Is it worth hiking

The Cathedral Spires Trail was a highly memorable one. We’ve never seen these unique rock spires before. It felt enchanting; like we were on another planet when we saw this metropolis of rock spires. The hike itself was enjoyable and straightforward. Just a beautiful palette of pine green, brown and blue skies. We even had a little fun at the end where we climbed on top of some of the shorter size spires to sit on. We did a few hikes whilst in South Dakota and the Cathedral Spires Trail was the one we enjoyed the most.

The main “wow factor” of the trail is at the end point where you’ll be in an open space surrounded by formations of these rock spires. It’s a really incredible feeling and view to take in. We had the place to ourselves which added more to the experience. The trail leading up to the end point was incredibly beautiful as well. We were fortunate to have clear blue skies whilst being surrounded by lush pine trees and mountains enveloping us.

As mentioned earlier, we’ve never seen these kinds of rock spires before on our travels. It was quite a unique sight for us to behold. We’d venture and say these kinds of rock formations aren’t too common amongst hikes. Therefore, we felt it was a more unique experience when compared to our previous hikes.

The hike itself is free, however you’ll need to purchase a South Dakota “Park Entrance License”. Based on our circumstances we paid $25 as of writing this. We used the official state website and got our license via the “online option”. It’s required to get a parking license if you’re parking a vehicle to do the hike. Technically you can drive through the park without a license only if you’re driving through non-stop. We’d recommend getting the license to avoid any issues with rangers and it also helps support the park. And because the license allows you access to the entire park, your purchase, in theory, should have good return on investment because there are a lot of other activities at Custer State Park. So there’s ROI upside on the parking pass. This made our hiking experience enjoyable from a cost perspective because we felt it was justifiable and that we’re getting good value.

The hike itself is a relatively shorter one ranging between 1 to 1.5 hours one way to the main finishing point. They’ll have a sign where it marks the end of the trail. The trail itself ranges from 1 to 3 miles long. Whilst we enjoyed the hike, it felt slightly short. Once you’re at the finishing point there’s not too much to do besides enjoying the area. But it’s great if you’re looking for a shorter hike. We felt it could’ve been a tad longer, but that’s out of nature’s control.

Hiking the Cathedral Spires Trail shouldn’t be overly challenging or exerting for most people on average. We’d think it’s below moderate for most people overall assuming you take necessary breaks. There are some rocky bits to navigate through that have some incline but most of the path has a man-made trail that you simply follow. We didn’t feel overly tired by the end of the hike. We felt quite rewarded by the experience overall. We were in awe of the beauty and appreciative of the opportunity to partake in this hike.

The Cathedral Spires Trail was not dangerous for us. You’re hiking on mostly flat forest land. There are some parts of the trail that are a bit vertical to get over some rocky parts, but it felt stable and safe. We personally had no encounters with dangerous wildlife, such as bears or mountain lions. It is rare to encounter them and depends on the time and season.

During our hiking experience we, at most, encountered 4 people early in the morning. Most people passed by and said hello. We felt incredibly safe during the hike from our experience. At most you should practice basic safety precautions and be aware of your surroundings.

The main issue that could affect the hike is the weather. You’ll have to drive through winding, narrow roads to get to the trailhead. So depending on weather it could affect your ability to transport to the trailhead. While we were there in late October we didn’t have any severe weather that prohibited our ability to get to the trailhead and do the hike.

The Cathedral Spires hike can be accessible for most people. While there isn’t any wheelchair accessibility, the hike is not overly vertical with a heavy incline. In fact some of the people we encountered on the trail were older couples who seemed to be going on a leisurely hike. The hike doesn’t require advanced technical skill to partake. There are some vertical parts that involve stone steps, but for most people it is straightforward to navigate through.

You will most likely need a car to get to the trailhead. As mentioned earlier, you’ll have to go through these winding and narrow switchbacks that can feel a bit dodgy at first, but are generally safe. We drove from Rapid City which was about an hour away to the trailhead. However, if you’re staying in Custer for example, then the drive is much shorter (~25 mins), which should improve your transportation ease.

Partaking in the Cathedral Spires hike was very straightforward and easy to execute. The main efforts are buying the parking license, driving through the switchbacks and finding parking. After that, you’re all set ready for your hike. It was very straightforward. We bought our parking pass from the official state park website. They have several ways to purchase such as online or at certain state park booths/kiosks, etc.