For our last day in the Black Hills before heading home to Western Nebraska, I looked online for a short hike to an interesting destination that we either had not been to before, or that we had not been to in a long time. I managed to find a place called Meeker Ranch on forest service land just outside of Custer. We left Hill City and made the short drive south into Custer. After turning on a county road just outside of Custer State Park we found ourselves at a gate and small parking area with a really nice view.
We would hike the gated road to our destination;
an old cabin and barn in a beautiful valley.
The views from the road were pretty nice, featuring distant looks at the Needles and other dramatic scenery in the highest elevations of the Black Hills. Soon enough we reached the valley containing the ranch. The first building we encountered did not appear to be part of the ranch. It looked to me more like a forest warden's cabin.
A short walk into the valley brought us to the cabin and other buildings left from the ranch which dates back to 1887.
I went inside the cabin for a look around.
There's lots of broken glass littering the floor inside. I also found a Better Homes and Gardens magazine dating to 1947.
After exploring the cabin, we checked out some of the other buildings.
Besides the structures, it was pleasant to just admire the surrounding scenery.
I could definitely live in a little valley like this! From the ranch buildings, we headed up a ridge to see if we could get a better view of the Needles.
While we didn't get the view we had sought, it was still a pleasant place to explore. Sierra even found a rock to climb.
Soon enough, we turned around to head back to the car.
We headed into Hot Springs to visit some friends and get some lunch before the long drive back to Gering.
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