Summit Divide
Summit Divide Trail is a 10.8 miles trail in Custer Gallatin National Forest, South Dakota. The Forest Service rates it trail class 1, minimally developed. It is open to hiking, horse and pack stock, mountain biking, motorcycle, atv, 4wd over 50 inches, e-bikes, snowmobile, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, snowcoach or snowcat, motorized watercraft and non-motorized watercraft.
Trail conditions, closures and hazards are not tracked here. The Custer Gallatin 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 end | 45.3741, -103.1628 · Directions ↗ |
| Other end | 45.3317, -103.0090 · 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
| Length | 10.8 miles |
| Trail class | 1, minimally developed |
| Type | land trail |
| Surface | native material |
| Typical grade | 0-5 percent |
| Motor vehicles | Open to at least one motorized use |
| Accessibility | Not evaluated |
| Trail numbers | 3150 |
| Forest | Custer Gallatin National Forest (unit 0111) |
| States | South Dakota |
| Detail published | management 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.
Allowed uses
| Hiking | Allowed year-round |
| Horse and pack stock | Allowed year-round |
| Mountain biking | Allowed year-round |
| Motorcycle | Allowed year-round |
| ATV | Allowed year-round |
| 4WD over 50 inches | Allowed year-round |
| E-bikes | Allowed year-round |
| Snowmobile | Allowed year-round |
| Snowshoeing | Allowed year-round |
| Cross-country skiing | Allowed year-round |
| Snowcoach or snowcat | Allowed year-round |
| Motorized watercraft | Allowed year-round |
| Non-motorized watercraft | Allowed 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
The Forest Service recreation layer records no trailhead within a third of a mile of this trail's line. Many trails start from a road pullout or another trail with no trailhead record. The forest's recreation pages list the trailheads it does publish.
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. The recreation page link goes to the Forest Service site, which may redirect to the forest's recreation index.
Camping nearby
No federal campground is recorded within five miles of the trail. Dispersed camping is allowed on most National Forest land outside posted closures. The forest office has the current rules.
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
- WildfireGilbert
31 mi from the trail midpoint · 211 acres
Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Closure orders are on the forest's official page.
Explore
Reference
Questions people ask
How long is the Summit Divide Trail?
10.8 miles, the sum of the 1 segment the Forest Service records under this name in Custer Gallatin National Forest.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
What is allowed on the Summit Divide Trail?
hiking, horse and pack stock, mountain biking, motorcycle, atv, 4wd over 50 inches, e-bikes, snowmobile, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, snowcoach or snowcat, motorized watercraft and non-motorized watercraft. The trail is open to at least one motorized use.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Where does the Summit Divide Trail start?
The line begins at 45.3741, -103.1628 and ends at 45.3317, -103.0090. No Forest Service trailhead is recorded within a third of a mile of it. The record does not say which end is the usual start.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Is the Summit Divide 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 Summit Divide Trail?
No federal campground is recorded within five miles of the trail. Dispersed camping is allowed on most National Forest land outside posted closures. The forest office has the current rules.
How developed is the Summit Divide Trail?
Trail class 1, which the Forest Service describes as minimally 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 Summit Divide Trail?
The typical grade is 0-5 percent.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Who manages the Summit Divide Trail?
Custer Gallatin National Forest, Forest Service unit 0111. The trail is in South Dakota.
Is there a fire near the Summit Divide Trail?
1 active incident within 50 miles of the trail midpoint as of 2026-09-17, the nearest Gilbert at 31 miles. Check the forest's closure orders before you go.
Source: Fire nearby
Source
This page is built from 1 segment named SUMMIT DIVIDE in the Forest Service TrailNFS_Publish layer, administrative unit 0111. 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 September 17, 2026. The methodology page explains how segments become trails.