Centennial Trail - Dakota Point to Brush Creek
Dakota Point Start
What you need to know:
Length - 6.8 Miles
Water - Several small creeks, unreliable as a water source. Brush Creek gets a little bigger after the trailhead.
Water crossings - None
Camping - Black Hills National Forest Camping rules apply. Setting up your own campsite away from developed fee sites is allowed on most of the Forest for a maximum of 14 days in any 60-day period. However, around developed reservoirs and campgrounds, camping is allowed only in designated areas. General rule: Camp 100 feet away from any road, stream, or trail and 1/2 mile away from developed sites.
Trail condition - Overall, a nice easy to follow section of the trail.
Notes - A lot of Ups and downs on this section but not too bad.
Cross the road to begin the hike.
Nice and easy trail.
Cross Sheridan Lake Road to the other side.
Up and up we go.
Cross through your first fenced area.
Field of wildflowers - just gorgeous.
Nice and easy again.
Checking to make sure we turn the correct way.
Crossing the road.
Up the hill we go to cross open fields for about a mile.
Markers occasionally knocked down by cows making it easy to loose your way.
Open fields. You don’t want to get caught in this section during a storm.
Don’t miss this turn - starts to go north.
Crossed this fenced area. - The section just north of the trail was not marked really well. I did this section with my child 12 years ago and lost the trail coming the opposite way by the cow feeding area. One sign knocked down can make all the difference.
Walking in the pastures are sometimes tricky when overgrown. You need to watch out for holes in the ground from livestock.
Where the deer and the antelope and cows play.
God’s country.
Best part of summer - all the flowers.
Mile post 55 out of 111. Getting there……
See Brush Creek.
Another gate to go through.
Crossing the road again.
Made it.