 Outline of Contents: 1) CENTENNIAL TRAIL: Contents and Outline (This Page) Outline of Contents
Trail Segments, Which Order?
• Day Hikes or Long Backpacking Trip?
• North to South or South to North?
• Twenty Trail Segments and Twenty Trailheads
• It's Your Decision 2) Trail Segments Basic Statistics
Table of Trail Segments
Elevation Graph 3) Ten-Day Trip: Preparations and Direction of Travel Preparations and Direction of Travel
Trip Duration
Trail Length
Trail Numbers
Maps and Pamphlets
Trail Users Allowed
Administrative Agencies
Permits and Registration
Shuttle Services 4) Food and Re-Supply Food Weights
Food Caches or Restocking
Possible Food Stops Near the Trail 5) Choosing Campsites — Water Difficulties Near the North End
North and South Ends of the Trail
Water Sources
Water for Hiking and Water for Camping
Why Drink so Much Water?
Other Factors in Choosing Campsites 6) Table of Possible Campsites Possible Campsites—10 Days
Possible Campsites—12 Days
The Highland Creek Option—Shorter 1st Day 7) Map of Possible Campsites 8) Day One: Norbeck Lake TH to French Creek 9) Day Two: French Creek to Iron Creek 10) Day Three: Iron Creek to North Black Elk Wilderness 11) Day Four: Black Elk Wilderness to North of Sheridan Lake 12) Day Five: Sheridan Lake to Tamarack Gulch 13) Day Six: Tamarack Gulch to Pilot Knob Trailhead 14) Day Seven: Pilot Knob Trailhead to Dalton Lake 15) Day Eight: Dalton Lake to Upper Elk Creek 16) Day Nine: Upper Elk Creek to Alkali Creek Trailhead 17) Day Ten: Alkali Creek Trailhead to Bear Butte Trail Segments, Which Order? Day Hikes to Long Backpacking Trip How we examine the "111-mile-long" Centennial Trail will vary in these pages. We will inevitably speak of trail "segments." But depending upon our purpose, those segments may be from trailhead to trailhead or from campsite to campsite. Those who use the trail for day-hikes or for short, overnight ventures will more likely think of the trail in terms of segments between trailheads. Those who make a longer backpacking trip on the trail may think of it in segments from campsite to campsite or from one resupply stop to the next. Depending upon the context and purpose, we will list trail segments according to trailheads or by days between campsites. North to South or South to North In these pages, you may also see trail segments listed from north to south (as they appear on the map) or from south to north (as they are often backpacked). This variation of arrangement may seem confusing at first. But the variation is inevitable in a thorough study of the trail. The official "beginning" of the trail is in the south and the "end" in the north. Mileposts progress from south to north. And for reasons we will discuss, from south to north is the direction of travel preferred by those who travel the entire trail in a longer backpacking trip. So in these pages you may see two alternate arrangements of the trail segments. To correspond to maps with north at top, the segments will be listed from the north to the south. But when treating the segments as part of a backpacking trip over the entire length of the trail, you may see the trail segments listed from south to north in the order in which they are hiked. Please keep this listing variation in mind as you read our tables and maps. Twenty Trail Segments and Twenty Trailheads The pages which follow examine the Centennial Trail as a series of twenty trail segments and as a ten-day backpacking trip. With twenty trail segments, one might expect twenty-one trailheads, but because the last trail segment climbs Bear Butte, that hike involves a return to the same trailhead of departure. So there are also twenty trailheads assigned to the long trail. The trail "begins" at the Norbeck Lake Trailhead in Wind Cave National Park and ends at the Summit of Bear Butte in Bear Butte State Park. Our trail descriptions — which apply to day-hikes as well as to overnight backpacking trips — will be included in the itinerary of the ten-day, overnight backpacking trip. In that longer trip, we will discuss the challenges and possible solutions of backpacking the full length of the Centennial Trail in ten days, but we will do so in consideration of trail descriptions of elevation gain, ruggedness, weather variations, water accessibility and so on. You Decide No overview such as this can anticipate all variations in backpackers' abilities and in seasonal conditions of the trail. We make no claim that the itinerary we propose is the best arrangement for any individual or group. That is for them to decide. Moreover, we urge all readers to question and check our reasoning, facts, and approaches. Nonetheless, some backpackers have followed our itinerary, as outlined, with good results. It has been tested. But whether you find our proposal suitable to your purposes and abilities is for you to decide. Our purpose is to facilitate adequate planning for such a trip — planning that will vary for each person that attempts what may be a strenuous and physically-demanding venture. | 
