Summit Ridge Lookout Cabin

Summit Ridge Cabin is located near the border of Wyoming in southwestern South Dakota on the Black Hills National Forest, providing a perfect setting for guests seeking recreation and relaxation. Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, the cabin was originally used as housing for personnel who staffed the adjacent forest fire lookout tower. At an elevation of 6,096 feet, it can receive considerable snowfall, and the roads to the cabin are not plowed, so generally it is not accessible from December through March. The area around the cabin is remote, yet offers visitors a multitude of recreational opportunities throughout all seasons. Hiking, hunting, fishing, horseback riding, mountain biking and riding off-highway vehicles are popular in summer and early autumn, while snowshoeing, skiing and snowmobiling offer a chance to seek out winter landscapes. For hikers and bikers, the George S. Mickelson Trail near Custer, South Dakota, approximately 40 miles from the cabin, traverses over 100 miles through the heart of the Black Hills, with four tunnels, more than 100 converted railroad bridges and 15 established trailheads spaced along the route. The trail surface is packed gravel, traversing mountain, meadow and forest terrain. The cabin measures 22 by 32 feet and is comfortable for four people, though groups as large as ten may use the facility. It is furnished with three bunk beds, but bedding and mattresses are not provided. There is a propane stove for cooking, a wood stove for heat and an outdoor fire ring; guests must provide the propane. Visitors must also bring their own food, cooking utensils, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, towels, dish soap, matches, pots and pans, toilet paper, garbage bags, firewood, and water for cooking, washing and drinking, as there is no drinking water available at this site. Although solar LED lighting is available, an additional light source is recommended, and kerosene lamps are not permitted for fire safety reasons. An accessible vault toilet is located on site, and a steel firetower stands near the cabin but is closed to public use. There are also 2 RV sites, allowing RVs up to 20 and 30 feet. Located in western South Dakota and northeastern Wyoming, the Black Hills National Forest encompasses nearly 1.25 million acres of rugged rock formations, canyons and gulches, open grassland parks, tumbling streams, deep blue lakes and unique caves. Derived from the Lakota language, the words Paha Sapa, meaning hills that are black, honor the dark, pine-covered hills rising several thousand feet above the surrounding prairie. Situated in a grassy understory beneath Ponderosa pine, the area around the cabin exemplifies this landscape. Wildlife abounds: bighorn sheep navigate mountainous terrain, while elk, deer and pronghorn gather in forests and prairies, and bald eagles, hawks, osprey, peregrine falcon and hundreds of other bird species can be found in the forest, especially along streams, lakes and rivers. Explore Mount Rushmore National Memorial, host to almost 3 million visitors a year from across the country and around the world. Managed by the National Park Service, it offers the opportunity to learn about the birth, growth, development and preservation of the United States, and to take in the beauty of South Dakota's Black Hills. South Dakota caves are some of the most unique in the United States, boasting sparkling calcite crystals and other rare formations, as well as some of the largest concentrations of passageways in the world; nearby Jewel Cave is currently the second longest in the world, at 180 miles. Other possible day trips include Custer State Park, Crazy Horse Monument and Wind Cave National Park.