Kelly Flats (260.31 miles away)
Rustic, Colorado
Custer Peak
Scout Route
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Custer Peak is home to the Custer Peak Lookout Tower, a fire watch tower originally built in 1911. Custer Peak begins off Highway 385, about 10 miles south of the town of Lead. FR-216 is a well-maintained gravel road until closer to the summit.
The trail passes Mystic Hills Hideaway and Campground. While dispersed camping is allowed in the Black Hills National Forest, there are no good spots along Custer Peak Road, and there is no camping allowed at the peak. Mystic Hills Hideaway features 12 cabins and rental units and 70 full hookup sites, including big rig campsites capable of accommodating toy haulers and large RVs and camping spots reserved for summer-long campers.
To reach the peak, continue past Mystic Hills Hideaway until FR-216 merges into FR-216.2 While still Custer Peak Road, FR-216.2 is noticeably rougher with moderately steep inclines, ledges, and loose softball to football-sized rocks. At the top, there's a small parking area with a portable toilet. A short hike on the nearby well-marked trail takes you to the tower with a 360-degree view of the surrounding Black Hills.
