Rankin Ridge Nature Trail

Rankin Ridge is the highest point in Wind Cave National Park at 5,013 feet, and the loop trail to its summit provides the park's most expansive panoramic views of the southern Black Hills and the mixed-grass prairie that transitions between the forested hills and the Great Plains. The trail begins near a fire lookout tower that was staffed from 1945 until 1971 and still stands atop the ridge, offering a historical focal point for the hike. The climb from the trailhead gains 300 feet through ponderosa pine forest interspersed with open meadows of western wheatgrass, buffalo grass, and blue grama—grasses that fed the vast bison herds that once roamed this region in the tens of millions. Wind Cave maintains a free-ranging herd of over 400 bison that regularly traverse the prairie visible from the Rankin Ridge summit, and elk herds are commonly spotted near forest margins in the early morning. Prairie dog towns on the valley floor below are clearly visible, and with binoculars hikers may spot burrowing owls perched on burrow mounds. The 360-degree view from the fire tower—still climbable via interior stairs—encompasses the city of Hot Springs to the south and the distinctive granite spires of the Black Hills to the north.