To some extent, Custer State Park could be considered the heart of the Black Hills and, because of the rough topography, there are limited routes in and out of the region. One of the prettiest routes is to the northwest through Spearfish Canyon, our choice for heading on our way to Colorado.
The approximately twenty mile route is designated a scenic byway by both South Dakota and the National Forest Service and it’s a beautiful ride on a road laid out alongside the Spearfish Creek as it flows down from Cheyenne Crossing to Spearfish, dropping nearly 2000 feet in elevation.
The canyon is not extremely narrow, but at generally less than a mile wide the walls are close enough and high enough to give a sense of perspective. The road is curvy (but not at all narrow) and provides ample pull offs to stop and enjoy the scenery.
As we got to the start of the drive down from the Black Hills, I decided I wanted to enjoy the scenery and offered Kathy the chance to drive the route. It didn’t take long before we got to some pretty driving.
Historically, Spearfish Canyon was an important element to the mining history of the Black Hills. In the later 1870’s, gold fever hit the Black Hills, and the canyon became a route for the rush of miners and supplies as well as a major source of hydroelectric power that fostered development of the mines.
Today, the byway provides a scenic introduction to the Black Hills, including a couple of scenic water falls.
The first of the falls was Spearfish Falls at Savoy. We pulled off in the small resort town and found an excellent trail to the base of the canyon that provided a great view of the falls. The falls was only returned to its status as a premier falls in 2003, when the last of the flume diversions for hydroelectric generation were closed to restore full flow of the creek.
After our short hike, we continued down the canyon towards Spearfish, with one more quick stop to take a peek at Bridal Veil Falls.
This route out of the Black Hills was a refreshing change from the more commercial routes around Rapid City and a highly recommended alternative if you have the time.