Centennial

This is Wind Cave's chunk of the Centennial Trail, the 111-mile spine that runs the length of the Black Hills — and you're starting at the southern end, where the landscape opens up into rolling mixed-grass prairie before ducking into ponderosa pine corridors. The six miles are a one-way affair, so plan your shuttle or commit to a twelve-mile round trip that will earn its strenuous rating. You'll cross open grasslands where bison herds graze with zero regard for your hiking plans, follow Beaver Creek through shaded bottomlands, and climb through pine-studded ridges that offer long views south into the park's backcountry. The terrain shifts constantly — sun-blasted prairie one moment, cool forest the next. This trail rewards hikers who like variety in their scenery and don't mind putting in real mileage to get it.