Shanks Trailhead

in Black Hills National Forest

The numbers that decide it

Recreation.gov publishes no site-level detail for this campground, so we cannot say what length of rig it takes. Call the managing office before committing to it in a large vehicle.

Site-level detail from Recreation.gov, checked 2026-08-05. Where a field says “not published”, the agency has not published it — it does not mean zero.

Shanks Trailhead

Access the Shanks Trailhead from Rapid City. Travel Highway 44 west for 5 miles, turn North (right) onto Forest Road 603. Travel 0.5 miles, trailhead will be on left in the bottom of the quarry.

Scenic drives that pass close

Make it a night on a better road

Byway plans the drive in — real stops, real weather, nothing invented.