South Dakota trails · Hawkwright Loop
Hawkwright Loop
A 13.3-mile network in South Dakota, with 737 ft of climbing. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the final third — 58% of the ascent, between mile 8.9 and mile 13.3. It gives back about 908 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Getting there
HAWKWRIGHT LOOP access. About 1 h 41 min drive (57 mi, 11 of them unpaved) from Rapid City. 43.65819, -103.78863 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:39 a.m., the sun rises at 7:07 a.m. and sets at 6:13 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:42 p.m. (MDT) — 11 h 06 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 13.3-mile route takes roughly 5 h 19 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 12:26 p.m. — 5 h 47 min before sunset.
Loop options
- HAWKWRIGHT LOOP + PINE TREE + PINE CONE — 4.4 mi loop, 523 ft gain
- PINE TREE + PINE BOUGH + HAWKWRIGHT LOOP — 4.9 mi loop, 590 ft gain
- HAWKWRIGHT LOOP + DEER DRAW + RED CLIFF — 8.6 mi loop, 1,018 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Sunday Gulch Trail — 17.2 mi
- Paha Sapa Trail — 17.3 mi
- Little Devil's Tower — 17.3 mi
- Centennial Trail — 17.5 mi