Spearfish Canyon: The Best Scenic Drive in the Black Hills

The Black Hills of South Dakota is an incredibly scenic area. There are mountains, and forests, and prairies, and streams, and plenty of wildlife, and spectacular views all over the place. But of all the beautiful places in the Black Hills, I think Spearfish Canyon is one of the most picturesque and has some of the best views. 

In Spearfish Canyon, you get to travel along the course of a stream, and marvel as you look up at the tall canyon wall, which can get to be over 1000 feet high in some places. The canyon's also home to some really beautiful waterfalls! Plus, the area is really easy to get to, and easy to explore. 

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Scenic highway 14 winds its way through Spearfish Canyon for about 30 miles, connecting the town of Spearfish to the towns of Lead and Deadwood. For most of that distance, the road runs alongside the unassuming Spearfish Creek. I call it unassuming because it looks like this small, gentle stream, but over the millenia it has carved out this really deep canyon. As you drive through, there are plenty of pulloffs on the side of the road so you can stop and enjoy the view and take photos. 

If you start the drive from the town of Spearfish, one of the first pulloffs you'll arrive at will be for a little waterfall called Bridal Veil Falls. Talk about easy access - all you have to do once you park is cross the street and you're there. 

Fun fact about the geology here: Bridal Veil Falls is flowing over Precambrian rock. For those of you who aren't big geology nerds like I am, the Precambrian eon is the oldest classification of geologic time, covering the time period ranging from the Earth's formation until about 540 million years ago. Spearfish Canyon is home to some of the oldest exposed rocks in the world, and is one of relatively few places in the world where you can see Precambrian rock without having to dig for it. Even within the canyon, Precambrian rock is only exposed in a few places - much of the canyon is formed of more recent rocks, such as sandstones from the Cambrian period, and limestones from the Devonian and Carboniferous periods. In the above photo, most of the gray rocks you see are metamorphic rocks that originally formed in the Precambrian. The reddish rock behind the trees in the upper left is Cambrian sandstone. 

Moving on down the road, there are two more waterfalls that are worth a stop. About 15 miles south of Spearfish is a three-way intersection where you'll find a lodge and a restaurant. Park in the little parking lot to the right of the Latchstring Restaurant to access the first of these two waterfalls. The falls aren't well-marked, so look for the restaurant's sign. 

Spearfish Falls

At the back of the parking lot, you'll see a wooden fence with a path leading alongside it. This is a circular path that will take you down to the base of Spearfish Falls and back, so you can follow it in either direction. 

You can actually hear the falls from the parking lot, and if you go to the far right end of the lot, you'll be standing beside the very top of the falls. There are a lot of trees and brush in the way, and the shape of the cliff prevents you from seeing the rest of the drop, but you can see the point where the water tumbles over the cliff, and appreciate how high you are over Spearfish Creek below. 

The unpaved trail to the bottom is not too long. I followed it to the left out of the parking lot, where it meandered through the woods and across the creek before finally arriving at the falls. There are signposts along the way identifying the various plants you are seeing and telling you a bit about the ecology of the area. 

crossing Spearfish Creek

A cute little grove of pine trees along the trail

And here's the spectacular view you're rewarded with at the end of the trail! Or, I guess it's technically the middle of the trail, since it's a loop. 

Roughlock Falls

Roughlock Falls are located only one mile upstream from Spearfish Falls, and you have two options for getting there. You can walk up the easy hiking trail that begins behind the Lodge across the street, or you can drive up to it on a dirt road. The road and the trail are right on opposite sides of the stream, so you'll see the same scenery either way. 

I chose to drive. Like the rest of the canyon, there are numerous places to pull over and enjoy the view, which gets even better here. In many places, the stream is covered with a carpet of aquatic plants, which give it an almost mystical feel. 

Once you get to the falls, there are paths that take you all around so you can view the falls from every possible angle. 

The parking lot is just above the falls, and there are viewing platforms on both sides of the stream to view the falls from the top of the surrounding cliffs. 

Looking down from above the falls

The narrow space carved out by the waterfall.

Another very steep path leads down below the falls and winds around to let you approach the falls from downstream. Take a look in the crystal clear water as you walk along the stream, and you may see some trout! There were quite a few in the water when I was there. 

And finally we arrive at the last viewpoint. From above, you can only really see the taller falls in the background of the following photo, but from below you can see that there's a second smaller little waterfall too. It's a truly beautiful place!