Spearfish Canyon

These past two months have been full of travels.  I've been to South Dakota, North Dakota, Central Oregon, the Oregon Coast, and now I'm back in Central Oregon for a doggy-sitting gig.  Due to my wanderings, this blog has been sorely neglected.  I'll attempt to write about some of the highlights, beginning with this trip through iconic Spearfish Canyon in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

South end, leaf color just getting started

In late September, I traveled to visit my parents in South Dakota.  With my recent visits occurring in the summer, it was nice to see the Black Hills in a different season.  I was especially hoping to catch a bit of early fall leaf color.

The sun peeps through golden leaves

One of the most popular things to do here in autumn is drive through Spearfish Canyon.  Located in the northern Black Hills, this 19-mile long scenic byway wanders through a canyon where thousand-foot high limestone palisades tower above the highway.  Lined with cottonwood, aspen, birch, and other deciduous varieties, it's especially beautiful in late September when these trees undergo their seasonal leaf change.

The colors got brighter as we headed north

My dad was willing to drive me through the canyon, so I chose a sunny day for our adventure.  When that morning dawned my parents and I got an early start, hopefully to catch some nice morning light (for me) and also to grab breakfast at one of the restaurants along the canyon (for my folks).

Spearfish creek, behind Latchstring Inn

We started our journey on the canyon's south end.  Due to the lower elevation here, the leaf transformation was just getting started.  But as my dad drove north, golden colors began to get more prevalent.

This chipper struck a nice pose

All this leaf-peeping makes one hungry!  About halfway through the canyon my parents and I took a break for breakfast at the historic Latchstring Inn.  Their breakfast buffet was delicious and filling,  (If you walked away hungry, it was your own fault!)

Tall rock palisades accented by golden foliage

The scenery around Latchstring Inn was gorgeous.  Leaves appeared to be close to peak color here.  A tall rocky promontory towered behind the restaurant, accented by a huge cluster of yellow trees.  Spearfish creek trickled below the building, and I couldn't resist taking the steep downhill path to water level for more lens candy.  If one didn't want to tackle this knee-crushing trail, there were also a few overlooks behind the inn where one could view the creek effort-free.  That's where I met my parents after this quick detour and that's also where I captured a friendly chipmunk posing on a fence post.

Roughlock Falls parking area was especially colorful

Bellies now full, it was time for more autumn finery!  From the Latchstring Inn, Dad steered the car down a side road towards the crown jewel of Spearfish Canyon, scenic Roughlock Falls.

Bridge to Roughlock Falls

The leaf colors were absolutely gorgeous here.  Even the parking area was decked out with lots of golden trees.

Lovely aspen leaves

This cascade was located in a narrow, deep canyon.  The path down to Roughlock Falls was super-steep, so my parents opted to stay put at the upper viewpoint.  After navigating the winding paved path to the bottom, I followed a boardwalk through the canyon to an overlook.  I was disappointed.  Visitors used to be able to walk to the base of Roughlock Falls for a good view.  However, this boardwalk now restricted access, keeping onlookers quite far away.  I now had a crummy view of the waterfall.  It was far enough that one needed a zoom lens to get a decent photo.  And the midday light was horrible, with most of the canyon in deep shadow, including the falls. 

More tall cliffs and color

Oh well, I was here with my camera so of course I took photos anyway.  The best shots I got were not of the falls but of a nearby tiny waterfall, which happened to have more consistent light.  The photo below, with Roughlock Falls waayyy in the background, was the only image I deemed acceptable (and this was after a LOT of editing.)

Best image I could get of Roughlock Falls

Despite the huge contrast in light, the forest here at the waterfall's base was quite lovely.  A large grove of aspen trees provided nice yellow leaves.  There was also quite a bit of orange foliage, accented in places with a dash of red.

This nearby cascade was more photogenic

I climbed back out of the canyon and reunited with my folks.  As we walked back to the car, I was struck by the beauty of Little Spearfish Creek above the falls.  It glistened in the sunlight, and I just couldn't resist snapping a few more images.

Creek above the falls

Heading back towards the main highway, the scenery on this side road was so stunning, I made my dad pull over a couple of times so I could jump out and capture all the beauty.

Glittering waters

Once onto the main scenic byway, we noticed traffic had picked up considerably.  Latchstring Inn's parking lot was packed, and there appeared to be a line at the door.  I was thankful for our early start!

Close to peak color

The rest of our drive was stunning.  Spearfish Canyon was close to peak color and it was as awesome as I'd remembered.  My dad took advantage of a few pullouts and I hopped out and captured as much of the fall finery as I could.

The most beautiful part of the drive

The last stop of the day was at an old brick building that housed a hydroelectric power plant for the Homestake gold mine.  The mine has been closed for years, and I don't think this facility is still in use.  But the building is still in good shape and it makes a great backdrop for fall color photos.

 

Homestake Mining Co. hydro plant

It was great to revisit Spearfish Canyon in it's most lovely season.  Growing up, I had many nice memories of fall drives through here.  It's good to see some things don't change much.  Thanks to my dad for chauffeuring me through here once again!