I explored Spearfish Canyon by driving through a significant portion as well as hiking 6.9 miles within it. I was captured by the raw beauty of the place. I can see why they chose it to film the final scene of Dances With Wolves here.
It snowed the night before which made everything that much more beautiful. The white provided a nice contrast to the trees and exposed rock of the canyon walls.
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| Sun Begins to Peek into Spearfish Canyon |
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| A Thin Blanket of Snow |
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| Castle in the Sky |
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| Two Towers |
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| Yellow Wall atop a Red Base |
While hiking, I climbed 1,000 feet in only a mile to the observation point called Buzzard's Roost. I was a bit disappointed how the trees blocked so much of the panoramic view as I'd hoped to see down into the canyon.
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| View to the Left |
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| Straight Ahead |
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| View to the Right |
I'm sure flowing water over thousands of years is the main creator of the canyon. Today, it flows from multiple arms and through the main channel of the canyon.
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| Little Spearfish Creek |
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| Tumbling Water |
In a few places, the water and the landscape combined to create waterfalls of various heights, shapes, and intensity.
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| Spearfish Falls |
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Roughneck Falls
(tucked back in an alcove) |
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Bridal Veil Falls
(not much more than a trickle) |
I came across many animal tracks including deer, turkey, and bear. I saw three white tailed deer, but they were too deep in the trees for a good photo. Almost at the last minute of my time in Spearfish Canyon, I drove by these mountain goats grazing on the side of the road. While I stayed some distance away thanks to my telephoto lens, they didn't seem to be affected by me or any of the passing cars.
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| Group of Four |
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| Looking for Food in the Snow |
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| Road Guard |
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