Any believers in”snow comes 90 days after a fog” will want to have their snow shovel ready for late January because we found heavy fog everywhere in South Dakota last week. Photos by Bernie Hunhoff.
Autumn Haze
Category: gallery-outdoors
Foliage at Friendship Tower
Seth Bullock built Friendship Tower on Mount Roosevelt for his close friend Theodore Roosevelt. Bullock chose the location north of Deadwood for its overlook of the plains beyond Belle Fourche and into North Dakota where Roosevelt owned a ranch. A half-mile hiking path leads to the castle-like memorial. John Mitchell visited recently to photograph fall color.
Rounding up the Herd
Thousands gathered to watch the 51st annual Buffalo Roundup last weekend at Custer State Park. Employees and volunteers corralled about 1,200 bison for branding, vaccination and pregnancy checks. Between 200 and 500 will be auctioned off on November 19 to help manage the herd size and generate money for park operations. Photos by Joel Schwader.
Fall in the Canyon
Spearfish Canyon is a favorite fall foliage destination for South Dakotans and out of state visitors. Jerry Boyer, who has tracked the progression of fall colors in Spearfish Canyon for over 20 seasons, says the peak viewing time should be today and Tuesday.
“I do not remember a fall so beautiful. The yellows and golds are so vivid and the reds, oranges and purples so brilliantly plentiful,” Boyer says. “It’s amazing that primarily only four leafy tree-types can create such awesome splendor and excitement. The colorful trees are highlighted by the sharp contrast of the dark emerald-green pine and spruce evergreens.” But Boyer warns to beware of the alluring red leaves near the ground — they are poison ivy.
John Mitchell visited the canyon this past weekend. Here are some of his photos.
Billowing Beauty
Scattered storms that moved through southeast South Dakota on Tuesday created a spectacular display of cumulonimbus clouds. Photos by Christian Begeman.
After the Blaze
Lightning sparked a fire that blazed across Crow Peak near Spearfish from June 24 into July, burning more than 2,700 acres and temporarily closing its trail. John Mitchell recently explored the popular path, much of it now running through a direct burn area. The forest service urges visitors to stay on the trail due to unstable trees.
More from Swinging on the Rocks
Our July/August issue includes a story on bouldering — a blend of gymnastics and rock climbing — in the Black Hills. Stephen Gassman took photos of the adventure sport and even gave it a try. Here are some of his photos that didn’t make the magazine.
More from Golf Outside the Box
Our July/August issue includes a feature on our quirkiest golf courses. We gathered several beautiful photos of the fine fairways, hazards and greens around our state. Here are some that didn’t make the magazine.
Crow Peak Wildfire
Crews continue to battle a fire started on Crow Peak near Spearfish last Friday. An estimated 1,000 acres have burned and the blaze is still uncontained. The lightning-caused fire is largely fueled by pockets of dead ponderosa pine brought down by pine beetles. Abnormally dry and warm spring and summer weather has also been a factor.
Crow Peak is a favorite of local hiking enthusiasts. The summit provides an expansive view of the Black Hills, Montana and West River’s plains and Wyoming’s Bearlodge Mountains.
Photos by John Mitchell.
More from Poinsett Summers
Our May/June issue includes a feature on Lake Poinsett, where well-known photographer Greg Latza and his family are the newest residents of a lake community that has attracted people to its shore for centuries. Latza sent us several beautiful photos taken the last few summers. We couldn’t use them all, so here are some that didn’t make the magazine.
