Castle Creek Road

Castle Creek Road (FS181) is a scenic Forest Service Road in the center of the Black Hills of South Dakota between the towns of Rochford and Hill City. It can be accessed from the south by Mystic Road or from the north by S. Rochford Road. If starting from S. Rochford Road, FR181 will dead-end into private property and a no-trespassing sign. To create a complete through route, take Castle Creek Road Branch 1C (FR181.1C) and connect with FR181.

Castle Creek Road is best described as a rough, graded dirt road. When dry, it is traversable by any 4x4 or SUV with moderate ground clearance. A few small embedded rocks could damage passenger cars with low ground clearance. When wet, Castle Creek Road can present multiple mud holes. Castle Creek Road is open year-round; however, in deep snow, it may be difficult to tell where the road ends and the creek starts.

Castle Creek Road follows Castle Creek through a heavily forested canyon in the shadow of Castle Peak. The peak itself cannot be accessed off of Castle Creek Road but may be accessed from the nearby FR238. The main attraction to Castle Creek Road is Castle Peak Campground, which is about equidistance from either starting point. Castle Peak Campground is a National Forest Campground with nine campsites, fire rings, tables, and a pit toilet right on the banks of Castle Creek. It is free during the off-season but charges a nightly fee from May 22 through September 11. The sites are large enough for vehicle tents and small camping trailers. The campground is usually fairly empty outside of hunting seasons. Other attractions include views of the canyon walls and forests, as well as the ruins of a log cabin on the northern end before the private property.