The ’76 Trail provides excellent panoramic views of Spearfish Canyon. If you’ve ever driven through the canyon, this will allow you to take it in from a completely different vantage point. The area was once part of a longer 16-mile trail that connected Deadwood and Bear Gulch, two popular mining locations. The famous Potato Creek Johnny, a prospector credited with finding the largest gold nugget in the Black Hills, used to frequent the area as well.
The Details
Hike Distance: 1.4 mi (2.27 km) out and back
Hike Duration: It took me about 40 minutes including the time I sat at the top and a few brief rests. I’d plan for 1 to 1.5 hours depending on the number of breaks you take.
Hike Difficulty: This is a rather difficult hike due to it being almost entirely an uphill battle the entire hike. Going down can be a bit sketchy as well given the loose gravel and how steep it is.
Hike Elevation Gain: 571 ft (174 m)
Parking: You can park at the lower Roughlock Falls lot just off Roughlock Falls Road when you turn from Highway 14A. There will be signs when you’re driving in directing you to it. There is ample parking and a restroom nearby if needed. Make sure not to park in the Spearfish Canyon Lodge parking lot since it is for customers only.
Cost: Free
Coordinates to Parking and Trailhead: The easiest way is to put either Spearfish Canyon Lodge or Roughlock Falls into Google maps. From there, follow the directions in this post to get to the parking lot and trail. Typing in ’76 Trail will get you to the general area of the trailhead but it’s slightly off and can be confusing.
How to get there
From Spearfish, take Highway 14A south to drive through the canyon. Once you see the Latchstring restaurant on your left, you’ll take a right onto Roughlock Falls Rd. Follow this road to get to the parking lot mentioned above.
Hiking ’76 Trail
A large brown wooden sign indicates the trailhead for ’76 Trail behind the Roughlock Falls parking lot. Walk on Roughlock Falls Rd towards the highway and you’ll spot the sign across from the Spearfish Canyon Lodge parking lot.
The trail is a short 1.4 mile out and back, but it’s a steep climb nearly the entire time. However, there are a handful of benches on the way up if you need to stop and rest. I had to stop a few times on my way up to catch my breath. The path is a mixture of dirt and rock with some looser gravel in parts. You’ll walk amongst aspen, birch, and pine trees, as well as areas with ferns. Informational signs are posted along the way as well. Make sure to stay on the trail since there is quite a bit of poison ivy along the way.
At the top, you’ll encounter a fenced-off area with a bench to sit on. Sit at the top and admire the views. Then, enjoy the much quicker way down. Just be careful as you head to the bottom since it can be easy to lose your footing with the loose gravel. If you’d like to check out my trail recording, you can find it here.
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