Black Hills National Forest · South Dakota, Wyoming

Willow Creek #8

2.6 mi loop · about 350 ft of climbing · 5,018 ft–5,297 ft · native material surface · trail No. 8 · trail class 3 · typical grade 12-20% · tread 18-24 inches wide · hiking, horse, bike · seasonal: hiking 04/01-11/30

5,018 ft 5,031 ft · 2.5 mi high 5,297 ft

Trailhead Willow Creek Trailhead 5,021 ft Drive there

Willow Creek Trailhead the Forest Service's write-up

Riders and hikers often use the Willow Creek Trail to access Mount Rushmore National Memorial. It descends west to east, with one creek crossing.

This trailhead on fs.usda.gov

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About this trail's facts

The lines are the US Forest Service's National Forest System trails layer (public domain), read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end, and the class, surface, grade and tread width are the forest's own entries where it publishes them - a forest that publishes the centreline alone has none. The trailheads and the points along the way are the Service's recreation points, and the write-ups its own recarea text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the forest's own site before you go.