After driving down from North Dakota the day before and staying in Hill City overnight, I was at the Sylvan Lake trailhead for an early start. Sylvan Lake is probably the most beautiful trailhead of any highpoint, but I didn't spend much time admiring the view until after I returned from my attempt to reach the summit of Harney Peak.

Harney Peak's lookout tower.

I started off down trail #9 as the sky grew lighter, and I came to realize that this morning was going to be cloudy. However, the scenery alongside the trail was interesting, and I enjoyed the large boulders and mix of pine and aspen trees.

The trail climbed up a hill side, and the sky was still clear enough that I could make out Harney Peak and the summit lookout tower. It seemed much further away than the few miles of trail that I knew separated us.

After these few brief views, the trail descends again and then climbs through forest until reaching the tower. A set of stairs takes you to the top of the rock base and the lookout tower itself. Unfortunately, I couldn't see anything besides the summit, as the clouds had congregated around the summit while I had climbed up.

A few groups who had backpacked out for the night were arriving at the summit, so I left the crowds and took trail #4 back to Sylvan Lake. Trail #4 is only slightly longer, but it passes alongside the Cathedral Spires, impressive rock formations that are a popular rock climbing area.

The nearby Cathedral Spires.

After arriving back at the trailhead, I headed off for some quick hiking in the Badlands National Park, then on to Iowa's Hawkeye Point.

The beautiful Sylvan Lake trailhead.