Big Hill Trailhead

Additionally, Big Hill provides a launching point for many of the area’s fat tire biking trails.  This area hosts short trails adjacent to the parking lot for beginner skiers and those just starting to snowshoe.  It also provides extensive groomed and ungroomed routes for longer adventures.  Covering nearly fifteen miles, Big Hill offers something for nearly every ski, snowshoe, and fat tire bike experience.  The ski area is managed in collaboration with Black Hills Nordic Ski Club.  The club grooms approximately ten miles of trails throughout the area to provide a groomed cross-country ski and snowshoe experience.  This effort covers a variety of trails and difficulty levels.  Additionally, the Grooming Alliance of Spearfish maintains many miles of fat tire bike trails that fork out from the Big Hill parking lot.  For more information related to cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in the Northern Hills Ranger District, please call (605) 642-4622 / Black Hills National Forest - Offices (usda.gov).  NOTE: Big Hill Ski Area offers a warming hut at the Big Hill Trailhead for those seeking warmth during their treks.

There is a Big Hill Trail designated specifically for snowshoeing. We ask that snowshoers not use the groomed ski trails. Snowshoeing damages the tracks that the ski clubs work hard to establish and maintain.  

The snowmobile trail can be accessed near the Big Hill parking lot.

Big Hill was named when the early prospectors, heading to gold fields with wagons and teams of horses, could barely make it over the "big hill" when coming from Spearfish.