Spokane Ghost Town, Black Hills, SD

The many abandoned, neglected and often forgotten Ghost Towns that lay to rest in the Mountains of the West and the Black Hills of South Dakota, tell a story of the past that I find intriguing. Most of these towns grew up during the height of the Gold Rush in the mid to late 1800's, often being populated by 1000's of people hoping to make their fortune. But, sadly all good things come to an end, and the end of the Gold Rush was the demise of many of these towns, except for Deadwood, Lead, Hill City and Custer that survive today.

One such town in the Black Hills of South Dakota had been on my radar for a while, and in May 2018 I finally located it and paid it a visit, the old town of Spokane, Custer County, SD.

Spokane, SD

Flume Trail, Black Hills, SD

During numerous past road trips to the Black Hills, I never specifically hunted for hiking trails to try out, that is until May 2018. After some extensive research on the Custer State Park website, Black Hills National Forest website, and trail review sites, I compiled a list of several trails to try out, the Flume trail was top of the list, and it is a real cracker of a hike.

The Trailhead for the northerly Flume trail can either be found at the very southerly tip of Sheridan Lake (the Calumet Trailhead accessed from Highway 385 and via Sheridan South Campground), or east of the Lake (the Upper Spring Creek Trailhead accessed from Sheridan Lake Road). Sheridan Lake is located 6 miles east of Hill City in the Central Eastern Black Hills.

Calumet Trailhead for the Flume Trail