Cicero Peak
For all who like a peak with a well-defined route on a steady grade, this is a sure bet. The former site of a fire lookout tower is now home to a radio tower, but regular vehicles do not often make the trip to the summit. Normally, the only kind of vehicle traffic hikers will encounter might be a few ATV’s. Sometimes there are horseback riders or geocachers on the mountain too. This summit in the central Black Hills often gets overlooked as a hiking destination because of all the other nearby attractions, like Harney Peak, Little Devils Tower, Mount Coolidge, the Black Elk Wilderness and Custer State Park trails.
Most of the road is shaded for a majority of the day. Mid-day in the summer will see enough direct overhead sun to make a hike at that time period kind of uncomfortable. Hikers will gain around 500 feet in altitude over the 1.6 mile route to the summit. Views at the summit are somewhat obscured in places, due to all the trees. But, one can see Black Elk Peak, Mount Coolidge, Little Devils Tower, Mount Rushmore and other summits. Beecher Rock, known for its unique shape, is readily visible to the west.
Cicero Peak Road can be reached from Custer, by traveling east on Highway 16A. Just outside town, turn right (south) on Sidney Park Road and travel about 4 miles to Flynn Creek Road. The pavement ends at that intersection, so it is hard to miss. That is also the location for Broken Arrow Campground. At Flynn Creek Road (Road 336), turn left (east) and travel just over 2 miles to Cicero Peak Road (on the right). You can park anywhere along the side of the road, just so long as you do not impede traffic. The big logging trucks rolling by will give everyone extra incentive not to be careless about how they park. The forest service closes the road to motorized traffic from December 15 to May 15. A route map is included in the photos below.
Most of the road is shaded for a majority of the day. Mid-day in the summer will see enough direct overhead sun to make a hike at that time period kind of uncomfortable. Hikers will gain around 500 feet in altitude over the 1.6 mile route to the summit. Views at the summit are somewhat obscured in places, due to all the trees. But, one can see Black Elk Peak, Mount Coolidge, Little Devils Tower, Mount Rushmore and other summits. Beecher Rock, known for its unique shape, is readily visible to the west.
Cicero Peak Road can be reached from Custer, by traveling east on Highway 16A. Just outside town, turn right (south) on Sidney Park Road and travel about 4 miles to Flynn Creek Road. The pavement ends at that intersection, so it is hard to miss. That is also the location for Broken Arrow Campground. At Flynn Creek Road (Road 336), turn left (east) and travel just over 2 miles to Cicero Peak Road (on the right). You can park anywhere along the side of the road, just so long as you do not impede traffic. The big logging trucks rolling by will give everyone extra incentive not to be careless about how they park. The forest service closes the road to motorized traffic from December 15 to May 15. A route map is included in the photos below.
A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense. Proverbs 19:11