Cascade Falls

It was a chilly morning commute in the high 30’s as I left camp down in the canyon but I am not complaining. The sun is a fantastic golden blaze and skies are clear with a bit of haze offering a vivid glow to anything the light touches. I’m taking a short drive down state highway 71 also known as Cascade Road to a local gem known as Cascade Falls. Why? I found it on the map and it’s on my route so why not?

Morning drive down highway 71 towards Cascade Falls

Arriving at the Cascade Falls recreation area. Sign is labeled as “Keith Memorial” and the full name is the “J.H. Keith Cascade Falls Picnic Area” on some maps. I couldn’t find much about this J.H. Keith but after some research it appears the Keith family donated the land to the forest service to make it public for all to enjoy.

Keith Memorial Cascade Falls – Black Hills National Forest welcome sign

The site itself isn’t all that special but does offer a pit toilet and several sheltered picnic tables. No big deal, most people are heading for the falls and creek area anyways. It is nice to have any facilities at all for a remote location like this. I’m told the amenities at the Cascade Springs area upstream from here is much nicer – unfortunately I drove right by it and didn’t visit since I was unaware of it at the time, doh!

Cascade Falls – View of picnic area and outhouse facilities

Access to the water level is quite easy via several staircases constructed of wood and gravel. There is also an observation deck down the first set of stairs in case you don’t want to go all the way down.

Cascade Falls – Stairs leading down closer towards Cascade Creek

Here’s the view of Cascade Falls and Cascade Creek from that observation point. As you can see, the falls are not that tall but are quite wide, spanning what I would guess is maybe 30-40 feet across the exposed rocky surface. Total drop I would estimate around 10 feet give or take.

Cascade Falls – View of falls from small platform above

One more set of stairs or a longer accessible ramp brings you down to the lower level for up-close access. Additional picnic tables are available on the paved patio. In summer this is a popular location for locals to swim and cool off from the heat so I’d imagine this is prized territory in the warmer months. Today it’s only me and even though I’m from the great white north there’s no way I’m jumping in to become an ice cube!

Cascade Falls – Steps and ramps leading down to Cascade Creek

Here is a view of the falls from up close standing right off to the side. Quite a bit of water moving here surprisingly from Cascade Spring which is a bit upstream on Cascade Creek. According to the US Forest Service website, “Cascade Springs, the largest single springs in the Black Hills with water emerging at 22.5 cubic ft (0.6 cubic m) per second at a constant 67º F.”

Cascade Falls – View standing directly besides the falls

Downstream I observed several small drops where the stone “shelves” descended but only a foot or two at a time. The main pool here just below the falls seems a bit deeper and clear though I couldn’t make out the bottom. Downstream the creek narrows but does appear to have a few more pools like this one.

Cascade Falls – View and small ledges looking downstream from main falls

Upstream of the main falls I found one other drop of several feet that landed in it’s own smaller pool. Views through the water are exceptionally clear and you can see the exposed rock flats on the bottom. After I returned home and viewed more satellite images, it does appear there are more drops/falls up and down stream. Had I known I might have cheeked them out further; there are also several other waterfalls labeled on the maps but access wasn’t clear at the time so I’ll have to reserve those for future trips.

Cascade Falls – Small drop above the main falls on Cascade Creek

Here’s a wider view including the gold-colored trees along the creek. Above them in what are the far southern end of the Black Hills, notice the cover changes quite sharply from a thick brushy forest to a wide-open grassy plains and only a random small crop of trees. Fairly easy to identify where the water source is.

Cascade Falls – View of surrounding trees and fall foliage

Peeking a bit over the trees I spotted a small group of cattle. The adjoining lands to the small plot at Cascade Falls is a spattering of private lands, private Nature Conservancy lands (which are somewhat public but not all the time), BLM land, and more. I’m not exploring any further today but if you intend to go along the creek be sure to know where you are and if access is legal. Also watch out for rattlesnakes!

Cascade Falls – Cattle in the plains above and across the creek

Not directly on this property but just a short distance down the road I was seeing several deer that mostly looked like whitetails. I couldn’t get the camera out fast enough for the really big ones (saw one that was 10+ points, wow) but I did capture this young 6-pointer that was either swimming in the creek or bedded down in some mud. In fact I can truly say this morning I saw more deer than either other cars or humans. Desolate but beautiful country around these parts.

6-point whitetail deer in southern Black Hills, South Dakota

And that’s a wrap for South Dakota on this journey. Heading south into Nebraska next!