Norbeck a complex natural geography
Topography makes the 34,255 acres of the Norbeck Wildlife Preserve a special piece of ground.
The granite giant called Harney Peak — at 7,242 feet the highest point in the Black Hills — is the centerpiece of the preserve.
Harney Peak is surrounded by the Black Elk Wilderness Area, which is contained within the Norbeck. The Black Elk — the only wilderness in the Black Hills — includes granite outcroppings of Cathedral Spires, the Needles and Elkhorn Mountain.
A dozen or more streams drain the central granite core, cutting their way through rocky spires to the valleys and meadows of the Norbeck’s periphery, creating micro-environments found nowhere else in the Black Hills.
Tens of thousands of hikers, horseback riders and rock climbers use more than 30 miles of trails inside the Norbeck each year.
Millions of motorists can drive the periphery of the Norbeck on Needles Highway, Iron Mountain Road, Palmer Gulch Road and other roads on the officially designated Norbeck Scenic Byway.
The Norbeck preserve also includes a chunk of Custer State Park, which in turn includes Sylvan Lake.
And finally, the preserve surrounds Mount Rushmore National Memorial.
A study concluded that “the most valuable habitat that exists within the Norbeck today is the large contiguous block of late-seral forest with rare large old-legacy trees from the pre-Euro-American settlement period.”
Peter Norbeck Visitor Center in Custer State Park witnesses around 70,000 guests each summer. Many visitors stop for programs and family-related activities.
The facility, along U.S. Highway 16A near the State Game Lodge and Grace Coolidge General Store, operates from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily during the summer.
For camping reservations, call 1-800-710-CAMP (2267) or go online to www.campsd.com. Cabins, historic lodge rooms and motel units are available through the Custer State Park Resort Company. Call 1-800-658-3530 for prices, availability and to make reservations for lodging at the resorts.
For more information about Custer State Park, call the visitor center at 605-255-4464 or go to www.sdgfp.info/Parks/Regions/Custer/index.htm.