With Glorious Dashboard Views Galore, This South Dakota Scenic Drive Is a Nature Lover’s Dream

One of the most picturesque routes in America, Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway has officially been declared one of The Gemmies in the United States by our team of local travel experts. The 2025 Gemmies are a collection of destinations that are a true representation of their state. To experience these gems is to know the heartbeat of their American locations and we think they are all worthy of a visit.

The Black Hills is the tallest mountain range in the United States east of the Rockies. Blanketed with woods and rising to dramatic peaks, some over 7,000 feet, the natural beauty of the landscape is almost indescribable. Amazingly, you can see many of the Black Hills' amazing wonders from the seat of a vehicle on some of the most scenic drives in South Dakota, like Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway.

Home to a national park, two national monuments, the largest state park in the Lower 48, and its namesake national forest, the Black Hills has much to offer nature lovers. Whether it's hiking, camping, fishing, or just sightseeing, you'll find plenty of outdoor recreational opportunities in the region.

Apart from the incredible natural beauty of the Black Hills, you'll find plenty of manmade wonders, as well, from Crazy Horse to Mount Rushmore. Personally, I think that some of the Black Hills' best manmade wonders are the region's scenic byways, and the way they were engineered to showcase many of the standout natural (and manmade) features to be found here. Needles Highway in Custer State Park curves through some of the range's most dramatic terrain, offering views of Black Elk Peak, Cathedral Spires, Sylvan Lake, and, of course, the Needles. Iron Mountain Road boasts vistas of Mount Rushmore, framed scenically by a series of tunnels.

But none, in my opinion, is quite as beautiful the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway. At 19 miles, it's definitely a short - but very sweet - drive. Heck, you could do it in about 30 minutes. But like many of the nation's best scenic drives, that's not really the point, is it? The best drives offer places to stop along the way, giving you a chance to get out of the car and savor the beauty of the area you're traversing - and this is one such day trip. Give it at least a couple hours or, better, half a day, and you'll experience some of the best that the Black Hills has to offer, taking away memories that will stay with you for a good, long time.

The byway follows the canyon's contours and the stream of Spearfish Creek, which does not fail to delight with several, accessible waterfalls. Sixty-foot Bridal Veil Falls is probably the best known, and it's viewable almost immediately upon pulling into the parking area. Or, you can take a 3.5-mile trail to thoroughly explore the area around the waterfall and take it in from a several different angles. You'll need to do a half-mile (round trip) hike on an easy trail to see stunning Spearfish Falls.

My favorite of the Spearfish Canyon waterfalls, though, is Lower Roughlock Falls. What it lacks in height, it makes up for in beauty - its multiple cascades over mossy rocks, through aquatic plants make it look like something out of a fantasy novels. I think it's one of the prettiest waterfalls I've ever seen (and I've seen a few). The hike to Roughlock Falls - both upper and lower - is an easy out and back that comes in at just under two miles.

You'll find plenty of other worthy stops and hikes along the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway, so be sure to take your time and enjoy them. You'll probably want AllTrails Plus on your smartphone, with its fingertip access to offline trail maps, because cell service isn't great in the canyon. Have you driven the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway? What are some other scenic drives in South Dakota that we should know about? Be sure to tell us about them.