Black Hills National Forest · South Dakota, Wyoming

Buzzards Loop

2.1 mi of trail, end to end · native material surface · trail No. 54F · trail class 3 · typical grade 10-12% · tread 18-24 inches wide · hiking, bike · seasonal: hiking 04/16-10/31

Trailhead Buzzards Roost Trailhead Drive there

Buzzards Roost Trailhead the Forest Service's write-up

Buzzards Roost is located approximately five miles west of Rapid City, SD and offers user friendly non-motorized trails varying in difficulty. Mountain bikers, hikers and trail runners experience dramatic 360 degree views from the rocky limestone summit of Buzzards Roost. This series of stacked loops contains about 10 miles of trails. The system was completed in 2011 with assistance from Black Hills Mountain Bike Association through the use of a volunteer agreement. Current maintenance and upkeep is being completed through Forest-wide agreements with Black Hills Trails. The late Jeramy Rogers, Mystic Ranger District Recreation Technician was instrumental in facilitating the development of the trails at Buzzards Roost. There is a trail here named “Jeramy” in his honor.

To get there: From Rapid City, travel west on Highway 44 about 5 miles. The parking area is located on the south (left) side of the Highway. Check out a georeferenced Buzzard’s Roost Map at: Georeferenced Buzzard's Roost Map (.pdf)

This trailhead on fs.usda.gov

Every trail in Black Hills National Forest

Other trails from the Buzzards Roost Trailhead

All 535 trails in Black Hills National ForestFind a trailForest on fs.usda.gov

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.