Should have had a plan B! Yesterday evening a landowner had refused Lupe permission to cross their property this morning to access a mountain that would have been a fun trek. SPHP was welcome, but no pesky Dingoes allowed! Heh. No dice! If the Dingo couldn’t, SPHP wouldn’t.
Hence the sudden need for a Plan B. Plenty of options to choose from in the Black Hills, perhaps too many. None seemed to stand out as the thing to do. Better decide soon, though. The morning was shooting by. Lupe wasn’t going to be happy if SPHP let indecisiveness waste away this beautiful day for her first Black Hills Expedition of the fall season.
Under the circumstances, maybe something quick and easy was called for? Lupe didn’t always have to climb a mountain, did she? How about a scenic drive up Spearfish Canyon? Loopster had never been to the Devil’s Bathtub, a lovely remote swimming hole beneath a waterfall hidden up a side canyon. SPHP had thought about taking her there many times, but it was best visited in the hot summer months when the cool, clear water would be refreshing, not frigid.
The Devil’s Bathtub would still be a beautiful short trek, though, and the Carolina Dog wasn’t much into swimming, anyway. Lupe would have plenty of time to visit the 3 best waterfalls in Spearfish Canyon today, too. Why not? SPHP felt kind of lazy. So be it! Lupe was in for an easy day touring the watery wonders of Spearfish Canyon. She was all for it, desperately eager to get going right this very minute!
Coming up Spearfish Canyon on Hwy 14A, Lupe’s first stop was at Bridal Veil Falls. (11:41 AM, 55ºF) Bridal Veil Falls was conveniently right next to the highway. Maybe a bit too conveniently? SPHP was surprised by the number of people milling about. Lupe had to wait for a turn on the viewing platform.
Bridal Veil Falls was lovely, but the American Dingo was soon ready for more action than simply hanging around a viewing platform next to the highway provided. Only a couple miles farther up Spearfish Canyon was a turn onto Cleopatra Place, which used to be where to park to get to the Devil’s Bathtub. However, Lupe arrived to find that parking along Cleopatra Place was now prohibited.
No problem! 0.25 mile farther up Spearfish Canyon a new parking area right along Hwy 14A now serves as the Devil’s Bathtub trailhead. The new parking lot was on the L (E) just before the old Homestake Mining Company Hydroelectric Plant No. 2. Since the historic old building was so close by, Lupe went to see it.
It doesn’t take an American Dingo long to look at an old building, either! Not overly impressed, Lupe returned to the trailhead, then followed a muddy path near Spearfish Creek down to the Cleopatra Place bridge.
Once over the Cleopatra Place bridge, Lupe followed a broad trail near Squaw Creek, a small stream that joins Spearfish Creek just upstream of the bridge. This was the start of the unmaintained trail that goes to the Devil’s Bathtub. The trail quickly led to a ford of Squaw Creek.
Ordinarily Squaw Creek wouldn’t have much flow this late in the year, but 2019 has been unusually wet in the Black Hills. Squaw Creek was looking surprisingly healthy. With snow still lingering from a recent early snowstorm, SPHP wasn’t eager to get cold, wet feet fording the stream. That might easily have been the end of Looper’s Devil’s Bathtub aspirations right then and there, but glancing upstream from the ford, a footbridge was in sight.
Beyond the footbridge, a braided trail led through the forest up Squaw Creek canyon. Lupe had a great time sniffing and exploring! However, the canyon wasn’t terribly wide. Squaw Creek meandered from side to side, forcing additional stream crossings at frequent intervals. No more footbridges, either – the first one was the only one.
For SPHP all the stream crossings were rock hops. With the water level as high as it was, they were trickier than expected. Many rocks were wet and slippery. Snow or ice clung to some. SPHP had forgotten the trekking poles back at the G6, and was soon wishing they had been brought along. In summer, fording the little stream would have been simply refreshing and not an issue. Now it was a bigger deal.
Of course, Lupe had no problems crossing Squaw Creek. She bounded over rocks, or splashed through shallow spots as she pleased.
The 6th crossing of Squaw Creek was more problematic than any of the prior ones. Initially it didn’t appear possible without resorting to simply fording the stream. Still hoping not to get wet feet, SPHP scrambled up a steep, snowy slope following footprints left by others in an attempt to avoid this ford completely.
The path dead-ended well above stream level. Well, phooey! SPHP was forced to retreat. However, during the slippery descent it turned out to be possible to get at least a little farther upstream.
It was enough. The creek was easier to cross here.
Lupe had now reached the base of a dramatic horizontally-layered cliff. She stood on a ledge of bedrock next to Squaw Creek. The overall effect was very cool. What a scenic spot!
Not much farther to the Devil’s Bathtub now, Looper!
How do you know that, SPHP?
I’ve been there, years before you were even born, sweet Dingo! All we have to do now is follow along the base of this cliff. Somewhere not too far past it we’ll come to the Devil’s Bathtub. Don’t remember exactly how much farther it is. Not too far, though. I’ll know it when I see it. We’ll take a break when we get there.
Sounds great! This place is awesome! Let’s keep going!
Lupe continued upstream following shelves of bedrock along the base of the cliff. Once or twice when Squaw Creek came right up against the cliff, she briefly leapt over to the other side in a single bound. This whole stretch was gorgeous and fun!
The trek along the base of the cliff wasn’t long. A couple hundred yards, maybe? After rounding a corner, Lupe could see a series of pools in Squaw Creek ahead. The largest pool with a small waterfall plunging into it was hidden beyond a big snow-covered boulder at the upper end. The Devil’s Bathtub!
Or was it?
Above the little waterfall, Squaw Creek spilled from a shallow pool down a channel worn smooth – a natural waterslide. SPHP joined Lupe above the waterfall for a look around. Beyond the waterslide and upper pool Squaw Creek came down a straight, narrow valley strewn with rocks. No more stunning cliffs in sight or big pools of water. No trail evident, and all the tracks in the snow seemed to stop here.
Huh.
Huh, what? Is this it, SPHP? Have we reached the Devil’s Bathtub?
I’m not sure Loop. Maybe.
I thought you said you’d been here before, and would recognize it?
Yeah, I thought I would.
So, what’s the problem?
Well, this Devil’s Bathtub doesn’t look quite right to me – at least not the way I remember it. Everything else seems fine, but the waterfall isn’t as high or steep as I recall. Not that it was all that high to begin with, it wasn’t. The bathtub below the falls seems to be shaped differently, too.
Maybe it has changed over the years?
I suppose, but isn’t that rather unlikely? It’s carved into bedrock! More likely my memory is faulty. Sometimes things get built up in one’s mind over time beyond what they ever really were. I’ve had that happen before. I don’t remember the Devil’s Bathtub being too far past the awesome cliffs. From what we can see, it doesn’t look like there is anything promising nearby upstream from here. Judging from the tracks in the snow, no one else has been venturing any farther than this in the past few days, either. Maybe this really is the Devil’s Bathtub?
So what now? Want to keep going farther, just to be sure? I’m game!
Hah! I knew you would be, Loopster! Makes sense, but I don’t know. If I’m wrong, we won’t find anything no matter how far we go. Then you might not have time to visit Spearfish Falls and Roughlock Falls today. This is a gorgeous spot! Let’s ponder the situation while we take a break.
Lupe was fine with that.
Voices! No sooner had the break begun than a family of five appeared downstream. Lupe and SPHP relaxed listening to the soothing sound of the water while watching them scramble by up past the falls. They went on past the waterslide, disappearing beyond the upper pool, but were soon back. After a few minutes, SPHP asked the wife if this was really the Devil’s Bathtub, or not? We were going to ask you, came the reply! They’d never been here before, but thought that it was.
A bit later, another group of 7 or 8 people came along. They didn’t go any farther than Lupe had, either. Everyone thought this beautiful spot was the Devil’s Bathtub, but no one was completely certain. A pleasant half hour shot by.
This has been fun, but it’s decision time, Loop. Keep going or return to the G6?
Lupe didn’t say. As usual, the Carolina Dog was ready for anything.
Alrighty then, Loopster. Tell ya what. I’m feeling a bit lazy. Mind if we just go back to the G6 to continue your Spearfish Canyon waterfall tour? This might well be the Devil’s Bathtub. If not, it’s been a very similar experience to the one I dimly remember. Promise I’ll try to research it online after we get home. Should have done that to begin with, but I thought I knew what I was doing. If it turns out this isn’t really it, we’ll come back someday. The old Cleopatra mine is on a steep hillside farther up this canyon. Maybe we can check it out, too, then?
Seems silly to leave without knowing for certain if we made it to the Devil’s Bathtub or not SPHP, but if you promise to bring me back again sometime if we didn’t, that’s fine.
It’s a deal! Onward! Puppy, ho!
The trek back to the G6 went faster than going up Squaw Creek had. SPHP was better at the rock hop crossings, and staying on the most direct route. Lupe explored and sniffed as she had earlier, still enjoying this most natural and remote trail of the day. However, she made it back to the G6 so fast (2:20 PM, 70ºF), that it again raised doubts in SPHP’s mind whether Looper had actually made it to the Devil’s Bathtub.
No time to worry about that now, though! The American Dingo was already on to the next great thing! Spearfish Falls was next up. Five miles farther up Spearfish Canyon, SPHP parked the G6 at the Latchstring Inn Restaurant. (2:30 PM, 69ºF) Spearfish Falls was down in the lower canyon the restaurant overlooked. In fact, Lupe could look down on the falls from an observation deck at the S end of the restaurant grounds.
The view from above was nice, but the falls were better seen from down below. The Spearfish Falls trail used to make a loop down to the falls from either end of the restaurant grounds. That had changed. Now the trail is only accessible from the opposite N end of the Latchstring Inn Restaurant property.
The Spearfish Falls trail started out as a broad path which switch-backed down to the lower canyon floor. Once it leveled out, the trail meandered a bit before quickly leading to a sturdy footbridge over Spearfish Creek.
Beyond the bridge was a short stroll through a park-like forest. A terrific view of Spearfish Falls was just ahead.
Spearfish Falls was impressive! The beautiful falls had excellent flow, and had to be one of the very tallest in the entire Black Hills. A large viewing deck provided a fantastic look at it.
After spending a little time appreciating Spearfish Falls, Lupe headed back along the trail. This time she saw several deer along the way. Soon, though, she was back at the start.
One more waterfall to go! Roughlock Falls was only a mile away up the side canyon of Little Spearfish Creek, the same creek that Spearfish Falls was on.
SPHP could have driven USFS Road No. 222 to the Roughlock Falls picnic ground which was practically right at the falls. However, a scenic trail also went to Roughlock Falls from the Spearfish Canyon Lodge located right across Hwy 14A from the Latchstring Inn Restaurant. More fun to do that!
After crossing the highway, Lupe went past the Spearfish Canyon Lodge then through a large parking lot to a smaller one. She picked up the trail here at a short bridge over Little Spearfish Creek. Once over the creek, the Roughlock Falls trail followed it upstream. A trail map showed that Lupe could have accessed the trail from right in front of the Spearfish Canyon Lodge. Oh, well!
The popular trail was sort of icy, but otherwise easy. By now, the sun was getting low. Most of the trail was shady, but S facing canyon walls were still in brilliant sunshine.
One measly mile didn’t take long. Soon Lupe was on the boardwalk leading to the lower Roughlock Falls observation deck.
After seeing Roughlock Falls from down here, Lupe continued on up to the picnic area above the falls.
Upon completing her quick tour of the picnic area, Lupe checked out the views from the upper observation decks overlooking Roughlock Falls.
Lupe had about seen what there was to see at Roughlock Falls. Time to head back. The American Dingo returned to the lower observation deck for a final look before departing.
All that remained to complete the day was the pleasant, easy trek back to the G6. Lupe enjoyed every minute of it.
10-17-19, 5:13 PM – A happy Carolina Dog arrived at the G6 ready to go home. Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 251 had been a complete success! Or had it?
10 days later, SPHP searched online for images of the Devil’s Bathtub. Plenty of photos of the spot Lupe had reached appeared. Then, Bingo! SPHP recognized it in an instant. The Devil’s Bathtub! There it was, just as SPHP remembered it. The American Dingo hadn’t gone far enough on Expedition No. 251 to reach the true Devil’s Bathtub after all.
How much farther was it? Only 10 minutes according to one account. So Lupe will be going back to the Devil’s Bathtub trail again someday. After all, SPHP promised. But that’s another expedition and adventure!
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