Finding the Falls

Trip Start Jun 18, 2004

Trip End Jun 18, 2004

Loading Map

Map your own trip!

Map Options

Show trip route

Hide lines

Flag of United States Savoy, South Dakota
Friday, June 18, 2004

Finding the falls was easier than I thought. I had been there once before as a child, but I remembered very little. After all, the water flow had been diverted for decades, and it wasn't much more than a trickle when I was growing up. I pulled into Savoy and parked at the Latchstring Inn. The trail off the parking lot was well-marked, and I quickly found my way down into the forest. I could hear the falls roaring almost immediately. I walked across an iron bridge, which had a good view of the water coming over the cliffs, but I could tell there was a better vantage point below, so I kept walking.

The hike down to the base of the falls was a bit trickier. The forest was thick there, and a combination of tree roots and rocks had been molded into a makeshift stairway. There was some interpretive signage here and there describing the kinds of vegetation. Spearfish Canyon is one of the most ecologically diverse places in this part of the country, mixing at least four different kinds of biomes in one place. I've read some really interesting quotes from Frank Lloyd Wright on the place. Apparently he loved the place because of its natural balances.

The falls were definitely majestic. Certainly not Niagra. Really, not even all that big - after all, the Black Hills are very, very old mountains - but it was well-worth the hike. Sometimes it's not about how big or tall or loud or massive something is. Sometimes it's nice to simply appreciate something for what it is.

Savoy hotels Slideshow