Crystal Cave Trail

Total Miles
4.6

Elevation

1,465.91 ft

Duration

--

Technical Rating

1

Easy

Best Time

Spring, Summer, Fall

Trail Overview

Crystal Cave is a very easy ride to the end of the trail where you will find an overlook to what many call the "Mini Grand Canyon" of the Black Hills. The trail is a two lane maintained gravel road that passes through a residential area for approximately 2.5 miles and towards the end of the residential area it narrows down to a single lane road. Signs are posted along the way to ride slowly to be considerate of the homes in the area. The view at the end of the trail is spectacular and worth the time. Elk Creek Trailhead is about half way of the entire trail and is a small parking lot for hiking on the Elk Creek Trail.

Photos of Crystal Cave Trail

Crystal Cave Trail
Crystal Cave Trail

Difficulty

The road is very easy and a car can travel for much of it. Towards the end there are a few areas where higher clearance is required but any four-wheel drive vehicle should handle with ease.

Technical Rating

1

Access Description

Access Crystal Cave off Vanocker Canyon Road (paved). Crystal Cave Trail is the same as Runkle Road on road maps.

Popular Trails

The onX Offroad Difference

onX Offroad combines trail photos, descriptions, difficulty ratings, width restrictions, seasonality, and more in a user-friendly interface. Available on all devices, with offline access and full compatibility with CarPlay and Android Auto. Discover what you’re missing today!