Slate Creek Dam

Trail Overview

You will be traveling on Trail #530 which runs from China Gulch Road (Trail #249) and Mystic Road. You can access the dam from either side since all of the trails here are two-way. Coming in from the China Gulch side, you will pass the remains of an old cabin. The trail from Mystic Road would be rated an easy 2 most of the time, depending on past rainfall. The dam holds back the water to make a 7-acre pond, which is home to geese, ducks, and many fish. The slate mountain behind the pond is huge, making the perfect backdrop. As with other trails in the Black Hills, this area is closed in the winter.

Photos of Slate Creek Dam

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Difficulty

There are various sizes of mud holes, depending on recent rainfall.

History

The dam was built in 1936 and used water as the conveyance for delivering logs from the Slate Creek Dam to a depot on a narrow-gauge rail line operated by the Warren Lamb Lumber Company. Unfortunately, Slate Creek did not provide a sufficient water supply and was not used very long for this purpose.

Technical Rating