Along The Way
Spearfish Rec Path: A Walk for Anytime, Any day
In South Dakota, it might be sunny with green grass and flowers blooming, or the ground might be covered with snow that just won’t melt. No matter the season, if the sun’s out then the day calls for a walk outside. In Spearfish, there’s no better spot to walk than on The Recreation Trail that runs over 7.5 miles.
Follow Along
I decide to park my car at Spearfish City Park. Typically parking in the main lot, I decide to park along the street, right across from Indian Springs. A beautiful, white gazebo stands there with a small pool of water and waterfall behind it. When the leaves are changing color in the fall, that place is a perfect spot to take photos with friends or host a company party.
But I’m not going to the springs. Instead, I’m heading on the rec path for a nice walk. After getting out of my car (and taking a quick stretch) Beginning on my walk going North-West toward the creek, I pass the tennis and pickleball courts. All sorts of pickleball and tennis enthusiasts playing away, while some boys shoot baskets at the nearby basketball hoops. WHACK!
I hear laughter and the tap of some pickleball paddles. Someone must have scored a point. I keep looking ahead as I reach the path which follows along the creek. In the winter the creek will freeze from the bottom up. But rather than covered with ice, the creek’s sparkling water is moving along at a steady pace while a group of ducks’ glide downstream.
To my left, there’s hammocks hanging in-between trees. Families sitting at the scattered picnic tables all throughout the park. One of the picnic shelters looks to be filled for a birthday. The smoke rises above the grill, signaling that the burgers and hot dogs are almost ready.
Farther down the path is the wood-gated playground. Kids are playing and laughing. The wooden castle-like structure where kids might be running up and down the stairs in a game of tag. Or siblings pushing each other on the tire swing or swinging across the monkey bars.
I reach the other end of the park where I pass the gazebo entrance to the D.C. Booth Historic National Hatchery and Archives. During the Christmas season, lights and wreaths will be hanging all over. Or, in the spring the fish will be jumping around in the waters. I watch as a family of four cross the bridge into the hatchery, the kids eagerly pointing down at the water where the fish swim below.
After a white truck drive by, I cross the street and follow the path into Spearfish City Campground. I love walking here when it’s a warm evening and the sun is casting an orange glow. Fire is crackling in the nearby camping spaces where friends and family gathered around roasting marshmallows. And though it’s only noon, with the sun high in the sky, there’s still plenty of firepits being used, kids riding bicycles, dogs barking and cars driving in and out of the campground. I cross the bridge leading out of the campground and toward the canyon.
The leaves in the trees cast a few shadowy spots on the path. A runner passes me on my left. Two bicyclists zoom past, heading in the opposite direction. In the distance, a woodpecker is busy pecking on some tree bark. The path has a slight turn, crossing a small road, I smile at an older lady walking her black lab (who looks to be very happy to be going for a long walk based off his tail quickly wagging back and forth).
The path leads me to a slight hill and at the top is a metal bench surrounding by trees. A perfect spot for a rest if I were running this path in the early morning. In the spring flowers might be popping up along this area, and in the winter and the sun is out, the ground covered in snow, the sparkling snow is so gorgeous.
Continuing on, I reach another bridge leading to a large parking lot at the entrance of Spearfish Canyon. The leaves would be all sorts of colors in the fall, but now there is green all around. An engine gets louder and louder as a few motorcyclists rush by on the nearby road.
A smile on my face, I can see a few birds flying above, the smell of pine is faint but still in the air, as the sun shines down. I decide it’s time to turn around and head back along the path. A beautiful, scenic walk, for a beautiful day. (Next time, I think I’ll bring my dog.)
