South Dakota · Trail 50

Flume

Flume Trail is a 10.8-mile trail in Black Hills National Forest, South Dakota. The Forest Service rates it trail class 3, developed. It is open to hiking.

Trail conditions, closures and hazards are not tracked here. The Black Hills National Forest official page carries current alerts and closure orders.

Map

One end Other endLine simplified to about 100 metres. Basemap from the USGS National Map.

One end43.9736° N, 103.4527° W · Directions ↗
Other end43.9551° N, 103.3687° W · Directions ↗

The ends are the two ends of the longest connected chain of segments. The record does not say which is the usual start.

The trail

Length10.8 miles
Trail class3, developed
Typeland trail
Surfacenative material
Typical grade12-20 percent
Typical tread width24-36 inches
Motor vehiclesClosed to all motorized use year-round
AccessibilityEvaluated and does not meet accessibility guidelines
Trail numbers50
ForestBlack Hills National Forest (unit 0203)
StatesSouth Dakota
Detail publishedmanagement level, with uses

Values are the set across all segments. Class 1 is minimally developed and class 5 is fully developed. Grade and width are the forest's typical values, not measured extremes.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Flume Trail20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 0.48 inches of precipitation, 7.2 inches of snowFebruary: 0.76 inches of precipitation, 8.9 inches of snowMarch: 1.35 inches of precipitation, 9.6 inches of snowApril: 2.62 inches of precipitation, 13.1 inches of snowMay: 4.80 inches of precipitation, 1.5 inches of snowJune: 3.58 inches of precipitation, 0.2 inches of snowJuly: 3.59 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 2.29 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 1.76 inches of precipitation, 0.9 inches of snowOctober: 1.80 inches of precipitation, 4.9 inches of snowNovember: 0.59 inches of precipitation, 6.4 inches of snowDecember: 0.50 inches of precipitation, 6.6 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 27.8°F averageFebruary: 27.3°F averageMarch: 34.8°F averageApril: 41.0°F averageMay: 50.6°F averageJune: 61.5°F averageJuly: 68.9°F averageAugust: 67.8°F averageSeptember: 59.4°F averageOctober: 45.9°F averageNovember: 35.7°F averageDecember: 28.2°F average0 in5 in10 in15 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Mt Rushmore Nmem, 7 miles from the trail midpoint at 5,311 feet, station USC00395870 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 24 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 59 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Allowed uses

HikingAllowed 04/16 to 10/31 (month/day)

A use is listed when the Forest Service records it as managed, accepted or discouraged on any segment. Discouraged still means legal. Uses marked restricted are left out. Where the forest publishes a Motor Vehicle Use Map, that map governs motorized use.

Trailheads

Coon Hollow Trailhead
No season published
under 0.1 mi
Boulder Hill Trailhead
No season published
under 0.1 mi
Spring Creek Trailhead
No season published
0.2 mi
Spring Creek Trailhead
No season published
0.2 mi

Distance is from the point to the nearest part of the trail line. Season text is what the forest wrote and is often a season name rather than a date.

Trails nearby

Camping nearby

Campsite Atlas cards carry site counts and booking links from Recreation.gov. Forest Service cards come from the recreation layer and link the agency page.

Fire nearby

  • Prescribed
    Antihorse Rx

    28 mi from the trail midpoint · 804 acres

  • Prescribed
    Work Center Rx

    42 mi from the trail midpoint

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Closure orders are on the forest's official page.

Explore

Guidebooks for South Dakota and hiking across the country

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • Hiking the Black Hills Country
    Bert Gildart and Jane Gildart, 2021
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Moon Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills
    Laural A. Bidwell, 2016
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Walks of a Lifetime in America
    Manning, 2020
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How long is the Flume Trail?

The Forest Service records 10.8 miles under this name in Black Hills National Forest, the sum of 1 segment.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

What is allowed on the Flume Trail?

Hiking is allowed. The trail is closed to motor vehicles year-round. Some uses are seasonal. The allowed uses section lists the dates.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Where does the Flume Trail start?

The line begins at 43.9736° N, 103.4527° W and ends at 43.9551° N, 103.3687° W. The nearest recorded trailhead is Coon Hollow Trailhead, under 0.1 miles from the line. The record does not say which end is the usual start.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Is the Flume Trail in a wilderness area?

No. The trail line does not cross any polygon in the National Wilderness Preservation System layer.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Where can I camp near the Flume Trail?

Sheridan Lake (1.1 mi), Sheridan North Cove Grp CG (1.2 mi) and Sheridan Lake South Campground (1.3 mi) are within five miles of the trail. The camping section lists all 3 with site counts and booking links.

Source: Campsite Atlas

How developed is the Flume Trail?

Trail class 3, which the Forest Service describes as developed. Class 1 is a minimal, unimproved route and class 5 is fully developed, often paved.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

How steep and how wide is the Flume Trail?

The typical grade is 12-20 percent. The typical tread is 24-36 inches wide.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Is the Flume Trail accessible?

No. The Forest Service evaluated it and found it does not meet its accessibility guidelines.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Who manages the Flume Trail?

Black Hills National Forest, Forest Service unit 0203. The trail is in South Dakota.

Source: Black Hills National Forest official page

Is there a fire near the Flume Trail?

The interagency feed shows 2 active incidents within 50 miles of the trail midpoint as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Antihorse Rx at 28 miles. Check the forest's closure orders before you go.

Source: Fire nearby

Source

This page is built from 1 segment named Flume in the Forest Service TrailNFS_Publish layer, administrative unit 0203. Wilderness overlap is tested against the National Wilderness Preservation System layer from Wilderness Connect. Trailheads and Forest Service campgrounds come from the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer. Data refreshed November 1, 2026. The methodology page explains how segments become trails.