Roughlock Falls – Page 2 – The (Mostly) True Adventures of Lupe

Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 61 – Roughlock Falls & Old Baldy Mountain (6-2-13)

10:47 AM, 66ºF, Latchstring Inn trailhead for Roughlock Falls at Savoy – So much for getting all the way to Cement Ridge (6,674 ft.) today! SPHP turned L on USFS Road No. 222 at Savoy in Spearfish Canyon, only to find the road blocked. Suddenly looking like Lupe would have to settle for Old Baldy Mountain (6,096 ft.) as an ultimate destination, instead of merely a preliminary goal.

The intention had been to drive past Roughlock Falls to a trailhead 5 miles away off USFS Road No. 134. From there, Lupe could have started out much closer to Old Baldy Mountain where Cement Ridge would have been within range, too. Oh, well! SPHP parked the G6 at the trailhead just beyond the Latchstring Inn instead.

Although Cement Ridge was not to be, the American Dingo didn’t care. Lupe was thrilled just to be out and about. Bounding out of the G6, she was soon on the pleasant one mile trail paralleling Little Spearfish Creek that went to Roughlock Falls. Good thing the trail was well above creek level! A week of cold, rainy weather had normally clear-running Little Spearfish Creek muddy and way out of its banks.

**Little Spearfish Creek** with USFS Road No. 222 beyond it on the way to Roughlock Falls. Photo looks NW.

Turned out, flood damage was the reason USFS Road No. 222 was closed in the first place. Roughlock Falls had tremendous flow when Lupe got there. Little Spearfish Creek was still flooding the picnic area above the falls, and the road damage was apparent up here.

**Roughlock Falls** with several times normal flow.

A popular Black Hills destination, **Roughlock Falls** seldom appears this robust.

Lupe took advantage of this opportunity to cavort in Little Spearfish Creek on what is normally dry ground.

Cooling off in **Little Spearfish Creek**. Not as “little” as it used to be!

**Little Spearfish Creek** was in the process of returning to its banks, but still flowing around this picnic table.

Continuing W beyond the Roughlock Falls picnic ground, Lupe and SPHP trudged along right on USFS Road No. 222.

Without a cloud in the sky, it was soon getting hot. After about a mile, SPHP noticed a trail N of the road. Turned out there were 2 trails. One went steeply uphill toward the canyon wall. Lupe took the other trail, which followed Little Spearfish Creek upstream, enjoying shady relief from the sun provided by trees growing along the trail.

After 0.5 mile, Lupe reached the Rod & Gun campground. Beyond the campground, the trail soon forked. Lupe took the Rimrock Trail, which climbed steadily up a side canyon leaving Little Spearfish Creek behind.

The upper rim of the canyon wasn’t much farther when a deer was seen fleeing through the forest. Upon reaching the place the deer had taken off from, a spotted fawn was seen laying quietly right beside the trail, its slender legs folded beneath it.

The fawn was alive, but remained completely motionless as Lupe and SPHP approached. Whether it was injured or not, was hard to say. The fawn was distressingly thin, with practically no meat on its bones. Its ribs stuck out a great deal. Was it starving? Without moving at all, the fawn regarded Lupe and SPHP with with sad brown eyes.

While it was tempting to examine the fawn more closely to determine its true condition, SPHP felt its chances were almost certainly best with its mother. The faster Lupe and SPHP left the area, the more quickly and likely she would return. Hard to abandon the defenseless, spotted fawn, but Lupe and SPHP paused only a moment before moving on.

10 minutes past the fawn, the terrain leveled out. A junction appeared with another trail shown as No. 76 on SPHP’s old Black Hills USFS map. A short break was taken here in the shade of a large pine tree. Lupe had Taste of the Wild, while SPHP consumed an orange.

After the break, Lupe headed W on Trail No. 76. It wound through the forest S of an area where there seemed to be a quarry or old mine, but Lupe didn’t stop to investigate.

A meadow surrounded by aspens appeared. Lupe came to USFS Road No. 134 just beyond it. A sign indicated that after crossing the road, the trail continued on to the Old Baldy Mountain trailhead, precisely where the American Dingo needed to go.

