According to Jerry Boyer’s calculations, Spearfish Canyon was set to explode with fall color during the final weekend of September. Boyer is a writer who has tracked the progression of canyon’s autumn foliage for several years and publishes twice-weekly updates beginning in early September. But Mother Nature intervened, as she is wont to do. Cold and snow descended upon the canyon just as Boyer estimated its color saturation at 90 percent. Christian Begeman was in the Black Hills and photographed the area along Roughlock Falls Road and Wagon Canyon Road southwest of Savoy as fall and winter collided.
Category: gallery-outdoors
Spring Hike at Crazy Horse
Crazy Horse Memorial hosted its 33rd annual Spring Volksmarch June 2-3. Hikers from around the country made the 6.2-mile jaunt over dirt trails and gravel roads to experience a view of the world’s largest mountain carving that visitors don’t ordinarily enjoy. The turn-around point happens on the outstretched arm of Crazy Horse, with the sculpture’s nine-story face looming in the background. The volksmarch is among the most popular organized hikes in the country. Another trip in the fall is scheduled for September 30. Photos by John Mitchell.
Bear Butte Burning
A weekend fire, reportedly caused by debris that escaped from a nearby rancher’s burn pile, scorched 150 acres on the north side of Bear Butte, near Sturgis. Firefighters, aided by an inch of snow that fell Sunday morning, had the blaze under control about 15 hours after it was initially reported. No buildings were damaged and none of the animals in the Bear Butte State Park bison herd were injured. John Mitchell captured these images as the blaze burned.
Fall Roundup
Around 20,000 spectators were on hand to watch the 52nd annual Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup last Friday. Park employees and volunteers gathered about 1,200 bison into corrals to be branded, vaccinated and checked for pregnancy. Around 400 bison will be auctioned off on November 18 to keep herd numbers manageable. Photos by John Mitchell.
Over 700 Years in the Making
Good Earth State Park at Blood Run, South Dakota’s newest state park just southeast of Sioux Falls, is one of the oldest sites of long-term human habitation in the United States. Rebecca Johnson, our special projects coordinator, visited the National Historic Landmark recently to hike the trails. Here are some of her photos.
Badlands Spring
Millions of years of erosion have carved the beauty that is Badlands National Park. Besides the breathtaking striated buttes and canyons, its 244,000 acres are home to one of the world’s largest fossil beds. It’s also a terrific place to spot wildflowers and wildlife, like bighorn sheep, bison, prairie dogs, eagles and rattlesnakes. You might even spot an endangered black-footed ferret. John Mitchell visited this spring and shared these photos.
Gold in the Hills
Our March/April issue includes a story on prospecting in the Black Hills, where hobby gold miners still carry pans and pickaxes deep into our mountain valleys. Our founder Bernie Hunhoff, editor Katie Hunhoff and her son Steven visited a claim to sift for gold and take some photos. Here are some photos that didn’t make the magazine.
Island Winter
West River Wintertime
Winter is settling in over the Black Hills, bringing many opportunities for beautiful photography. John Mitchell, Spearfish, has been exploring the frosty nooks and crannies in his neck of the woods. Here are some of his recent shots.
Artists with Ax and Saw
Our November/December issue includes a story on the Juso Brothers, sons of a Finnish immigrant who brought western European log construction skills to South Dakota. We gathered several photos for the story on the family’s craft. Here are some that didn’t make the magazine. Color photos by Stephen Gassman. Black and white photos courtesy of June Nusz.
