September 30, 2022
We are now at peak color change in Spearfish Canyon. Nearly every glimpse and glance you take reveals bountiful colors. Some of the goldens I mentioned this season are now taking on an orange hue. The bowl at Savoy and the trees behind Spearfish Canyon Lodge are obvious stunners right now. If you drive slow, you will notice birch and aspen that seem to climb the Canyon ridges behind the Victoria Lane road sign and looking south from Kissing Rocks. From Rim Rock Lodge to Bridal Veil Falls, the woodbine is a dazzling red, latching on and ascending the Canyon’s trees.
Bowl at Savoy
Color Change: 100% (High – Peak Color)
Leaf Drop: Low
We are now at peak color change in Spearfish Canyon. Nearly every glimpse and glance you take reveals bountiful colors. Some of the goldens I mentioned this season are now taking on an orange hue. The bowl at Savoy and the trees behind Spearfish Canyon Lodge are obvious stunners right now. If you drive slow, you will notice birch and aspen that seem to climb the Canyon ridges behind the Victoria Lane road sign and looking south from Kissing Rocks. From Rim Rock Lodge to Bridal Veil Falls, the woodbine is a dazzling red, latching on and ascending the Canyon’s trees.
As I teased in my last report, the trees that will follow you along the Canyon byway have greatly progressed in their color change since earlier this week. We could still see more color emerging around the road’s borders in the coming days. The weather forecast includes a chance of thunderstorms this weekend, followed by cooler temperatures next week. Be safe and drive safe!
September 27, 2022
The colors in the Canyon are now the most vibrant I have seen yet this season. From the golden yellows of aspen and birch popping out of the highest points of the Canyon walls, to the glowing red of sumac along the roadway, your senses are in for a treat! Leaf drop remains low, despite a windy end to last week. Yesterday, the mountain goats were showing off their climbing skills near Bridal Veil Falls.
Elm Trees in Spearfish Canyon
Color Change: 75% (High)
Leaf Drop: Low
The colors in the Canyon are now the most vibrant I have seen yet this season. From the golden yellows of aspen and birch popping out of the highest points of the Canyon walls, to the glowing red of sumac along the roadway, your senses are in for a treat! Leaf drop remains low, despite a windy end to last week. Yesterday, the mountain goats were showing off their climbing skills near Bridal Veil Falls.
Areas near Spearfish Canyon Lodge are at 90% of peak color change. At the entrance to the Canyon up until Devil’s Bathtub, we will continue to see progression towards peak color this week, most noticeably in the trees that border the byway.
It amazes me how different the Canyon looks while driving in from Spearfish going south and then back out on the same road heading north. Especially with the peak color we are seeing near Savoy, it is worth your time to make a longer loop and enjoy the sights. You will get a completely new vista seeing the Canyon walls and rocks from a different direction on the way back towards Spearfish. The way the sun hits the trees is distinctive, and the panorama of the colorful foliage along the creek changes.
Drive through the Canyon with me in this video: https://youtu.be/bKBXEHObg6k
September 23, 2022
It is officially fall! We will likely see the peak color change in Spearfish Canyon this week. Of all the places in the Canyon, the swath of trees near the hydroplant building at Devil’s Bathtub trailhead, the bowl at Savoy, and Roughlock Falls are the closest to nearing peak color change.
Roughlock Falls
Color Change: 50% (Moderate)
Leaf Drop: Low
It is officially fall! We will likely see the peak color change in Spearfish Canyon this week. Of all the places in the Canyon, the swath of trees near the hydroplant building at Devil’s Bathtub trailhead, the bowl at Savoy, and Roughlock Falls are the closest to nearing peak color change.
Today is windy in Spearfish. It is disheartening to see leaf drop when we are nearing peak color change. Yet, science tells us it is not the wind making the leaves drop, it is the tree. As the nights get longer and the days get shorter, a hormone is triggered in the Canyon’s birch and aspen that sends a chemical message to the leaves to drop. A gust of wind may help the progress along, but wind is not the only factor. I am taking solace in the fact that we are not quite at peak color change yet. That means many of the leaves are not yet at their “drop” stage, and hopefully they will hang on! I will continue to report on leaf drop throughout my next leaf reports. Read more about the science behind leaf drop here: https://www.npr.org/2009/10/30/114288700/why-leaves-really-fall-off-trees
Do not let the wind stop you. It is a spectacular weekend to visit Spearfish Canyon!