Happy Lupe in the meadow near USFS Road No. 134.

15 minutes after crossing No. 134, Lupe reached the Old Baldy Mountain trailhead. No vehicles. Not a soul here. SPHP paused long enough to take a look at a posted map.

The map showed 2 trails going to Old Baldy Mountain (6,096 ft.), still nearly 1.5 miles NW. An E route and a W route linked up again not too far from the mountain near a small lake named Baldy Lake. SPHP’s USFS map also showed a Trail No. 66 with two routes, and an unlabeled tiny blue speck close to where they rejoined.

At first, it wasn’t clear where to go. The only trail that left the trailhead went W, so Lupe followed it. The E route to Old Baldy Mountain soon split off to the R. Deciding to go that way, SPHP led the Carolina Dog N.

Trail No. 66 went uphill a bit before leveling out. Turning NE, it then started downhill. With all the recent wet weather, Lupe began coming to marshy areas feeding numerous little streams. Despite brief uphill sections, she lost elevation most of the time.

Aspens sprouting new leaves along the E route of the Trail No. 66 loop.

More and more water seeped from the hillsides. The trail became a small creek. Every drainage Lupe passed had its own stream running down it. These were all seasonal streams which wouldn’t ordinarily have had more than a trickle, if that. Lupe enjoyed splashing along through all the water, free to get a drink whenever she felt like it.

Trail No. 66 finally turned NW and went down a steepish, soggy slope. Upon reaching a low point, the trail bounced up and down, still winding along in the same general direction. SPHP concluded that the trail was destined for a particular mountain to the W that didn’t look very high.

No. 66 eventually started down a slope where the forest gave way to a lush, green field. Two streams, one from the SW and one from the SE, merged immediately upstream of a small earthen dam. The combined stream had succeeded in eroding a gap right through the dam, which no longer backed up any water.

So much for Baldy Lake!

Overlooking the broken earthen dam that used to back up Baldy Lake. Photo looks W.

As if to remove any doubt, a sign saying “Baldy Lake” still stood along the edge of the meadow. Even while in good repair, the earthen dam couldn’t have ever held back much water. In the best of times, Baldy Lake must not have been any bigger than a typical stock pond.

Due to the circuitous route the E half of Trail No. 66 had taken, a check of SPHP’s USFS map showed that Old Baldy Mountain was still more than 0.5 mile away. Crossing a small bridge below the broken dam, Lupe went W up the hillside beyond it, as the trail took her up into a stand of aspens. After going over a ridge, the Carolina Dog reached the junction where the W branch of the Trail No. 66 loop joined in again.

Taking the spur to Old Baldy Mountain, Lupe followed a long stretch of trail serving double duty as a mucky stream bed. Once beyond this area, the trail began climbing. Near the end, Lupe gained more elevation than SPHP thought she would, as the trail switchbacked higher.

**Beaver Creek** (L) from a switchback near the top. Photo looks SSW.

The top of Old Baldy Mountain (6,096 ft.) was forested and plenty roomy enough to move around quite comfortably. A sign stood at the end of the trail. From here, the summit area extended somewhat farther SW. Exploring out that way, Lupe could see Beaver Creek down in a big meadow to the S, a scene she had caught glimpses of on the way up.

From along the summit’s W edge, Lupe saw the deep forested canyon that Beaver Creek drains into sinking N toward a spot where tall cliffs of dark rock were visible along the upper rim of the gorge. Several ridges significantly higher than Old Baldy Mountain were in sight off to the W. SPHP spotted the Cement Ridge fire lookout tower on the ridge farthest N. It looked dauntingly high and far away. Clearly, Lupe wasn’t going to get that far today.

Relaxing in the shade, Lupe snapped at flies while having more Taste of the Wild. SPHP ate some fruit. Too bad Lupe didn’t have enough time to continue on to Cement Ridge (6,674 ft.), but the distant start due USFS Road No. 222 being closed had pretty much put it out of reach.

