Family Nature Summits: Black Hills Summit: Full Schedule

Sign-ups will officially open on June 28th at 9 PDT/ 11 CDT/ 12 EDT. Activities without signup limits are available now. Need help? The Summit Handbook and our pick a hike guide are helpful resources! Email [email protected] with additional questions or message us in Sched!

Session availability is subject to change due to weather, availability, and interest. Classes with fewer than 5 participants are subject to cancellation.

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8:00am MDT

Ramble - Mount Rushmore and Horse Thief Lake

Limited spots

Sunday August 2, 2026 8:00am - 12:00pm MDT

Limited Capacity seats available

This is a winning combination if you like history and a lakeside ramble! We’ll start off by driving along Iron Mountain Road to Mt. Rushmore. You’ll get a true sense of how large Custer State Park is and start to get the feel of this landscape. Once at Mt. Rushmore, we’ll walk the Avenue of the Flags, see the monument from the terrace, and have time in the Visitor Center to see exhibits and to watch the movie that gives more background on this historic site. We’ll take a short (.2 mile each way) ramble on a paved pathway, which leads to a platform that provides a closer look at the monument. Be sure to bring some money to indulge in the Thomas Jefferson Ice Cream - handmade ice cream utilizing Thomas Jefferson’s original recipe, which has received rave reviews from everyone we have met!
On our loop back to the State Game Lodge, we’ll stop at lovely Horse Thief Lake and ramble the Forest trail on the lakefront. There are 35 stairs (wide, not steep, handrails on both sides) leading to the lake, and this ramble is level and easy, and will be about a half mile total.

Faculty

Betty Trummel

Rambles, Faculty

Betty Trummel is retired from a 35-year career of elementary teaching and 10 years as an adjunct professor at the university level. She's taught at over 40 Summits since 1983 and loves to reach out to learners of all ages to teach about the natural world and create a sense of wonder... Read More →

Sunday August 2, 2026 8:00am - 12:00pm MDT

Ramble, Difficulty- Easy

8:15am MDT

Architects of the Grassland: Explore the Prairie with American Prairie Naturalists

Limited spots

Sunday August 2, 2026 8:15am - 11:30am MDT

Limited Capacity seats available

Step off the beaten path and into the complex, interconnected world of the American prairie. While the grasslands may look like an open expanse at first glance, they are actually a bustling, intricately woven ecosystem shaped by remarkable inhabitants. Join naturalists from American Prairie for an immersive walk in the prairie. On this casual walk, we will journey near a thriving prairie dog town and explore how three keystone species—bison, beavers, and prairie dogs—act as nature’s ultimate architects. You will discuss phenology and other seasonal observations, and the important role of disturbance ecology in shaping the plains. The walk will also discuss historic species loss on the plains, as well as and the work and research underway to help recover the populations and restore ecological processes of the prairie.
American Prairie is a nonprofit with a mission is to create one of the largest nature reserves in the United States, a refuge for people and wildlife preserved forever as part of America’s heritage. They work with organizations such as the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and National Geographic.

Faculty

American Prairie

Corrie Williamson is American Prairie's Director of Community Outreach. Corrie works to increase awareness, support, and collaboration for American Prairie's conservation mission, with focus areas including the Advisory Board, neighbor relations, American Prairie Field School, and... Read More →

Sunday August 2, 2026 8:15am - 11:30am MDT

Ramble

9:00am MDT

Ramble - Sylvan Lake Ramble

Limited spots

Sunday August 2, 2026 9:00am - 12:00pm MDT

Limited Capacity seats available

Start your week at one of the most popular spots in Custer State Park. It’s a sunny and pleasant level path, which we’ll do as an out & back ramble (close to 1 mile) due to a difficult section at the far end of the lake, which would not be suitable for a ramble. The option to continue the loop on your own is available for those who don't mind traversing uneven ground. If time allows, for the out-and-back folks, we’ll explore the other side of the lake.

Faculty

Heather Fenyk

President, Lower Raritan Watershed Partnership

It's all about watersheds! I love talking about civic science, community stewardship of urban lands, environmental education, and getting city folk out and exploring the wilds of central New Jersey. Talk to me about Environmental Justice, community resilience, and using technology... Read More →

Sunday August 2, 2026 9:00am - 12:00pm MDT

Ramble, Difficulty- Easy

1:00pm MDT

Ramble - Charles Badger Clark's Cabin Tour & Ramble

Limited spots

Sunday August 2, 2026 1:00pm - 3:30pm MDT

Limited Capacity seats available

Badger was the first poet laureate of South Dakota and spent his last 30 years living in his cabin in Custer State Park. His poetry focused on the life of cowpokes and what it was like to live in the West. His poems give us a great flavor of life here in the early to mid 1900’s. After a guided tour of his cabin, given by a local expert, we’ll ramble the 1-mile loop in the forest behind his home. It is a forest trail that’s not rocky, but sometimes has occasional tree roots, so care is needed while walking the trail. There are sections of incline and descent but nothing dramatic and well take it slow. Along the way interpretative signs give more background on Badger’s life, as well as share some of his stories and poetry.
Look for the combination of Heddy Draw Ramble & a tour of the Badger Clark cabin being offered as an alternative afternoon trip. This class does not do the ramble from Badger’s cabin.

Faculty

Betty Trummel

Rambles, Faculty

Sunday August 2, 2026 1:00pm - 3:30pm MDT

Ramble, Difficulty- Easy

Family Nature Summits: Black Hills Summit

8:00am MDT

Betty Trummel

8:15am MDT

American Prairie

9:00am MDT

Heather Fenyk

1:00pm MDT

Betty Trummel

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