Black Hills National Forest
| Black Hills National Forest | |||
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| Location: | Wyoming , South Dakota , United States | ||
| Surface: | 5066.25 km² | ||
| Founding: | February 22, 1897 | ||
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The Black Hills National Forest is located in southwestern South Dakota and northeastern Wyoming . The national forest has an area of 5066 km² and is under the direction of the Forest Service organization . The forest has predominantly Ponderosa pine , but also hard woods such as aspen or birch . In the forest is Black Elk Peak , the tallest mountain and peak east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States .
Mountains of the national park
The Black Hills are the oldest mountains in North America . They run in the northern Great Plains over an area of 160 km from north to south and about 80 km from west to east with elevations from 1000 to 2200 m. The highest peak is the 2207 m high Harney Peak . The Lakota Sioux called the mountains “Paha Sapa”, the “Black Mountains” because of their dark pine forests. Even before the whites came, they worshiped the Black Hills as a sanctuary, as this is where they saw the origin of their people.
geography
The seven counties Pennington , Custer , Lawrence , Fall River , Meade in South Dakota and Crook and Weston in Wyoming have a share in the area . One seventh of the forest area is in Wyoming. The Black Hills National Forest is administered in Custer , South Dakota . The Peter Norbeck National Scenic Byway runs through the forest near Mount Rushmore and, along with the Spearfish Canyon National Forest Scenic Byway, offers two country tours.
Flora and fauna
In addition to the ponderosa pine, the most common tree species in the forest is the spruce . Elk , mule deer , pronghorn, and white-tailed deer are commonly seen. Mountain lions are increasing dramatically as a result of the huge herds of deer and elk . Coyotes , bighorn sheep, and mountain goats are also commonly seen. Bald eagles , falcons , ospreys , peregrine falcons and another 200 species of birds can be seen in the forest, especially along streams and springs.
Sports
There are a total of 30 campsites and eleven reservoirs that are suitable for sport fishing . There are 750 kilometers of hiking trails and access to the top of Harney Peak. With over 8,000 kilometers of forest road, the Black Hills National Forest is also a haven for motorized travel.
