If you've already worked your way through the South Dakota day-hike checklist, this is the list for what comes next. We ranked the state's hardest trails using a composite of difficulty tag (hard or expert), distance, and elevation gain, drawing from the 847 mapped South Dakota trails in our database. These ten routes are reserved for hikers with the gear, the navigation skills, and the honesty about their own limits to tackle them safely.
South Dakota's Black Hills in the west (with Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park, and Wind Cave) and the Badlands provide quietly serious hiking terrain. A full Centennial Trail thru-hike and a Black Hills loop including Black Elk Peak are the state's defining objectives. Lightning on exposed peaks, bison in Custer SP and Wind Cave NP, and rattlesnakes in the lower Badlands.
Our rankings here are data-driven — pulled from the 847 mapped entries OutsideAtlas tracks in South Dakota — but the data has limits worth being honest about. A composite score weights expert and hard difficulty tags alongside total mileage and elevation gain. The result favors long, vertically aggressive routes with documented technical sections — there are surely tougher off-trail objectives in the state, but those are outside the scope of a trail directory.
The Ranking
Ranked from #1 to #7. Click through any entry for the full trail page — map, elevation profile, weather forecast, and direct OpenStreetMap source link.
#1. Old Baldy Summit Trail
Old Baldy Summit Trail sits near Spearfish in Lawrence County and is rated hard — our pick for the toughest trail on the list. Tagged hard in OpenStreetMap. Local trail-association reports tend to agree this is one of the better-maintained options in the area, which matters more on a hike of this length than on a quick walk. Best attempted by hikers comfortable with long days, route-finding when the path gets faint, and weather that can turn fast. Not a casual outing. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Old Baldy Summit Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#2. Presidential Trail
Presidential Trail sits near Hill City in Pennington County and is rated hard — the #2 entry in a roster of hikes you don't take lightly. Expect concrete surface on a genuinely demanding grade. The route is well documented in OpenStreetMap, which is what put it on our radar — community-mapped routes tend to be the ones that get hiked enough to stay open. A paved surface makes this one of the more accessible options on the list — good for strollers, mobility aids, and wet-weather days. Best attempted by hikers comfortable with long days, route-finding when the path gets faint, and weather that can turn fast. Not a casual outing. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Presidential Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#3. Presidential Trail
Presidential Trail sits near Hill City in Pennington County and is rated hard — the #3 entry in a roster of hikes you don't take lightly. Expect wood surface on a genuinely demanding grade. It earns its ranking on the data, but trail conditions can change quickly after storms or fire seasons, so verify before you commit a full day. Best attempted by hikers comfortable with long days, route-finding when the path gets faint, and weather that can turn fast. Not a casual outing. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Presidential Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#4. Presidential Trail
Presidential Trail sits near Hill City in Pennington County and is rated hard — the #4 entry in a roster of hikes you don't take lightly. Expect wood surface on a genuinely demanding grade. Compared to similar trails in South Dakota, this route trades difficulty for either solitude or scenery — sometimes both. Best attempted by hikers comfortable with long days, route-finding when the path gets faint, and weather that can turn fast. Not a casual outing. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Presidential Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#5. Saddle Pass Trail
Saddle Pass Trail sits near Interior in Jackson County and is rated hard — the #5 entry in a roster of hikes you don't take lightly. Tagged hard in OpenStreetMap. What makes this one earn its spot on the list is the combination of mapped detail and the kind of through-and-through experience that justifies a longer drive. Best attempted by hikers comfortable with long days, route-finding when the path gets faint, and weather that can turn fast. Not a casual outing. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Saddle Pass Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#6. Saddle Pass Trail
Saddle Pass Trail sits near Interior in Jackson County and is rated hard — the #6 entry in a roster of hikes you don't take lightly. Expect dirt surface on a genuinely demanding grade. Local trail-association reports tend to agree this is one of the better-maintained options in the area, which matters more on a hike of this length than on a quick walk. The natural-surface tread can get slick after rain and muddy in spring — pick a dry weather window if you have the flexibility. Best attempted by hikers comfortable with long days, route-finding when the path gets faint, and weather that can turn fast. Not a casual outing. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Saddle Pass Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#7. Saddle Pass Trail
Saddle Pass Trail sits near Interior in Jackson County and is rated hard — the #7 entry in a roster of hikes you don't take lightly. Expect wood surface on a genuinely demanding grade. The route is well documented in OpenStreetMap, which is what put it on our radar — community-mapped routes tend to be the ones that get hiked enough to stay open. Best attempted by hikers comfortable with long days, route-finding when the path gets faint, and weather that can turn fast. Not a casual outing. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Saddle Pass Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.Planning your South Dakota trip
A few pieces of context are worth keeping in mind specifically for South Dakota. May-October is the practical window; winters bring serious cold and blizzards; afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer. Lightning on exposed peaks, bison in Custer SP and Wind Cave NP, and rattlesnakes in the lower Badlands.
Always cross-reference the official land-manager page before driving out — closures, fire restrictions, and seasonal road access can change quickly. Our trail pages link directly back to the OpenStreetMap source so you can see the tags we're working from.
If you're new to hiking generally, our beginner's guide covers footwear, layering, and the day-pack basics. For safety planning on bigger objectives, the ten essentials guide is worth twenty minutes of reading.
More South Dakota hiking guides
If you found this useful, the rest of our South Dakota coverage continues below.
- Top 10 longest trails in South Dakota — Multi-day routes and through-hikes ranked by distance.
- Steepest trails in South Dakota — Hikes with the most elevation gain in the state.
- Best beginner hikes in South Dakota — Easy, well-marked trails for first-time hikers.
- Best national parks in South Dakota — Federal parks and recreation areas ranked.
- Best waterfall hikes in South Dakota — Trails leading to named falls, ranked by accessibility.
- Best dog-friendly hikes in South Dakota — Where leashed dogs are explicitly welcome.
- Best family hikes in South Dakota — Short, easy trails sized for kids and grandparents.
Rankings like this are starting points, not verdicts. Trail conditions change, new routes get tagged, and what was the toughest trail in South Dakota last year might not be next year. We refresh these articles when the underlying data shifts meaningfully.
Got a correction, a route we missed, or a question? Drop us a note via the contact page. We read every email and we'd rather hear it from you than miss it.
