One of many water crossings in the French Creek Natural Area

Located in the heart of Custer State Park, the French Creek Natural Area offers almost a backcountry hiking experience. I say “almost” because there is no marked trail through the natural area and only primitive forms of travelling are allowed, such as walking and horseback riding; however, it’s not so remote as to actually be backcountry.

The natural area is 2,200 acres and follows the stream; this affords great wildlife viewing opportunities and many different types of vegetation, including poison ivy. Of course, your wildlife viewing may come in the form of figuring out how to circumvent the park’s buffalo herd crossing the stream where you also intended to cross, so use caution.

Since it is the French Creek Natural Area, expect to cross the stream many times. I highly recommend water-resistant shoes as the creek is higher this year than in some previous years – many stepping stones are submerged. Furthermore, I find hiking poles are helpful in keeping my balance while negotiating water crossings.

Primitive camping is allowed in the natural area, but campfires are prohibited, so if you want hot food, pack a stove. The stream offers fresh water, but remember that a fair amount of wildlife as well as horseback riders frequent the area, so you’ll need some type of water purification system unless you pack in all your own water. Lastly, if you intend to camp you must register at the trailhead.

This is a 12-mile route in its entirety, but of course you don’t have to hike the whole length. If you do plan to hike through but not camp, start early in the day to avoid being on the trail after dark. Remember that the trail is not marked and there are many water crossings; hiking in the dark would be dangerous. In fact, the day before I hiked there this summer, two hikers had been lost because they started hiking at 4:30 p.m., intending to hike the whole thing and only wearing tennis shoes and shorts. Brrr!

You can start from the east end trailhead located four miles south of the State Game Lodge on the Wildlife Loop Road or the west end trailhead located three miles from Blue Bell Lodge on CSP Road #4 at the French Creek Horse Camp. Note that this this a Centennail Trail trailhead as well; once you’ve hiked north on the Centennial Trail about half a mile, you’ll come to a fork, take the right fork which heads east. There’s a sign that reads Trail #1, this is for horseback riders, turn there. Otherwise you’ll keep heading north on the Centennial Trail.

If you’re aiming to get off the beaten path, consider hiking Grizzly Bear Creek Trail #7 in the Black Elk Wilderness. We hiked it during the rallly since the trailhead is close to our home and is remote enough that tourists/casual hikers don’t really stumble upon it.

The trail follows the streambed with a gentle 1,500 elevation gain. While that may not sound gentle, keep in mind that this trail is 6.3 miles long, so it’s not terribly strenuous. There are several creek crossings but stepping stones were pretty handy. Wear bug repellent on this trail in the summer! Since we don’t have mosquitoes here at our house, we didn’t expect them on the trail, big mistake. Luckily I had some Avon sunscreen/bug repellent in my pack, so we were able to ward them off.

Since this trail is quite long, you need a plan before you decide to hike it. If you decide to hike its entirety, you’ll either need to return to your car the way you came, making for a 12.6 mile round-trip, or arrange to picked up at Sylvan Lake. We did the latter by leaving our car at Sylvan Lake early in the morning, while parking spots were still available, and then driving our other vehicle the few miles from our house to the trailhead. This made for about a 9-mile hike, but once you leave the Grizzly Bear Creek Trail to tie in with the Norbeck Trail and subsequently Harney Trail #4, there are steep climbs. Keep in mind that you will have already hiked over six miles, so you may be pretty tired by this point. If you’re not sure of your endurance, skip this one.

Another caveat: Don’t attemp to hike in this area without a map. This is wilderness; the trails are less traveled and there are fewer people. We hiked for hours without meeting another soul, so you cannot depend on asking directions if you aren’t sure where to go. Plus, tying in with other trails can be confusing and a wrong turn can result in getting lost. The Forest Service has a great map with these trails, “Black Elk Wilderness and Norbeck Wildlife Preserve Trail System;” you can pick it up at any Forest Service information office.

To get to the Grizzly Bear Creek Trail, take Highway 87 (Needles Highway) to Custer County Road 345; look for the sign that says Remington Horse Camp and turn east. The trailhead is a little over a mile up the road; you will have to register at the entrance to the wilderness area.