Spearfish Canyon
Spearfish Canyon Lodge
Spending the night at Spearfish Canyon Lodge was a big relief after the less-than-spectacular experience we had with Under Canvas Mount Rushmore.
We slept well in the Muir Suite. For us, this was the ideal place (quiet, comfortable, and right next to trails and scenery).
I did wake up fairly early (5:30 AM) because I wanted to take in a morning run to Roughlock Falls. The trailhead is just past the lodge building on the south-east side.
Roughlock Falls
I decided to run the one-mile trail to the falls and back. It was a very nice experience, with woodlands surrounding the trail and the towering walls of Spearfish Canyon rising above. It kind of reminded me of Zion, albeit more wooded and with cooler summer temperatures.
Roughlock Falls was my favorite of the three we saw in Spearfish Canyon (the others being Bridalveil Falls and Spearfish Canyon Falls).
The falls can be viewed from three separate platforms at different elevations. You will want to stop at all three to fully appreciate the falls.
The falls create an interesting microclimate of their own, owing to the spray the falls deposit in the canyon. The falls roll over moss-covered rocks and between thick groves of trees and flowering bushes. The falls look like something you’d imagine in the Pacific Northwest.
I started jogging back and noticed I wasn’t alone on the trail. My trail companion, however, was a bit shy and decided to run off trail and into the foliage rather than stop and talk.
A bear encounter is always a a good way to close out a roadtrip.
After my morning fun, I returned to the room and showered while Shelley and Evan enjoyed a few more minutes of rest. You can decide who had a better start to the morning between the three of us.
An hour later we all got packed up and started home.
We wanted coffee though, and the best way to get something more than regular black was to first drive back north to Spearfish.
Spearfish
We decided to try a small coffee stand near the highway called KLYM Coffee and Donuts. The coffee was good enough but the donuts were tiny.
With our coffee needs covered we headed west into Wyoming for the drive home.
Wyoming
The drive south through Sundance, Four Corners, and Newcastle on highways 585 and 85 was pretty scenic and enjoyable.
Once past Newcastle, Wyoming changes from mountains and forests to dry, windswept stretches of rangeland.
I often hear people speak negatively about driving through Wyoming, but for me, it’s the stark difference between northern and southern Wyoming that stands out.
Yes, I’m not a huge fan of the endless, dry, and windy stretches of southern Wyoming. But northern Wyoming just looks and feels different.
From the northeast corner where the Black Hills give way to Devils Tower, to the central Bighorn Mountains and Bighorn Canyon, and finally the Beartooth Mountains and the national parks of Yellowstone and Grand Teton in the northwest, northern Wyoming represents some of the best scenery in the country. To drive east to west across northern Wyoming is a true adventure.
In all areas of Wyoming the towns are very small and dining options are extremely limited. We were going to stop in Lusk for lunch, but didn’t find anywhere that we were interested in going.
We continued on another sixty miles to Torrington and had a late lunch at Arby’s.
After lunch, we continued south and re-entered Colorado. The roads were much busier and the weather much hotter.
Final Thoughts
Overall, this was a fun trip in a year where we’ve had to dial back on travel (for a number of reasons).
It was great to get back to the Black Hills and I’m pretty sure we’ll be back again within a few years. The Black Hills are full of fun and interesting sites, and we got the chance to discover a few more on this journey.
I would like to go even further next time and visit Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. I’ve only once been in North Dakota (Grand Forks in 1998), and 99% of the state is unexplored. And the majority of South Dakota remains to be explored as well.
