Spearfish Falls descends from the sandstone in the Black Hills of South Dakota. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

Stunning beauty without breaking a sweat. This is Spearfish Canyon in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Even though I have been going to the Hills since I was a kid, I knew nothing about this area. Thanks to my cousin Albert (really, his wife, Kim) I had the pleasure this month to see a little bit of the canyon. I heard them talking about visiting multiple waterfalls in one day so I invited myself along, as did my sister, Pam, and her hubby, Tom.

I’m sure there are more difficult, longer hikes in the area, but that isn’t what we were after this particular afternoon. We wanted the most scenic bang for our day.

This is an area my mom later told me she and her family would visit every fall to take in the autumn colors. With all the aspens—some along Spearfish Creek, others growing trail side—I’m sure it would be spectacular.

The water from Roughloch Falls becomes Spearfish Creek in South Dakota. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

“During the frontier years, Spearfish Canyon was home to mining and logging. Timber supported the underground openings in the Homestake Gold Mine. Nearby Spearfish Creek served as a source for electrical power,” a sign reads. “The power was needed to operate gold processing machinery. As a side benefit, towns such as Spearfish, Lead, Deadwood, and Central City were electrified. Spearfish Canyon timber and hydroelectric power continue to aid the Black Hills today.”

Homestake Gold Mine closed in 2002. It was the oldest, largest, and deepest mine in the Western Hemisphere.

The Homestake Mining Company established the Spearfish Canyon Foundation, which to this day continues to provide stewardship to the area.

We visited two falls on separate hikes out of the tiny town of Savoy. One was 1.5 miles round trip, the other 2 miles. Both were pretty easy. I would not have had a problem taking my mom, but she’s not your average 90 year old. For those who prefer a drive-by viewing, there is a fall worth seeing between Savoy and Spearfish that literally you can see from the road.

Spearfish Canyon is someplace I hope to revisit if I go back to the Hills.

Finishing off the excursion at the Spearfish Brewery was a perfect way to cap our outing.