West River Autumn

Oct 30, 2024

By Christian Begeman 

September usually signals the end of hot summer weather in South Dakota, but this year things have been warmer than usual. The dry and dusty days of late September reminded me of the hot and dry summers of my youth growing up along the Ziebach and Dewey County line. The only difference was a lot more grasshoppers back then and these days I pack a camera any time I’m back in West River country. Such was the case when I took a much-needed vacation to the Badlands and Black Hills the last week of September.

Over the years, I’ve discovered that as amazing as these locations are, it is in the golden and blue hours when magic happens. For those of you wondering, the golden hour is the hour before sunset and after sunrise. The blue hour is the time after the sun sets or before it rises when the sky is not fully dark. These are the times that wildlife is most active, particularly when the day is going to be baked with a side of gritty wind.

Since daylight shortens in late September, there is also more night. In the Badlands and more remote parts of the Black Hills, added darkness is a boon to stargazers and amateur astrophotographers. The Milky Way can be observed as a near vertical shaft of distant starlight in the southern sky about an hour and a half after dark in late September. As the night wanes, the Milky Way slides westward and slowly sets. This year, I finally attempted a Milky Way composition I’ve been wanting to do for about a decade. I wanted to align the Milky Way with the Needles Eye in Custer State Park. With clear weather, this was the year to give it a try. At elevation, the hot air of the day cooled as the evening deepened. The wind died except for an occasional vehicle passing by and I soon became alone with the stones and stars. It's hard to explain that feeling, and photos can’t do it justice.

Late September also brings out the first blush of autumn’s color, particularly in the high draws and high country. Spearfish Canyon is a national scenic byway, and early fall is among the best times to take the drive. Further up and into rural Lawrence County, even more beauty can be found with stands of aspen and birch glowing in the sunlight. And there are fewer tourists and dust clouds along the county roads to boot.

I spent my last few days in Custer State Park just after the big annual buffalo roundup. Call me anti-social if you want, but I prefer the quiet parts of that park and adjacent Wind Cave National Park. I did stumble on quite a scene, thanks to the roundup. While traveling the Wildlife Loop Road, a scene that could have been taken from centuries ago revealed itself as I approached the bison corrals. The trees of Lame Johnny Creek were showing off their autumn color and scattered beyond on the receding hills was a portion of the big bison herd grazing peacefully. Moments like this are what keep me coming back to this part of the world when the seasons change.

Christian Begeman grew up in Isabel and now lives in Sioux Falls. When he's not working at Midco he is often on the road photographing South Dakota’s prettiest spots. Follow Begeman on his blog.