Outdoors

For the Birds

Sand Lake rose from the dust and dirt of the Depression into a waterfowl haven.

We sent a writer up the mountain on a cold and sunny day. He came back and wrote this account.

Rapid City’s Erick Sykora climbed the Black Hills' tallest peaks in one day.

People have spent days looking for our rare and valuable state gemstone and come away with nothing. Could we find one during a morning in the Hills?

When a 70-year-old fishing record was overturned, South Dakota anglers turned their attention to the joys of catfishing.

Bouncing across a snowy mustang sanctuary.

Curiosity took Jan & Herb Conn of Custer underground to discover the buried treasure that is South Dakota’s Jewel Cave.

Durand Young and Tom Kilian rafted the Missouri when it was still a river.

Tradition passes to a new generation.

South Dakota’s skies, among the darkest in the country, are a stargazer’s delight. Photo by Christian Begeman.

As wild as it gets in South Dakota. Photo by Bonny Fleming.

South Dakota’s varied landscapes — the river valleys, mountains, badlands and glacial lakes — are a bird-watcher’s paradise.

Rapid City’s greenspace is eco and people friendly.

Gold miners still carry pails and pickaxes deep into our mountain valleys.

Photographer Carl Johnson explores the Badlands in winter.

A four-hour squeeze leads to a portion of Jewel Cave that many visitors will never see.

Six photographers tell us where they find their favorite fall foliage shots.

Welcomed by the winds … kissed by the sun … joined by the laughter of God.

Lessons learned while digging in the dirt.

Kayaking the 2,341-mile Missouri River is intimidating. Luckily, there are South Dakotans willing to help. Photo by Jessica Giard.

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