Chadron State Park: Black Hills Overlook Trail

 Another pleasant day was forecast for today. Noelle, Sierra and I decided to get out and take advantage of the nice weather with a hike at Chadron State Park. I had done a little research online and found that the Black Hills Overlook Loop looked pretty interesting. We made the drive up north and arrived at the trailhead in the campground. Unfortunately, I didn't have any cell coverage and so I couldn't check AllTrails to ensure we were on the right path. We ended up taking the wrong trail and followed a section of the Campground Trail. While not our intended hike, the trail offered some nice views of the surrounding landscape. 

Our detour had been short, so when we returned to the car, we opted to try again for the hike we had originally planned. We went straight at a three-way intersection (we had made a right turn the first time) and followed the trail up a small canyon, passing through a few gates and stiles. 

Once we had emerged from the canyon, a sign ensured us we were on the right path.

We climbed up to the top of a ridge,

leaving Chadron State Park and entering Nebraska National Forest. At the top of the ridge views opened up in all directions. 

We could indeed see the Black Hills far off to the north. 

The trail here followed at or near the top of the ridge.

The views were pretty amazing. There were views over a series of canyons 

and far off to the north as well.

We stopped at three interpretive signs not far from a forest road.

Then, we turned around and headed back the way we had come. There was supposed to be another trail that branched off of ours, but we never found it. Instead, we headed back the same way we had come, admiring all the views from a different perspective.