Black Hills-Clyde Ice Field (KSPF), South Dakota
Landing essentials
Whether you can land, whether you can refuel, and how customs works here.
Overview
Black Hills-Clyde Ice Field, KSPF, serves Spearfish, South Dakota, from an elevation of 3,933 feet in the Black Hills region. The airport is non-towered and offers both 100LL and Jet A fuel, with attendance scheduled daily from 0730 until dusk. Its longest runway, 13/31, provides 6,401 feet of paved asphalt, supported by two turf runways for lighter traffic. The field sits within a corridor of heavy sightseeing air traffic near Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial, and dispatchers routing flights into the area should account for that activity alongside standard approach planning.
Runways
Black Hills-Clyde Ice Field has three paved and unpaved runways. The longest, 13/31, is 6,401 ft long and 75 ft wide, with an asphalt surface.
Runway geometry from published threshold coordinates. Not for navigation.
Runways are listed longest first.
Source: FAA Form 5010.
Fuel and airfield services
Black Hills-Clyde Ice Field has Jet A and 100LL available on the field. The airport has no control tower.
Source: FAA Form 5010 / NASR.
Customs
Black Hills-Clyde Ice Field does not clear customs. The nearest port of entry is Casper / Natrona County International (KCPR), 150 NM away.
Source: CBP list of ports of entry.
Business aviation traffic
Black Hills-Clyde Ice Field recorded 1,479 business aviation movements in 2025. Traffic peaks in July and August. Business aviation traffic at KSPF concentrates in the summer months, peaking in July and August.
Business jet movements, FAA TFMSC count. Peak month August, 213 movements in 2025.
Source: FAA TFMSC, business jet movements, 2025.
Climate
Weather station is 2.8 NM from the field. Some values are estimated by the agency. 1991–2020 climate normals.
Source: NOAA NCEI.
Operating constraints
Black Hills-Clyde Ice Field has published operating constraints in three categories: access, runway notes and other notes.
Irregular operations occur in and out of a private airfield located approximately 3,300 feet south of the airport; check the CTAF frequency for status.
Ultralight aircraft activity occurs on and in the vicinity of the airport.
A ground communication outlet is available on frequency 121.725, reached with four clicks for Ellsworth Approach and six clicks for Denver Center.
For clearance delivery, contact Ellsworth Approach; when Approach is closed, contact Denver ARTCC.
MIRL is activated on runway 13/31; PAPI is available on both runway 13 and runway 31, along with Taxiway A lighting, all controlled via CTAF.
Runways 04/22 and 08/26 are marked with black and white edge markers.
Runway 22 has a 4-foot fence, 50 feet right of centerline at 141 feet from the threshold, and 50 feet left of centerline at 175 feet from the threshold.
No snow removal is performed on the turf runways; confirm conditions with the airport manager.
A high volume of aircraft operate in the vicinity of Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial at or below 7,500 feet; pilots are advised to monitor 122.85 for traffic advisories.
This is a cold temperature airport. Altitude correction is required at or below -30 degrees Celsius.
Source: FAA Chart Supplement.
Nearby airfields
Black Hills-Clyde Ice Field has five airfields within 36 NM. The closest is Belle Fourche Municipal (KEFC), 15.56 NM north.
Source: Skystar calculation from official coordinates.
Skystar at KSPF
We arrange catering, fuel and trip support here. Supplier prices reach you unchanged; our coordination fee sits on its own line.
The same order, priced two ways.
$2,400.00 catering order at KSPF.
Unchanged.
What the kitchen invoices us is what your quote reads.
One line, fixed.
It does not move with the size of the order.
At cost.
Passed on at the exact amount the processor took.
Market practice figures are industry averages, not a specific competitor.
Frequently asked questions
What runway options are available at KSPF for business aircraft?
Black Hills-Clyde Ice Field, KSPF, offers one paved runway, 13/31, measuring 6,401 feet by 75 feet with an asphalt surface. This is the primary runway for turbine and business aircraft operations. Two additional turf runways exist, 08/26 at 4,003 feet and 04/22 at 1,995 feet, both marked with black and white edge markers rather than lighting. The turf runways receive no snow removal, so crews should confirm surface conditions with the airport manager before planning operations there in winter months.
Is KSPF a towered airport, and how is traffic coordinated?
KSPF, Black Hills-Clyde Ice Field, is a non-towered airport, so arriving and departing aircraft coordinate on CTAF. A ground communication outlet is available on frequency 121.725, reachable with four clicks to Ellsworth Approach or six clicks to Denver Center. Clearance delivery is handled through Ellsworth Approach, with Denver ARTCC as the backup contact when Approach is closed. Pilots should also monitor 121.725 for MIRL activation on runway 13/31 and PAPI lighting on both ends of that runway plus Taxiway A.
What customs arrangement applies to international arrivals at KSPF?
Black Hills-Clyde Ice Field, KSPF, has no onsite customs service. The nearest customs-equipped airport is KCPR, located approximately 149.84 nautical miles away. International arrivals requiring customs clearance should plan their routing through KCPR rather than expecting service directly at KSPF. Dispatchers should build this diversion distance into fuel and routing plans for any cross-border flight ending at Spearfish.
What cold-weather procedure applies to instrument approaches at KSPF?
KSPF, Black Hills-Clyde Ice Field, is designated a cold temperature airport. Altitude correction is required for instrument approaches when the temperature is at or below -30 degrees Celsius. This designation reflects the airport's elevation of 3,933 feet and its winter climate in the Black Hills region of South Dakota. Flight crews should apply the appropriate cold temperature altitude correction to published approach minimums when operating into KSPF under these conditions.
What seasonal traffic pattern should operators expect at Black Hills-Clyde Ice Field?
Traffic at Black Hills-Clyde Ice Field, KSPF, concentrates heavily in the summer months. Business aviation operations peak in July and August, at 212 and 213 operations respectively, compared to lows of 45 in February and 72 in January. Annual business aviation operations for 2025 totaled 1,479 out of 1,969 total operations, according to FAA TFMSC data. Operators planning summer trips should anticipate the busiest period of the year during this window and plan ramp and fuel needs accordingly.