A Centennial Trail Thru-Hike - 3 Friends 1 FKT

[@FollowBigfoot]

Great job Juice! What a blast. Great trail, great time and great friends makes for an unbelievable trip!!!

[@juicehikes5436]

ReZ's dance moves made it even better!

[@corinaalmaguer2454]

Great video!!! The best part of the video! When u all 🕺 dancing 😀

[@juicehikes5436]

Thanks Corina! We had a great time on the Centennial!

[@mrose901]

Great adventure with some great friends. Dehydrated or not I'd do it again in a heartbeat. ReZ

[@beauturner5755]

I didn't think you could camp off trail until the black elk wilderness, I hiked all the way to the French creek campsite from wind cave national park day one! Kicked my but! Can't wait to go back, I'm going from Legion lake north as far as I can get In a long weekend.

[@juicehikes5436]

It's a pretty amazing trail!

[@delvinmorales9458]

Whoa, SD is really underrated. I haven't heard of this hike before but it looks like I need to add it to my list. Thanks for sharing.

[@sluggotinfantryman]

I got to Black Hills and couldn't do it. It was like a City Park after Yellowstone area. Sorry going straight to Beartooth. Pretty area. Good hiking.

[@sodahikes795]

Just got back yesterday from a Black Hills loop. Started at BB to Mickelson trail to Centennial back to BB. This was sweet trail. Blew my expectations off the first day. Great video!!

[@juicehikes5436]

Thanks! The Centennial is a fantastic trail!

[@amyshing8887]

Great video. Happy to stumble upon this then pleasantly surprised to see bigfoot in it. I am doing this May 2021. Can't wait

[@juicehikes5436]

Thanks for watching Amy! Enjoy the Centennial!

[@HikerTrashHusbands]

Awesome hike and great video!

[@juicehikes5436]

Thanks!

[@johnonthetrail]

Hey Juice. Just stubbled upon your Colorado Trail video last night. Then proceeded to watch your Wind River videos. Amazing! On the bucket list for sure now. And this Centennial Trail video. Awesome videos! You should be have way more views. These videos are great. I'm looking forward to the rest of your CT videos. Have fun and be safe.

[@juicehikes5436]

Thanks John!

[@johnonthetrail]

And I watch a ton of hiking videos. Thanks bro.

[@juicehikes5436]

Haha, appreciate it! Trying to make each video better than the last. The Colorado Trail video was a little different since I only had my phone to film on and no tripod. Part 2 of the CT is coming out this Thursday.

[@charlesreed7351]

Great video. Have a thru hike planned on the Centennial spring 2021. Have been on the trail several times while hunting in SD. Thank you.

[@BohemianAdventurers]

I'm doing this Spring 2021 too!

[@theherbivorehiker]

Muddy descents are the best! (Said no thru-hiker ever...) Loved this! Guess it's going on my bucket list.

[@juicehikes5436]

Yeah it was the really sticky clay/mud that just wont let go too. Thanks for watching!

[@darlamccrary5146]

I just love this! Thanks for the great video. I’m so glad that we met you guys in the trail. 😁

[@juicehikes5436]

Thanks Darla! It was great meeting you guys out there! You'll have to send me some pics when you guys finish the Centennial!

[@darlamccrary5146]

Juice Hikes I can do that. We have also been doing short KZbin videos on our adventures they are not professional but we are learning as we go. 😉 check out Frankie and Darla McCrary on KZbin.

[@juicehikes5436]

@@darlamccrary5146 I'll check it out!

[@HeadNorthMikeMcKay]

Great video, Headed out next month for my thru hike, Thanks for the heads up on water.

[@juicehikes5436]

Good luck and enjoy the trail!

[@harrylongstride4083]

Great video, thanks for sharing your adventure ✌

[@juicehikes5436]

Thanks Joe!

[@AaronSadino]

Cool video! It got me to subscribe! Looking forward to your next one!

[@juicehikes5436]

Thanks Aaron! Colorado Trail video part 1 is coming out this Thursday!

[@jaredprice3131]

Hey I'm from Hill City SD just getting into UL backpacking. How much water should I carry starting in Custer at the cave? We're just doing an overnighter.

[@juicehikes5436]

Hey Jared! It depends on the time of year you are hiking the trail as I've heard later in summer streams can dry up on the Centennial. During my thru I never carried more than a liter of water which only was an issue over the high point of the trail since it was a longer water carry we weren't aware of. Other than that there was plenty of opportunities to fill up with water.

