Black Elk Peak (Harney Peak), South Dakota
Steven Dutch, Professor Emeritus, Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
Major Elevations in the Black hills
| Peak | Elev. Feet | Elev. Meters |
| Black Elk Peak (Harney Peak) | 7242 | 2207 |
| Odakota Mountain | 7200+ | 2195+ |
| Bear Mountain Lookout | 7172 | 2186 |
| Crooks Tower | 7137 | 2175 |
| Terry Peak | 7071 | 2155 |
| Crows Nest Peak | 7048 | 2148 |
| Sylvan Hill | 7000 | 2134 |
| Flag Mountain | 6937 | 2114 |
| Laird Peak | 6905 | 2105 |
| Custer Peak | 6804 | 2074 |
| Cement Ridge | 6674 | 2034 |
| Weston County High Point | 6620+ | 2018+ |
| Inyan Kara Mountain | 6368 | 1941 |
| Mount Rushmore | 5725 | 1745 |
| Rankin Ridge | 5013 | 1528 |
Location and Geologic Maps
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| General Location of Black Elk Peak (Harney Peak) |
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| Black Elk Peak (Harney Peak), Sylvan Lake, and the Needles |
The Needles
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The Needles are actually blades defined by closely spaced joints. They were actually the originally proposed location for Mount Rushmore. Someone approached Gutzon Borglum with the idea of carving them into a pantheon of western heroes, but the unsuitability of the granite, local opposition, and Borglum's belief that the sculpture should be of national significance caused a change in plans. |
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Left: the Needle's Eye is the result of weathering along a joint. |
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Left and below: looking south from the Needles |
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Sylvan Lake
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Sylvan Lake, one of the most popular picnic areas in the Black hills, is, like all lakes in the Black hills, artificial. |
Black Elk Peak (Harney Peak) Trail
Many "politically correct" renamings are of dubious merit, but Harney Peak was named for an officer accused of carrying out a massacre and the campaign to rename the peak somethin - antything - else took a long time. The name was finally changed in 2016.
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Left and below: Needles-like topography along the trail. |
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Views along the higher parts of the trail. |
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Harney Peak Summit
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This tablet is actually more accurate than the popular local claim that the peak is the highest point between the Rockies and the Alps. However, if "between" includes the Canadian Arctic and Greenland, or the Canary Islands, then even this claim isn't true. |
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Left: The Needles |
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Left and below: Looking south and southeast. |
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Summit Panorama
The panorama actually spans a bit more than 360 degrees. One frequent question is whether or not Devil's Tower is visible from Black Elk Peak (Harney Peak). The answer is no. Devil's Tower is located in a valley and its summit is nearly level with the valley rim, so it can only be seen from a distance looking up and down valley. The nearby Crazy Horse Memorial is likewise invisible because nearby hills block the view.
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Left: Pegmatitic feldspar on the summit Below: pitting due to chemical weathering and frost action. |
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Left and below: the summit lookout tower. |
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| Below: Various summit views | |
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The rectangular peak just right of center on the distant ridge is Mount Rushmore. |
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The Black Elk Peak (Harney Peak) parking lot. |
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Created 14 July 2003, Last Update 07 June 2020