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Sica Hollow canopy.
Sica Hollow canopy.
Sica Hollow country in late September.
Sica Hollow country in late September.
Young white-tailed deer at Sica Hollow.
Young white-tailed deer at Sica Hollow.
Abandoned building at the base of the Coteau des Prairies.
Abandoned building at the base of the Coteau des Prairies.
Autumn in the Badlands (with distant bison) rendered in black and white.
Autumn in the Badlands (with distant bison) rendered in black and white.
Autumn in the Sage Creek Wilderness of Badlands National Park.
Autumn in the Sage Creek Wilderness of Badlands National Park.
White-tailed buck at Custer State Park.
White-tailed buck at Custer State Park.
Single fallen leaf along Grace Coolidge Creek at Custer State Park.
Single fallen leaf along Grace Coolidge Creek at Custer State Park.
Floating leaf with raindrops going for a ride.
Floating leaf with raindrops going for a ride.
Autumn mirrored along Grace Coolidge Creek.
Autumn mirrored along Grace Coolidge Creek.
Red accents after a morning rain at Custer State Park.
Red accents after a morning rain at Custer State Park.
A scene found along the Mystic Road.
A scene found along the Mystic Road.
Orange at the base of an aspen tree along the Mystic Road.
Orange at the base of an aspen tree along the Mystic Road.
Aspens showing off in the high country of Lawrence County.
Aspens showing off in the high country of Lawrence County.
High country autumn in Lawrence County.
High country autumn in Lawrence County.
Mountain bluebird.
Mountain bluebird.
A unique setting for a basketball court in Lawrence County.
A unique setting for a basketball court in Lawrence County.
Little Spearfish Canyon near Savoy.
Little Spearfish Canyon near Savoy.
Mountain goat kid along Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway.
Mountain goat kid along Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway.
A long exposure of Spearfish Creek with autumn accents.
A long exposure of Spearfish Creek with autumn accents.
First light on the plains of Butte County near Hoover and Deers Ears Buttes in the distance.
First light on the plains of Butte County near Hoover and Deers Ears Buttes in the distance.
Cave Hills autumn splendor.
Cave Hills autumn splendor.
A curious chipmunk checking out yours truly at the Cave Hills.
A curious chipmunk checking out yours truly at the Cave Hills.
Autumn selfie at the Cave Hills (showing my best side).
Autumn selfie at the Cave Hills (showing my best side).

Autumn in the High Country

Oct 13, 2021

Autumn always comes early to the high country. While late summer lingers across the rest of the land, the high coulees and upper draws seem to consistently show the first real signs of the season. The last week of September is normally the peak of fall color in places like Spearfish Canyon, the Slim Buttes and even Sica Hollow in the northeast corner of the state. For this reason, I regularly find myself wandering the back roads and trails of the high country every year about this time. It’s not that I welcome the end of summer, but it’s hard not to love autumn around here.

The beauty is fleeting, admittedly. When the weather patterns switch in this season of change, it brings strong winds that rob the trees of their dying leaves. That’s a lesson unto itself. There is beauty in endings. Sad though it is, it helps that there is promise of new life returning after the long winter.

This year I started around Sica Hollow during the golden hour on September 26. I was a bit early for fall color peak, but the color that was showing in the late afternoon and evening light seemed to accent the autumn beginnings quite wonderfully. A couple of days later I hit Badlands National Park, where the upper draws of Sage Creek were brilliant. One thing I learned is that yellow-leaved trees make for interesting visuals in a black and white image. They look nearly white. 

After spending a day and half wandering around the Badlands, I made my way for Custer State Park. Needles Highway offers unique autumn color combined with winding roads and sweeping vistas. The fall foliage along the park’s creeks also offers colorful hues. From Custer State Park, I headed to the high country of Lawrence County by way of the Mystic and Rochford roads, finally ending up in Spearfish Canyon by late afternoon. This scenic byway is a must-drive in autumn. One extra perk this year was a small herd of mountain goats grazing near Bridal Veil Falls.

I finished up my tour of the high country in the first days of October by traveling north to the Slim Buttes and Cave Hills of Harding County. These areas are part of the Custer National Forest primarily for their stands of evergreens atop the buttes and hills, but they both offer great stands of deciduous trees along the draws and valleys. These places have become an autumn favorite for me. This year I missed the peak at the Slim Buttes as the color was nearly gone when I passed through, but the Cave Hills were nearly perfect. It goes to show just how fleeting fall’s beauty can be here on the high plains, even within a single county. Even so, the drive and views were worth every minute. The good news is that now the rest of the lower country as well as city and towns should be starting their autumn transformations. So, if you couldn’t make it to the high country, you still have a chance to get out and enjoy the rest of the season.

Christian Begeman grew up in Isabel and now lives in Sioux Falls. When he's not working at Midco he is often on the road photographing South Dakota’s prettiest spots. Follow Begeman on his blog.

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