[@MetroOnTheMove]

Excellent video! Watch your step and look out for those rattlesnakes. A few buddies of mine and I are heading this way in a couple weeks. Would you say going north or south is better? What is the best section in your opinion? Now following!

[@juicehikes5436]

Thanks! We went nobo when we hiked it and I would do it that way again. Finishing at the top of Bear Butte is pretty epic! Enjoy the Centennial!

[@juicehikes5436]

No problem at all! Make sure to take the spur trail to Mt Rushmore, it's definitely worth it and you can get some grub and a cold beverage!

[@juicehikes5436]

Never met them face to face but I am friends with them both on Facebook. Tell them I said hey!

[@MetroOnTheMove]

@@juicehikes5436 Will do! We are all getting excited for the adventure ahead and have been binge watching videos from this area. Hope to capture some great footage while we are out there. Cheers!

[@sluggotinfantryman]

I don't go east of Utah Wyoming anymore or below I 40. Black Hills are like Great Dunes/Mount Blanca CO. First stop going west. Bam. Drive through Badlands. Rushmore. Then drive black hills. Day hike. Put main effort into Yellowstone. Or Windrivers. Glacier is a for real backcountry place. Big time.

[@juicehikes5436]

I don’t agree at all. The Black Hills are Fantastic. I’ve also done all the places you’ve listed and been all over the world. Each place has its unique parts that are worth exploring.

[@sluggotinfantryman]

@juicehikes5436 I look at most do not have the time. As either or choice. I ain't going back to Kuwait or Germany either. If one has three days to run around Bhills do it. I did. If not go to Beartooth. Yellowstone. Teton. Windriver. Absoroka. Ain't going back to Panama Jungle. The majority of Americans never go to any. I just got lucky. Better to be lucky than smart.

[@brandynmckibben6174]

Great video Juice! A few practical questions: did you filter water on the whole trail? Have any problems finding good sources? Did you carry all your food or resupply? How'd you handle cars/shuttling? Cell reception on trail?

[@juicehikes5436]

Hey Brandyn, thanks for watching! We did filter water the whole trail, I think the longest dry stretch we had was around 9 miles (around Hare Mountain) which I've heard varies pretty significantly the time of year you go. Towards the end of the video we cross 3 or 4 pretty decent rivers but those can be bone dry at certain points of the year. We did carry all of our food from the start to the end which makes logistics a lot easier. We took a shuttle from Roam'n Around which is an outdoor outfitter in Rapid City SD. We dropped a car at the Bear Butte trailhead and then John drove us to the southern terminus. Call [phone] and ask for John who is the owner, tell him Juice, ReZ, and Bigfoot sent you! Also cell reception was not terrible, definitely some dead spots but not terrible. Enjoy your trip! It's a fantastic trail!

[@BohemianAdventurers]

If you had to do it again would you start on the north end or do you feel south was best?

[@juicehikes5436]

For me, I would definitely start in the south again. Ending at Bear Butte was pretty epic and gives you something to look forward to.

[@twooldtwohike1620]

What app or map did you use to navigate? How did you get back from the terminus?

[@juicehikes5436]

The trail is pretty well marked in most parts but we did have a Garmin mini that we loaded a GPX file we found on the internet to navigate in certain spots. We left a vehicle at the Bear Butte parking lot and then took a shuttle to the southern terminus and then hiked back to our car.

[@Colin-uz4lm]

where did you get that GORE hat? Can't find it on their website.

[@juicehikes5436]

Hey Colin, I don't see it on their site anymore either. I think it may have been discontinued.

[@Colin-uz4lm]

@@juicehikes5436 no worries! thanks for checking

[@mattbierle777]

About to hit this trail in April! Any things in particular to look for or any tips?

[@juicehikes5436]

Hey Matt, just enjoy the ride! I've heard later in the year water can become pretty scarce and lot of the streams dry up depending on the year but I think in April you should be just fine. Make sure you take the detour to Mt Rushmore, it's definitely worth the extra few miles and you can get some food and beverages depending on what time you roll in.

[@MikeB4028]

Where did you camp that night after checking out Rushmore? I've been told that area down near the spur is kinda marshy.

[@juicehikes5436]

Let's just say Covid opened up an opportunity to camp close to Mt. Rushmore that normally wouldn't be a possibility...

[@MikeB4028]

@@juicehikes5436 LOL I see.

[@MichaelSnyder1776]

@@juicehikes5436 that's awesome hahah

[@klnshop]

Looks like great fun! I appreciate your showing your route, pace, etc., at the end of the days, but what was the vertical?

[@juicehikes5436]

It was a great trip! I think the total vertical gain is somewhere around 22,000.

