City: Sturgis, SD

Category: Parks & Recreation

Telephone: (605) 347-5240

Address: Off SR 79

Description: As you drive into the area around Sturgis, you’ll see Bear Butte blue-gray in the distance. Isolated from the rest of the Black Hills by a mile or more, the mountain looks out of place, rising up from an otherwise unbroken stretch of prairie. That makes its distinctive silhouette (that of a bear sleeping on the plains) easy to spot from a distance. In fact, the peak has been guiding people to the Black Hills for millennia.This is Mato Paha, Lakota for “bear mountain.” The Cheyenne call it Noavosse (“good mountain”). For centuries it has been a place of worship, a powerful site from which to contact the holy, and a Native American landmark. Cheyenne legend tells that the prophet Sweet Medicine received four sacred arrows here and four commandments for his people to live by.It appears that Bear Butte has always been sacred. Artifacts 10,000 years old and an ancient ceremonial site have been unearthed here. Today Native Americans still climb the mountain to pray and fast, leaving medicine bundles, tobacco offerings, and ribbons as physical manifestations of their prayers. Please respect this holy site and don’t disturb the privacy of worshipers or the offerings, including rocks placed in the forks of branches, which are the traditional markers of someone’s visit.The mountain will offer you incredible views, both out over the plains and toward the Black Hills. Take all the scenic photographs you like, but do not photograph the ceremonial items, offerings, or worshipers. The signs at the trailhead ask that you walk quietly and reverently and speak in low tones. Use the same respect you would feel when touring a cathedral where the worship service is in progress, for that is what Bear Butte is.The first white men to see the mountain, and the Black Hills, were probably the Verendrye brothers, François and Louis-Joseph, French explorers who climbed Bear Butte in 1743. They called it Montagne des Gens des Cheveaux, the “Mountain of the Horse People,” because the inhabitants there (unlike some tribes of that era) had horses.In 1855 Dr. Ferdinand Hayden, a geologist, climbed Bear Butte and discovered, 600 feet up, a previously unknown flower, Anemone patens, the pasqueflower. You may find it sprouting up through melting snow. It later was designated South Dakota’s state flower. For more on this flower, see the Natural World chapter.The Teton Sioux held a great council at Bear Butte in the summer of 1857. Men from Custer’s 1874 expedition climbed it while the troops camped nearby, resting for the last leg of their trip back to Fort Lincoln. In 1880 Rev. George Pelton traveled through the area on his way to Deadwood and reported in his journal that it took “nearly three hours” to get around the mountain with horse and wagon.A pioneer’s landmark because it could be seen at such great distances, Bear Butte eventually overlooked three goldrush roads, a stage line, and Fort Meade, the military post of the Seventh Cavalry.Bear Butte State Park was created in 1961, and the mountain was named a Registered Natural Landmark in 1965. It was entered into the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, under the National Preservation Act, because of its spiritual significance to Native Americans and its importance as a landmark to early pioneers.Geologically speaking, the mountain (which is not really a butte) is a laccolith, a dome of molten lava that expanded and bulged upward through the overlying surface rock, which slowly eroded away. Basically, it’s a volcano that didn’t erupt. From a distance Bear Butte looks almost touchable and soft. Rising more than 4,400 feet above sea level, more than 1,200 feet above the surrounding plains, it is mostly bare rock, but some trees and vegetation are scattered on its sides.History books cite eyewitness accounts of fires on Bear Butte in the 1800s and claim that it was once more heavily forested than in recent decades. Until recently ponderosa pine was the predominant species at the higher elevations, and elm, cottonwood, hawthorn, juniper, chokecherry, and native grasses dominated the middle and lower regions.In August 1996 an out-of-control ceremonial fire burned much of Bear Butte in a spectacular blaze that lasted two days. Between 80 and 90 percent of the ponderosa pines died, and it will be decades before they reestablish themselves. Ceremonial fires are permitted for Native American ceremonies only (inquire at the visitor center). Campfires are not allowed.Today Bear Butte’s environment is making a comeback. For nearly a year the National Hiking Trail that climbs the summit was closed for repairs and to protect the mountain from erosion caused by the lack of vegetation and tree canopy. The summit trail reopened with new wooden steps and erosion edging, the lumber for which was airlifted to the top by National Guard helicopters. The trail is rocky but is only moderately difficult. The north end of the Centennial Trail starts at the summit of Bear Butte. Read more about the Centennial Trail in the Recreation chapter.The state park is open year-round. At the visitor center (open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week, from May to early Sept only), you can learn about the geologic and cultural history of Bear Butte and the park. The center contains a museum and presents educational videos. The entrance fee is $6 per car per day. There is no charge for children 11 and younger. A Custer State Park entrance license or annual state park pass will admit you without charge.Bear Butte State Park is a low-key entertain-yourself park. Organized activities are few, but summer programs for groups can be arranged with the staff naturalist, who will give presentations on history and natural history and conduct hiking tours. Special programs need to be arranged in advance. No concessions are available in the park, but the town of Sturgis is just 5 miles away.You can also watch the park’s buffalo herd, fish (by state permit—see the Recreation chapter), swim in the lake, camp in the campground (see the Campgrounds chapter), and hike. Try photographing the mountain at different times of day, when it changes color and texture in the light of sunrise and sunset, thunderstorm and snow.You can sit at its base and stare at it, mesmerized by its powerful beauty. Or you can climb it and look out over the plains and hills (which you can see stretching into Nebraska or North Dakota), imagining Custer and his men marching by, or the Verendrye brothers climbing up beside you, or Sitting Bull waiting patiently for the mountain to speak.