On the return trip, Lupe explored the W portion of the Trail No. 66 loop. Shortly after splitting off from the E route, the trail entered the huge meadow Lupe had seen S of Old Baldy Mountain. The Carolina Dog was nearly across the meadow when she came to a little stream that drained W into Beaver Creek. Leaving the trail, Lupe went down to have a look at the much larger stream.

Much of the ground near Beaver Creek was marshy, or just plain under water. Side streams with good volume were pouring in from every little valley and low spot.

After enjoying the view of Beaver Creek, Lupe turned SW toward a side valley where yet another tributary could be heard, but not seen. Upon reaching the valley, she turned SE climbing into the forest. This hillside was also full of springs, but Lupe quickly found the trail again.

No. 66 proceeded S steadily gaining elevation, before eventually turning E and winding its way back to the Old Baldy Mountain trailhead. From the trailhead, Lupe proceeded E to USFS Road No. 134, crossing it at the same place as she had earlier in the day.

Flowers along the trail E of the Old Baldy Mountain trailhead.

Instead of getting on Trail No. 76 again, Lupe took a logging trail farther N that SPHP thought might be a shortcut. Heading E, the logging trail climbed over a modest hill past a series of little ponds where frogs sang cheerfully until the entire choir would suddenly go silent when the American Dingo got too close.

The shortcut worked. Lupe made it back to Trail No. 76 again not too far from the junction with the Rimrock Trail. Another short rest break was taken here beneath the same big pine tree as before.

Although curious, SPHP didn’t think it was a good idea to take Lupe past the spotted fawn again. Instead of going down that way, Lupe continued E on Trail No. 76, staying on high ground for another 0.75 mile. At that point, the trail suddenly turned sharply NW, whereupon it immediately turned E again, descending a big gulch.

Partway down, the American Dingo came to an unexpected divide. The clearest trail headed uphill over a ridge to the ENE, while a more faded path continued down the gulch. When SPHP started on the higher trail, Lupe raced ahead, but SPHP was soon having second thoughts. Probably should have gone down the gulch in search of USFS Road No. 222.

Returning to the lower path, it curved SE into a narrow gorge. Lupe came to a very secluded and private place where water dripped down tall rock walls covered with moss. Only a short stretch was flanked on both sides with scenic rock walls like that, but it was very cool.

Going around a bend, the roar of Little Spearfish Creek was suddenly heard down in the much larger canyon. Descending a forested slope, Lupe found herself at the same point where she had left USFS Road No. 222 to take the shady trail to the Rod & Gun campground much earlier in the day.

The rest of the return was identical to the route Lupe had taken this morning. SPHP collected Lupe treasures along No. 222, coming up with quite a few of them in short order. At the Roughlock Falls picnic ground, the water had receded from where it had been this morning, leaving mud drying in the evening sun.

7:32 PM, 62ºF, Latchstring Inn trailhead at Savoy – Expedition No. 61 was over and done with except for the drive home. Old Baldy Mountain had been a fun day, but the skinny spotted fawn’s fate would forever remain a mystery. At home, Lupe was happy to see Guille’s car, and rushed into the house to greet her.

Evening in **Little Spearfish Creek canyon**.

Links:

Next Black Hills Expedition Prior Black Hills Expedition

Black Hills, SD & WY Expedition No. 141 – Old Baldy Mountain & Cement Ridge (10-11-15)

Want more Lupe adventures? Check out Lupe’s Black Hills, SD & WY Expeditions Adventure Index, Master Adventure Index, or subscribe free to new Lupe adventures!

Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 251 – Bridal Veil Falls, the Devil’s Bathtub trail, Spearfish Falls & Roughlock Falls (10-17-19)

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.

At **Bridal Veil Falls** just off Hwy 14A in Spearfish Canyon.

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.

Loop by Spearfish Creek near Hydroelectric Plant No. 2.

Homestake Mining Company Hydroelectric Plant No. 2 is just upstream of the new parking lot serving as the Devil’s Bathtub trailhead.

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.

