SPEARFISH, SD (home base for 3 nights)
The town of Spearfish sits in a valley in the northern Black Hills. The name stems from the days when the Indians speared fish in the creek that flows through town.
Spearfish is home to Black Hills State University, one of South Dakota’s oldest educational institutes. The Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway attracts visitors and locals year-round.
August 13, 2024
Today, we drove along the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway, one of the oldest and most beautiful canyons in the west. The canyon spans 20-miles and is less than a mile wide. Along our route, we stopped at Bridal Veil Falls and the Devil’s Bathtub. We walked across the road to the falls viewpoint. Cascading approximately 60 feet, Bridal Veil Falls is the most accessible waterfall in the canyon. From the viewpoint we could see people, along the river ,panning for gold. They say “there is gold in these hills”, but, I didn’t see any gold in the pan! At the Devils Bathtub, everyone was standing around and staring at the water…not sure what to look for! All we could see was a dirty pool of water. After some research, I discovered that the “bathtub” was a 40 minute hike across the river. No wonder everyone looked puzzled!
It was a beautiful day to enjoy the scenery and sunshine with the Jeep top open. We saw lots of tourists enjoying the falls, scenery, and sunshine. There was still a roar in the air …still lots of motorcyclists in the area.
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The scenic byway took us to the small towns of Lead and Deadwood. Since, we had been to both towns previously, we opted to stay in the Jeep and drive through only.
Lead, SD (pronounced Leed)
Lead, SD is high in the Black Hills and surrounded by ponderosa pine forests and meandering trout streams. The town was founded during the gold rush of 1876. One of the richest veins of gold was discovered in Lead.
Deadwood, SD
Deadwood is a historic town born in 1876. Deadwood has only one main street and the rest of the town clings to the steep sides of the Canyon. Gold miners and fortune seekers descended on the northern black hills in hopes of making a better life for themselves. Deadwood was lawless in the early years, and the men and women who first came were people who didn’t mind a struggle on the way to fame and fortune. Lewis and Clark, Wild Bill Hickok, Wyatt Earp, George Armstrong Custer, Poker Alice, the Sundance Kid, Calamity Jane, and many others have all passed through here in search of fortune and adventure.
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After our road trip, we made our first trip to the grocery store since we began our trip…22 days! That must be a record for us!
August 14, 2024
Today we drove from spearfish through Hill City to Custer to see one of our favorite parks …Custer State Park. It is not a national park but it is pretty awesome! The wildlife, landscape, history, and natural wonders make this a truly special place.
With only one day to tour the park we chose two of the three loop drives:
Needles Highway is a 14-mile stretch of road that features some of the most spectacular scenery in the Black Hills. This slow speed drive features narrow tunnels, hairpin curves and the Needle’s Eye, which is a popular photo spot. And then there is the Needles Eye Tunnel(one of our favorites) which swallows up vehicles with a meager 8’4” opening…yikes!
The Iron Mountain Road, a Scenic Drive which ends near Mount Rushmore. It was a twisty/turning road with pigtail bridges and fabulous scenery. The crown jewel is the gorgeous glimpse you get of Mt. Rushmore as you come through the tunnels. Spectacular! Don’t let this pretty mountain road fool you though, it is a bit squirrly.
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George Washington
After exiting Custer State Park, we drove to Keystone. Keystone is one of the most popular towns in the Black Hills. Over 2 million people visit the Keystone area each year to see Mount Rushmore. Drivning through Keystone we had views of Mount Rushmore and a look at the profile of George Washington. The profile is a unique view outside of the national memorial.
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Returning to the RV park, we drove through Hill City and then continued on highway 385.
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We were looking for a side road that would take us to the Spearfish Scenic Byway. Well, we found a side road, not the one we wanted. It ended up being a very nice ride along the George S. Michelson Trail. The trail a former rail line, traverses over 100 miles of the Black Hills of South Dakota. We drove along this path for quite a few miles. Where are our bicycles?
Returning to the Elkhorn ridge RV Park, we did a quick drive around the park. On the other side of the park we saw several million dollar plus RV’s. There were some beauties! We can always look! At the end of the day….we are all in the same place!
In conclusion, the Black Hills of South Dakota are full of scenic drives. Each bend in the road brings a new view that’s even more gorgeous than the last. We will pack up and leave tomorrow, but, we think the area is pretty awesome and hope to visit again!
The next two days of travel will get us closer to Yellowstone National Park!
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