A trip to the top of Inyan Kara
Inyan Kara is a Black Hills mountain that few people have seen up close. The main reason is that the mountain in the northwest corner of the Black Hills is surrounded by private land. You need to get landowner permission to climb it.
However, it is a worthwhile hike.
When my friend John and I hiked to the top a couple of years ago, the landowner he contacted was very nice. (John baked her a fresh rhubarb pie, which couldn’t have hurt.)
You can see Inyan Kara, elevation 6,348 feet, from Interstate 90 going through Wyoming. It looks like a large, pine-covered flat-topped mesa rising above the high plains. But when we hiked it, I was surprised that it’s much different than it looks from a distance.
Inyan Kara is actually a granite uplift rising from the middle of what appears to be a three-sided crater.The fractured granite columns look a lot like those you see on Devil’s Tower just to the north. (I shot the above photo from the eastern rim of the crater.)
Perhaps the most interesting thing about Inyan Kara, however, is the name carved on its rocky summit. It says: “74 G Custer.” Legend has it that the Lieutenant Colonel himself carved his name there during the 1874 expeditition through the Black Hills.
We do know that Custer ascended Inyan Kara during the 1874 Expedition. I read a complete account of the climb in a journal kept by one of Custer’s men. There was no mention of any name-carving. (My wife, Nancy, looked at the photo and said, “It’s probably the Custer High School Class of 1974.)
Of course, Custer (who didn’t get landowner permission) and his Seventh Cavalry soldiers went on to discover gold in the Black Hills near present-day — which led the U.S. goverment to break the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty that reserved the Black Hills for the Lakota and other native tribes — and perish two years later at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
To me, however, the best part of Inyan Kara is the sweeping view of the high plains and the rest of the Black Hills. You can see Sundance Mountain, Devils Tower and Cement Ridge. I’m sure Custer was as enthralled as I was. Below is a Google Earth view of Inyan Kara.
Looks like a very cool hike. I like your blog, but why haven’t you posted anything lately?
Good indeed, after visiting your blog whoever loves to travel, will definitely plan to go “Inyan Kara ” and the second thing that i liked most is the information about “preparation before plan to go to Inyan kara ” every needed information is given what to do or what not. The post and the comment is appreciable.
A possible as the photo in full size lay out?
Wow! These photo and info about Inyan Kara can really acttract every traveler to visit here.Really this trip will be very nice trip for everyone.
Hey dude, nice blog. Whoever reads your blog will be tempted to visit Inyan Kara. The photographs are also amazing.
Thanks
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I recently came accross your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I dont know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Kate
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That’s pretty amazing, I didn’t even know that was out there. Figures. Too bad its on private land, it looks like a lot of fun! Wonder how long it took..?
I been up and down and around this mountain hundreds of times. I love it!! Its a wonderful place to visit and recommend it to all.
A little info on Custer’s signature. He actually did not carve it himself, he sent his troops up and Colonel Ludlow carved it. Its referenced in the book “Island in the plains.” There is an entire chapter about this mountain.
Another note: I have seen some recent vandalism to Custer’s signature and in the vicinity, also trash. This mountain is one of the few places I like to go because you don’t see human disturbance. Please pass the word to pack out your trash. Wonderful blog!!
We were driving by that historical marker today on our way to Gerryowen, MT, to visit the Little Bighorn Battlesfields, etc. and saw the Hist. marker on I 90 and wondered what it referred to. Thanks for the most informative blog, the pictures were great and it will give us a deeper appreciation of what we’ll see tomorrow. We’ll probably never get to see the mountain personallly, but your essay helped us get closer.
Sharon and Mike Williams
Thanks for piquing my curiosity. A couple friends and I went up Inyan Kara on Sept. 2, 2009. Got permission from the landowner adjacent to the site and parked there. Great hike with kind of an adventurous, exploratory feeling. Saw the signature on top, as well as the great views of Devils Tower, the Missouri Buttes, etc. Love it! And I’m glad it’s a little tough to set up the logistics for it, so not everyone will be able to do it without some effort. : )
Thanks for all the nice notes. Inyan Kara is indeed a cool place. Sad to hear that it’s getting trashed a bit. And you’re right, Lisa. Not everyone would take the effort to make the arrangments, which is probably a good thing. And deadwood hotel, it’s a good couple of hours to the top. After that you can spend all kinds of time exploring the little canyon that surrounds the peak. A great day hike.