In a previous post, I gave a brief mention to Jenny Gulch Road. It is found off Silver City Road, on the way to the Jenney Gulch boat ramp of Pactola Lake and the tiny community of Silver City.
This gets a little confusing. There are several roads in the Rapid City and the central Black Hills area that go by this name so Google Maps (and possibly other mapping programs) may send you to the wrong place. To be clear, for this post I am referencing the Jenny Gulch Road that follows along Forest Road 261 and runs through a central portion of the Black Hills National Forest, outside of town. It meets up with Broad Gulch Road and runs as far as Rochford Road, both of which eventually lead you to Highway 385, one of the main routes through the Hills.
In the earlier post, I mentioned a large section of the road heads off to the north (and consequently not near Jenney Gulch at all) but we’d never taken that route. I am happy to report we have rectified that issue and I can now give you details of that road, as well!
Jenny Gulch Road offers a nice drive through national forestland. It doesn’t really provide any exciting activity options, but several dead-end forest roads branch off from it which present prime “set-up-your-hammock-and-enjoy-the-quiet of-the forest” opportunities. These would also be some good spots for dispersed camping.
We did learn these are off-limits to vehicle travel and are barred by gates in the off-season (though they’re still available for foot travel).
The road is recommended for high clearance vehicles only and near the northern terminus, I was glad we had the 4×4 with the higher ground clearance. A regular AWD vehicle could probably make it but some of the ruts could cause the situation to become a little dodgy.
This back road is something to think about if you’re looking for a secluded place in the forest to collect your thoughts, and another item checked off of our Black Hills Bucket List!
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