Samelias Trailhead Hikes

I was driving back to Rapid City on Highway 16 after doing some hikes in Custer State Park, and a sign I usually tune out caught my eye. It was a Black Hills Forest sign for Samelias Trailhead, which I had never heard of before. After looking it up on AllTrails, I found a couple of different hikes from the trailhead. Both were great, but I particularly enjoyed the Empire Mine.

The Details

Hike Distance

  • Centennial Trail via Samelias Trailhead: Officially listed as 3.6 mi (5.8 km) out and back, I went about 4.4 mi (7.08 km) after wandering around in some places.
  • Empire Mine: AllTrails has a distance of 4.2 mi (6.76 km) out and back. Exploring the mine site brought my distance to roughly 4.6 mi (7.4 km).

Hike Duration

  • Centennial Trail via Samelias Trailhead: Allow for 1.5-2 hours
  • Empire Mine: 2-2.5 hours. Your time will vary depending on how long you explore the ruins.

Hike Difficulty

  • Centennial Trail via Samelias Trailhead: Moderate
  • Empire Mine: Moderate

These trails have a couple of spots with an incline of a decent distance to cover.

Hike Elevation Gain

  • Centennial Trail via Samelias Trailhead: 751 ft (229 m)
  • Empire Mine: 751 ft (229 m)

Parking: A looped parking lot is available off of Highway 16. There is a board showing Centennial Trail and its various trailheads in the middle. For purposes of this post, only one of the trails described is part of Centennial.

Cost: Free

Coordinates to Parking and Trailhead: The gravel road to take you to the lot is at about 43.92733281572798, -103.48697960016216. You can also type in Samelias Trailhead, which will get you close.

The beginning of these trails starts at the cattle gate. You’ll walk straight past it to start your journey.

Side Note: Cows are prevalent in this area, so Ole Bessie may block the trail and refuse to move or lay down a fresh pie.

Sign in the middle of the parking lot
Gate where the trail starts

Centennial Trail via Samelias Trailhead

Shortly after starting the trail, there is a fork. Go right and continue straight ahead. The path is a mixture of dirt walking through some overgrowth and wider dirt paths with large rocks. Early on in the trail is an incline, but it’s not too bad. Eventually, a heavily forested area emerges, leading to a sense of seclusion even though the highway isn’t far away. The day I hiked this, I was the only one on the trail.

  • Fork – Go right
  • Steep rocky incline
  • Walking amongst pine trees

This trail has a mixture of pole and diamond markers affixed to trees. They’ll have 89 on them, indicating the Centennial Trail. Unfortunately, since it’s part of the Centennial, there isn’t anything marking the trail’s end. However, a large rock formation that appears is an excellent place to conclude and turn back. If following the AllTrails map, it shows the trail going a bit further, but there isn’t much to see after the rock formation unless you’re planning to hike a lot more.

  • Diamond tree marker
  • Pole marker
  • Rock formation
  • View from the trail

I enjoyed the trail because it’s not nearly as busy as the more popular hikes often heard of around the area. Plus, I felt a bit disconnected from the world since it’s a quiet trail and nobody else was on it.

Here is the recording of this hike.

Empire Mine via Samelias Trailhead

Now it’s time for a bit of history and exploration. You’ll begin the same way, but at the fork, go left. I suggest using AllTrails to track your route since this trail doesn’t have any markers.

The early portion of this trek is amongst several birch and aspen trees. If it’s anything like when I was there, you’ll have cows keeping you company along the way. Watch out for cow poop. At the end of this portion is an open area. Take a right to continue downhill. At the bottom, instead of continuing straight, take a sharp left where there are ATV and other vehicle tracks (assuming they are visible). Continue ahead until the remains of an old brick building and a tree with a sign posted appears. This is your first stop.

  • Walking amongst the trees
  • Trail to the bottom after emerging from the trees
  • Sign posted to tree
  • Old brick building

Exploring the old mine area

To get to the old mine area, walk up the hill nearby. A small trail emerges just before the tree with the sign that was passed earlier. Depending on the time of year, it might be difficult to spot because of the long grass. Keep walking up until a large copper funnel is spotted. When I say large, I mean giant. You can’t miss it. It took me by surprise. Continue walking past this, and eventually, a large wooden structure can be spotted. Walk around this area to find the remains of several old buildings. Just be careful as there are some pits and other random debris around.

  • Trail up to the mine area
  • Copper funnel
  • Old canister
  • Large wooden structure

The trek isn’t strenuous. However, there are a couple of uphill portions. Take your time to explore as there is plenty to see. I’m sure I missed some stuff, but I plan to go back and see what else is in the area.

You can find my Empire Mine recording here.

Looking for other hikes in the Black Hills? Check out these: