While the initial focus of our time in South Dakota was visiting the Crazy Horse and Mt. Rushmore memorials, we found there was so much more to enjoy in this area.
Located across the valley from Mt. Rushmore we visited the Norbeck Wildlife Preserve and followed the Norbeck Scenic Byway which is a 68-mile drive through the park and includes the Norbeck Overlook in the Black Hills National Forest. The park, the Overlook and the road are named for Peter Norbeck (1870 - 1936). He was the first native-born governor of South Dakota and also served three terms as a U.S. Senator for the state from 1921 to 1936. He was a dedicated conservationist and was instrumental in expanding tourism in South Dakota through designing of several roads to enable visitors to enjoy the great beauty of this area. His greatest legacy is garnering the support of Presidents Calvin Coolidge and Franklin Roosevelt and obtaining federal funding for the Mt. Rushmore Memorial. He was also responsible for the establishment of Custer State Park and the Wildlife Preserve.
The Norbeck Scenic Byway winds through massive walls of granite boulders, and in some places through tunnels carved in the rock.
The rock tunnels are just wide enough for a single lane. The tunnel below was a bit longer than the others, and had a skylight of sorts letting in some light to the dark passage. Looking beyond the trees, there is a faint view of the faces of Mt. Rushmore..
The Byway leads to the Norbeck Overlook which is at a pinnacle in the park, with spectacular views of the surrounding area. Looking across the valley is a distant view of Mt. Rushmore bout a mile away.
Walking paths around the Overlook offer additional views of the famous faces.
Custer State Park is located in the Black Hills, south of Mt. Rushmore, and encompasses 71,000 acres of land. It is South Dakota's first and largest state park. The grassy hills were a beautiful gold in late summer, and with a brilliant blue sky and billowing white clouds overhead.
The road through the park zigzags through cliffsides of granite spires and tall pines on either side. The mountainsides host a dense forest of pine trees.
Along the drive we met a large buffalo hanging out by himself and grazing at the edge of the road. He was content to calmly munch the grass but kept a wary eye on us as we eased past him. He was a very wooly fella!
It was surprising to me to learn that there are buffalo in the park. South Dakota is among multiple states that have wildlife preserves for buffalo including North and South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, Iowa, Colorado, Missouri, Oklahoma and several others. While Yellowstone National Park has the largest herd at about 6,000 animals, Custer State Park has about 1,500.
During the 1800's the wild population of bison across the plains states was estimated to be 30 to 60 million but had dwindled to a few hundred by the end of the 19th century due to over-hunting and loss of habitat. Conservation efforts in South Dakota began in the early 1900's to restore the wild buffalo population in the state.
Through Peter Norbeck's efforts, the Custer State Forest was established in 1913 and became Custer State Park in 1920. Due to Norbeck's work, a Wildlife Preserve was also created on 30,000 acres adjacent to Custer State Park. The Wildlife Preserve was populated with buffalo, deer, elk, antelope and mountain goats. Bighorn sheep and mountain lions are also found here.
In 2020, the Worldwide Wildlife Fund and the Nature Conservancy partnered with conservation efforts of Indian Nations to reintroduce bison into the wild on BLM lands in North and South Dakota. The Rosebud Sioux Tribe in south central South Dakota manages the largest free-range bison herd on BLM lands, with a herd of about 750. The buffalo are an important part of their cultural and spiritual heritage.
We enjoyed the rugged terrain in South Dakota and its many areas for hiking and its beautiful lakes and rivers, This included Spearfish Falls which is an easily accessible walking path and waterfall. The hike was an easy 1.5 miles round trip to a beautiful waterfall in Spearfish Canyon. At the head of the trail is a great restaurant where Alan, Murphy and I had lunch.
The trail leads across a rushing stream and through a corridor of trees that arched overhead, giving shade from the warm day.
Even at the end of summer, there were still plenty of wildflowers along the way.
Murphy and Alan appreciated the benches around the waterfall, and other hikers showed Murphy lots of attention! A Double Belly-Rub!
North of Mt. Rushmore is Pactola Lake, which is the largest and deepest reservoir in the Black Hills. It extends over 800 acres with a depth of 150 feet. The dam was built in 1952, but the history of the area starts long before that, in 1875, when the discovery of gold in the Black Hills attracted miners. The miners were here illegally because the Black Hills were owned by the Lakota Indians as part of the Fort Laramie Treaty prior to the the discovery of gold. General George Crook, U.S. Army officer, estalished a camp here to keep illegal miners away. However, in 1876 the area was opened to mining claims, ignoring the treaty, and the mining town of Pactola grew rapidly. Eventually the mining industry faded and the town dwindled, with buildings and businesses abandoned. In 1952, it was decided that a dam would be built over the town of Pactola, to protect against flooding and to provide a water supply to Rapid City. Some of the buildings were auctioned off and moved, but other abandoned structures still remained, and were flooded over by the building of the dam. Today the lake is a haven for fishing and water sports, boating and the local wildlife
Alcatraz island located in Pactola Lake reminded me a bit of the island in Crater Lake. It has an American Flag posted at the top.
During the 1800's this area experienced its share of outlaws and the rugged terrain provided good places to hide. A small lake close to our campsite was named Horsethief Lake because it apparently was known to attract outlaws and...as the name implies...horse thieves!
An osprey perched high in a tree searching for his supper.
This chipmunk found a tasty snack under the trees.
We chatted with this gal who was fishing on the lake with a friend. Peaceful and perfect for a stroll, the lake has a boardwalk that surrounds it with areas to sit and admire the view and watch the osprey who frequent the lake, looking for fish
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We also enjoyed taking some downtime at our campsite. My favorite thing about the park was that it had a stable of horses for campers to go riding. The horses were brought in daily from their home stable with about 30 horses on site during the day. The stable hands told me that they have a herd of about 100 horses that rotate through the camp. While I did not ride, I loved the many opportunities to visit the horses, pet their soft muzzles.
Breakfast time, and the cowgirls are out making sure all their charges are getting a good feed. One hungry horse wanted to make sure they didn't forget him!
Helping himself to a little smackerel of something out of the feed bucket!
Cowgirl and Friend getting ready for the morning ride -
Soooooo thirsty!
Come on...time to join the rest of the crew...
All the horse tails!
Saddling up -
Heading out on the morning ride -
The campground was also home to lots of wild bunnies, Waxwings, and wildflowers -
Our time in the Black Hills was so relaxing...but after a week there, it was time to head down the road! Goodbye to the Black Hills, and on to the Badlands!
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