one being.”
The summit can be reached by following the trails either from Sylvan Lake, Camp Remington, Highway 244, Palmer Creek Rd., Mount Rushmore, or Horse Thief Lake.
From the trailhead at Sylvan Lake (located within Custer State Park) to the summit and back is about 6 miles (9.7 km). This is the shortest, least strenuous, and most popular route. No permit is for use of the first portion of the trail. However, the United States Forest Service requires hikers to obtain a permit at a self-service kiosk located at the entrance to the Black Elk Wilderness area, en route to the summit.
An abandoned fire lookout tower is situated on the summit. A plaque at the base of the tower reads "Valentine McGillycuddy, Wasicu Wacan", marking the grave of Valentine McGillycuddy.
State/Province/County/Territory etc.: Pennington County/South Dakota
Elevation: 7242
Elevation Measurement: Feet
Access: Hiking Trail/Foot Path
Fee: Yes
If Yes How Much?: 5.00 (listed in local currency)
Related URL (If available): [Web Link]
|
Visit Instructions:
To log a high point, post a photo of you and your GPS, or just your GPS at the high point. If there is a sign noting that it is a high point, be sure to include that in the photo.