roughlock falls nature area

We had seen the falls in every season but winter. I was bummed when we arrived and the road was closed. It was a beautiful winter day so we walked up the road as snow mobiles roared by...and it was worth the trek!!

This is on the loop that starts with 14A going South of Deadwood and then turning North towards Spearfish, you cannot miss it, signage is pretty good. Plenty of walks/trails, in the area, Fall is providing the best possible views. Wildlife and foliage as good as they come, the falls are not spectacular, but combined with the surroundings, they are worth it.

This is about a mile off the Spearfish Canyon road. There is a small sign which can be missed as it is on a curve in the road. Turn off the canyon road and there will be a larger sign and parking area. The falls are not that big but there is a good boardwalk that leads to the falls and is easy to walk. There is a lot of vegetation in the small canyon below the falls which may make some pictures dark if taken during late in the day. This is a place well worth finding and very few people there.

I'm not sure why I was expecting spectacular waterfalls. I've seen many larger, longer, taller, more spectacular. But it's nature! How can I fault it? I can't. I would have loved to have taken the mile-long walking trail, but my husband is no longer able to walk distances, so we drove to the top of the falls and walked down to the stream where the lower falls drops in. Everyone should visit this area.How long to stay? I don't know. It depends upon your likes and dislikes. My husband and I spent several hours driving through Spearfish Canyon and visiting Roughlock Falls. But I suppose if you just want to rush in and see the falls and take a couple photographs, you can do that in 30 minutes. So in recommending a length of visit, I struck a balance between the two extremes.

The easiest way to find this is to look for the town of Spearfish which should be along highway 14a. This is a long and winding road and you might want to go slow so that you can see the views. When you get into town, you’ll be looking for Spearfish Canyon Lodge alongside the highway. By this time, you’ll probably see the brown sign which indicates the nature area. You’ll be on a semi-paved road for a while and then you’ll see all the parking. They’ve done a lot of nice things to welcome visitors with cameras so you can walk around to several vantage points and take your pictures. There is a stillness and beauty to the falls. The air is fresh and clean and nature is everywhere. It’s a nice diversion on a busy day.

Driving through Spearfish Canyon, this was an easy stop to see the falls and relax on the benches and walkway. Absolutely clean, well-maintained area perfect for a picnic, stroll and peaceful excursion.

Located in scenic Spearfish Canyon, you can park in the lot right behind the lodge at the "trailhead" and make the easy 1 mile walk to the falls or drive up very close to the falls on the road, and take a very shot walk to the end of the walkway - take the walk! There are several plaques along the 1 mile walk that tell you about the geology of the canyon, the flora and fauna, etc. You'll also find some benches where you can stop along they way just to enjoy the scenery. While the falls are not really "spectacular" they are very pretty and the water is crystal clear - very scenic. If you continue up the gravel road about 2 miles past the falls you will come to a small turn out with a metal sign on your right indicating that some of the filming on "Dances with Wolves" was done here. My wife wanted to walk the small trail to see if it ended up in some location she recognized in the movie but you immediately encounter a small stream (probably only about 6' across and maybe 1' deep - where we saw numerous trout!). So, unless you have waders or just don't care if you get wet, you won't be able to go any further. It was 55 degrees the day we were there so we did not proceed. At any rate, this is a beautiful area, an easy walk, and a very scenic falls so I'd recommend it.

We had one last day in Rapid City and wanted to take just a short ride. We looked up this area on the map and then found out it was where the last scenes (in winter) that Dances with Wolves was filmed! As we were driving to the falls I see why this spot was chosen. It was beautiful. There is a short gravel road to take you to the falls with lookouts and ADA accessible. There is also a short EASY one mile hike up to the falls so you can view it at another angle. Along the way there are benches and plaques telling you about the area. Too bad Kevin Costner didn't show up!

This is a very easy hike with the trail head beginning right behind the lodge. There is also a gravel road leading up to the falls if you want an even easier path. We hiked this in mid April so it was still pretty snow covered but packed down enough to walk easily. Kids ages 5-9 had no problem with it. The falls are not grand in height but still beautiful and tranquil all the same. The views are amazing. There are several platforms for viewing the falls from different vantage points. Over a beautiful hike!

Truly a majestic place to view natures beauty. Several waterfalls in a couple mile radius . Very nice scenic trails lead to all the falls. Picnic areas and beauty at its finest.

This stop on our drive down Spearfish Canyon was a very pleasant and beautiful surprise. I had read other reviews, but none really captured it's true beauty. It's a surprising place and kudo's to the individuals, organizations, and agencies who obviously put a great deal of thought into making this accessible to so many. My advice: have a picnic here after a drive down Spearfish Canyon!!

As we were driving east to Rapid City SD we saw a sign off the highway that said Blackhills scenic byway on highway 14a. It wasn't a very long loop, didn't take very long, and was one of the highlights of the trip. About halfway around we saw a sign for the falls and something told us to take it. We were glad we did! The park right by the waterfall is about a mile up the canyon, and has been done extremely well. There are numerous observation decks(I recommend you go to each of them sequentially as you go down) that all have a unique view of the falls. Careful with the cement trail with any moisture as I could see someone taking a header on one of the steeper sections. My kids loved it. Truly a hidden jewel of SD!!!!

I thought this would be a hiking trail. It's actually paved/gravel and not a "hike". You can drive right up to the falls. Almost feel like you aren't really enjoying nature because of all the walk ways & picnic areas. Commercialized for sure. The falls are pretty but disapointed.

Roughlock Falls is a beautiful area of the Northern Black Hills. Our family enjoyed our hike along the path; the water fall is breathtaking. I highly recommend this on your Black Hills vacation, as well as the gorgeous drive through Spearfish Canyon

You can either drive to the parking area down a wide gravel road or hike the trail. The trail is an easy 2 miles round trip through a variety of forest, open grasses and creeks. We were there in late Sept when the leaves were turning. The hike was one of my favorites as an easy peaceful walk among mother nature with a great grand prize at the end of Roughlock Falls.