[@klnshop]

@@juicehikes5436 Thanks for the info. The video looks mostly flat, or slight grade (your detour to Mt. Rushmore not withstanding). 22Kft over 120 miles is an average 3% grade. Is all the vertical localized (like going up Rushmore or Bear Butte), or is the 3% grade accurate? I'm asking because we mostly hike the Adirondack Park in NY which has super steep parts and it kicks my butt. Plus my pace is soooo much slower than yours. We are thinking about doing some trails out west like this, or perhaps the Colorado trail and so I'm trying to figure out if the grade is comparable. Have you hiked the 46 high peaks in the Adirondack park? If so, how does it compare?

[@juicehikes5436]

Hey Kurt, the climbs really aren't bad on the Centennial. There are consistent up's and down's and some bigger climbs on logging roads but overall they are not super steep. There is only one really steep climb that I remember and it wasn't super long. I've never hiked in the Adirondack Park but I would guess the Centennial would be a little easier. I just got back from the Colorado Trail which I can say is much harder than the Centennial (but extremely beautiful). Overall I wouldn't be too concerned about elevation on the Centennial. The last 20 miles of the trail are really flat besides the 1250 foot climb up Bear Butte.

[@klnshop]

@@juicehikes5436 Super helpful!! Thanks a lot.

[@deanh1627]

Congrats! Nice job on the video too, thank you. Very helpful as I might go do this in the next couple weeks...although likely it will be hot, but I’ll move much slower. Are there places to hang a hammock along the entire trail?

[@juicehikes5436]

You would be fine bringing a hammock. Plenty of forests and trees. Enjoy your hike!

[@christopherhaak9824]

Ajay, what were the dates of your hike?

[@juicehikes5436]

We started on Wednesday, May 20th, and ended on Sunday, May 24th.

[@christopherhaak9824]

@@juicehikes5436 Thanks, nice to see the MN folks out enjoying the Black Hills.

[@juicehikes5436]

@@christopherhaak9824 it's a pretty amazing place!

[@jacobbrown4566]

Congratulations on a successful thru-hike. I plan to hike this trail in about 2 weeks and I can't find a KML or GPX file for the trail. Do you have any suggestions? I am also planning on going SOBO. Was the trail well-marked in both directions? Thanks for the awesome video!

[@juicehikes5436]

Hey Jacob, thanks for watching! I have a GPX file that we used that I can send you if you can provide me with your email address I'll send it your way. The trail is pretty well marked throughout and we only made a few little mistakes. If I had to choose though I would definitely go NOBO as finishing at Bear Butte is pretty epic but I'm sure you'll have a great time regardless of what direction you go. Enjoy the trip and let me know if you need any recommendations on a shuttle.

[@tonybabcock655]

@@juicehikes5436 I’m looking to do this with my son in late April. Any chance you could share the GPX file

[@juicehikes5436]

Here you go! fastestknowntime.com/system/files/webform/submit_fkt/4105/Mattexplore.gpx

[@Z4raggs]

@@juicehikes5436 Mega THANKs, I needed this. Never thought to look in FKT for anything...cause I'm a snail pace hiker. Created my account, opened the map, and I can see where so many make a wrong turn. This is so helpful. Thanks again!

[@jasonandhillarymidgley7678]

Seems like in almost all the videos I watch on the Centennial Trail, everyone manages to get lost or make a wrong turn in one spot or the next. I live a few miles from the start over in Hot Springs, and I'm thinking about thru hiking the trail next fall myself, and this video is great to watch as I think about doing the trip. I do see in multiple segments of your video, it almost looks like the trail is nearly non-existent as far as easily being able to see a path like you do in other parts. Was there many trail markers, or did you have to use your maps or GPS a lot to stay on the correct path?

[@juicehikes5436]

Thanks for watching! You should definitely hike the trail next year! I would say that the trail is well marked and very well maintained for the most part. I have been on trails that were a lot worse. There are only a few parts where I would say they could have marked a turn better but other than that it was an easy trail to navigate. When we made our mistake it was 100% our fault, the trail split and was marked but we were so focused on the mud that we blew right past it. We downloaded a GPX file to follow but rarely used it but I would recommend doing that as a backup. Navigation on this trail is pretty easy for the most part.

[@revduff11]

when is this?

[@juicehikes5436]

May 20th 2020

[@revduff11]

@@juicehikes5436 thank you

[@anniecalhoon1712]

25-30 miles a day but ok yeah not crazy mileage 😅

[@juicehikes5436]

Haha!