Buzzard’s Roost

Buzzard's Roost Trail Head

After years of work, the Buzzard's Roost trail system is open for use. Located only five miles west of Rapid City, these trails are easily accessible and aimed for the casual walker to extreme mountain biker. With ten miles of trails there is sure to be one for everybody. There are viewpoints scattered along the way and if you're lucky, you'll have a bench to sit on while taking in the view.

The trail head is located just a few minutes past Falling Rock on Highway 44 west of Rapid City with a gravel parking lot to the south side of the road and an informational kiosk. Several trails begin right at the gate and all eventually end up at the main lookout. All of the trails wind their way uphill through the pine forest on single track trails.

 The Buzzard's Roost trail system is for non-motorized use only and are all covered with loose rocks. Some tend to be more of a gentle grade while others are very steep with large drop offs. Make sure to take in the view but you may want to stop in order to do it. Once at the lookout, there are panoramic views of the Black Hills in almost every direction. A sign in log book is at the 4700' peak, so make sure to sign in and see what others have written about their experiences.

The Rapid City Journal did an article on Buzzard's Roost a week ago giving a history on the area. Another good site with write ups on each individual trail has been done by PahaSapaTrails.com. It's a good source and I would recommend checking it out before heading out to the trail. Watch out for poison ivy too. In many areas the trail is surrounded by the three leaved green plant.