South Dakota News, Events and Travel Tips

Custer State Park trail to Harney Peak reopens

Back in October, I posted about the Forest Service’s decision to temporarily close some popular Black Hills hiking trails so that work crews could thin trees plagued by pine beetles.

The state Department of Game, Fish and Parks announced this week that Trail No. 9 to Harney Peak, which begins at Custer State Park, has been re-opened. The department said that Trail No. 4 remains closed but should be reopened by summer.

Meanwhile, the pine beetle problem continues. Check out the photo below from the Forest Service, which appeared recently in The Daily Republic.

 An aerial photo taken in September shows the damage caused by pine beetles in the vicinity of South Dakota’s Harney Peak in the Black Hills. The discolored trees have been killed by the beetles. (Beth Steinhauer/Black Hills National Forest Photo)

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