*There’s the Cleopatra Place bridge now! It’s not far from the new trailhead at all.*

*SPHP says you used to be able to park right here, but not any more!* Loop about to cross the Cleopatra Place bridge.

**Spearfish Creek**. Photo looks upstream from 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.

The primitive trail to the Devil’s Bathtub quickly led to this ford of **Squaw Creek**. Fortunately, a footbridge is in sight a little farther upstream.

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.

Squaw Creek crossing No. 2. Plenty of big rocks in the stream made this one easy.

Even though it was a warm day for mid-October, in some places a fair amount of snow was on or near the trail.

Logs formed a crude bridge at crossing No. 3. The logs were slick, but still served the purpose.

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.

Loop close to where she managed to cross Squaw Creek for a 6th time.

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!

Between Squaw Creek and the towering horizontally-layered cliff.

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!

Temporarily forced over to the R side of Squaw Creek. Photo looks upstream.

Another look downstream from slightly farther on.

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!

The waterfall and large pool beyond the boulder.

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.

At the upper end of the chute above the waterfall.

Overlooking the Devil’s Bathtub candidate from the break area.

Closeup from the brink of the waterfall.

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.

Out in front of the Latchstring Inn Restaurant at Savoy in Spearfish Canyon.

Looking down from the brink of Spearfish Falls (R).

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.

This close up of the posted trail map was taken near the S falls overlook. The trail to the falls starts from N of the restaurant as shown, not at the red “You are Here” star.

At the start of the Spearfish Falls Trail just N of the Latchstring Inn Restaurant.

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.

A few minutes going down gentle switchbacks brought Lupe to the lower canyon floor.

The excellent footbridge over Spearfish Creek.

Looking up **Spearfish Creek** from the bridge.

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.

*Wow, Spearfish Falls is really worth seeing isn’t it? So easy to get to, too!*

*Look up above and you can see the roof of the Latchstring Inn Restaurant. It’s just that close!*

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.

On the way back, Lupe was excited to see several deer just around this bend.

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!

The Spearfish Canyon Lodge is right across Hwy 14A from the Latchstring Inn Restaurant.

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.

The Roughlock Falls trail was a bit icy.

The trail went past this pond created by a small dam on Little Spearfish Creek.

Loop a bit off trail next to **Little Spearfish Creek**.

Little Spearfish Creek canyon. USFS Road No. 222 is on the R. The Roughlock Falls trail on the L.

One measly mile didn’t take long. Soon Lupe was on the boardwalk leading to the lower Roughlock Falls observation deck.

Looking back from the boardwalk leading to the lower falls observation point.

**Roughlock Falls** from the lower observation deck.

After seeing Roughlock Falls from down here, Lupe continued on up to the picnic area above the falls.

Little Spearfish Creek up at the Roughlock Falls picnic area.

*Hey, isn’t this where I gave my famous **Lupeo & Xochiet** performance some years back? … Yes, it is Loop!*

The Roughlock Falls picnic area is one of the prettiest in the Black Hills.

Upon completing her quick tour of the picnic area, Lupe checked out the views from the upper observation decks overlooking Roughlock Falls.

The upper observation decks next to the picnic ground are as close to Roughlock Falls as it’s possible to get these days. Wading up Little Spearfish Creek right into the falls is no longer permitted.

Looking down on the lower cascade. The lower observation deck is in sight, too.

*Hard to say which I like better, Roughlock Falls or Spearfish Falls. They are both wonderful!*

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.

Final look at Roughlock Falls from the lower observation deck.

All that remained to complete the day was the pleasant, easy trek back to the G6. Lupe enjoyed every minute of it.

*Well, that’s about it for Expedition No. 251! No mountains climbed, but hope you enjoyed this watery tour of Spearfish Canyon. I sure did!*

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!

Devil’s Bathtub trail, Black Hills of South Dakota, 10-17-19

Links:

Next Black Hills Expedition Prior Black Hills Expedition

Want more Lupe adventures? Check out Lupe’s Black Hills, SD & WY Expeditions Adventure Index, Master Adventure Index, or subscribe free to new Lupe adventures!