South Dakota · Trail 8144

Piedmont Fire Trail 144

Piedmont Fire Trail 144 Trail is a 4.9-mile trail in Black Hills National Forest, South Dakota. The Forest Service rates it trail class 3, developed. It is open to hiking, horse and pack stock, mountain biking, motorcycle, ATV, 4WD over 50 inches and e-bikes.

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 end44.2000° N, 103.4558° W · Directions ↗
Other end44.2263° N, 103.4015° 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

Length4.9 miles
Trail class3, developed
Typeland trail
Surfacenative material
Typical grade10-12 percent
Typical tread widthover 120 inches
Motor vehiclesOpen to at least one motorized use
AccessibilityNot evaluated
Trail numbers8144
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 Piedmont Fire Trail 144 Trail20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 0.39 inches of precipitationFebruary: 0.52 inches of precipitationMarch: 0.91 inches of precipitationApril: 2.42 inches of precipitationMay: 4.21 inches of precipitationJune: 3.56 inches of precipitationJuly: 3.48 inches of precipitationAugust: 2.14 inches of precipitationSeptember: 1.37 inches of precipitationOctober: 1.57 inches of precipitationNovember: 0.56 inches of precipitationDecember: 0.45 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 25.7°F averageFebruary: 26.5°F averageMarch: 34.4°F averageApril: 42.1°F averageMay: 51.4°F averageJune: 61.1°F averageJuly: 68.3°F averageAugust: 66.6°F averageSeptember: 58.3°F averageOctober: 45.4°F averageNovember: 34.4°F averageDecember: 26.6°F average0 in1 in2 in3 in4 in5 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Johnson Siding, 10 miles from the trail midpoint at 4,184 feet, station USC00394343 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 22 inches a year.

Allowed uses

HikingAllowed year-round
Horse and pack stockAllowed
Mountain bikingAllowed year-round
MotorcycleAllowed 04/16 to 10/31 (month/day)
ATVAllowed 04/16 to 10/31 (month/day)
4WD over 50 inchesAllowed 04/16 to 10/31 (month/day)
E-bikesAllowed year-round

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

Piedmont Trailhead
No season published
under 0.1 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
    Work Center Rx

    29 mi from the trail midpoint

  • Prescribed
    Antihorse Rx

    36 mi from the trail midpoint · 804 acres

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 Piedmont Fire Trail 144 Trail?

The Forest Service records 4.9 miles under this name in Black Hills National Forest, the sum of 1 segment.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

What is allowed on the Piedmont Fire Trail 144 Trail?

Hiking, horse and pack stock, mountain biking, motorcycle, ATV, 4WD over 50 inches and e-bikes are allowed. The trail is open to at least one motorized use. Some uses are seasonal. The allowed uses section lists the dates.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Where does the Piedmont Fire Trail 144 Trail start?

The line begins at 44.2000° N, 103.4558° W and ends at 44.2263° N, 103.4015° W. The nearest recorded trailhead is Piedmont 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 Piedmont Fire Trail 144 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 Piedmont Fire Trail 144 Trail?

Dalton Lake Campground (1.8 mi) and Boxelder Forks Campground (3.9 mi) are within five miles of the trail. The camping section lists all 2 with site counts and booking links.

Source: Campsite Atlas

How developed is the Piedmont Fire Trail 144 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 Piedmont Fire Trail 144 Trail?

The typical grade is 10-12 percent. The typical tread is over 120 inches wide.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Who manages the Piedmont Fire Trail 144 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 Piedmont Fire Trail 144 Trail?

The interagency feed shows 2 active incidents within 50 miles of the trail midpoint as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Work Center Rx at 29 miles. Check the forest's closure orders before you go.

Source: Fire nearby

Source

This page is built from 1 segment named Piedmont Fire Trail 144 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.