Fun fact: The highest peak east of the Rockies and west of the European Pyrenees is here in South Dakota! I discovered that yesterday when we reached the summit of Black Elk Peak at 7,242 feet / 2,207 meters. A favored hikes in the Black Hills, Black Elk Peak culminates at an old stone fire …
We've had a hard time getting out to hike thanks to the uncooperative weather in the Black Hills this spring. After passing on day after day of 90+ degree F / 32+ degree C temperatures, 40 mph / 64 kph wind gusts, and scattered thunderstorms, we finally tested our luck on a recent overcast weekday. …
I feel incredibly lucky to live an hour from Badlands National Park, which gives us the opportunity to quickly take advantage of breaks in the weather to explore this beautiful area. Such was the case last week when our January temperatures rose into the upper 50 F / 10 C for a few days. Although …
Continue reading South Dakota Hikes: Badlands Saddle Pass Loop
Our 2025 was filled with new adventures and lots of travel to spend time with loved ones, both domestic and abroad. We started the year with road trips around the Mountain West to visit friends and family in Colorado and Utah and hike in new-to-us national parks in Utah and Nevada, including Capitol Reef, Bryce …
As we continue to explore things to do around our new home in the Black Hills of South Dakota, it's clear we have a lot to learn about caving! We took a guided tour within Wind Cave National Park a couple years ago that introduced us to the expansive cave networks under the hills and …
The temperature finally dipped below 85 degrees for a day so we headed for the (Black) hills to do some hiking on the Silver Creek Trail and part of the Flume Trail. It was an interesting stretch of relatively flat trail with some creek crossings and lovely wildflowers in bloom. There were lots of people …
Continue reading South Dakota Hikes: Silver Creek-Flume Loop
When we visited Custer State Park last summer, I spent some time with their visitor brochure and was drawn to the winter park activities. It seemed clear based on things like free snowshoe rentals and hiking trail treasure hunts that they were trying to entice people to the park in the off-season. Mission accomplished, as …
Finding direction and purpose on the road, in the outdoors, and on the page
Finding direction and purpose on the road, in the outdoors, and on the page
Finding direction and purpose on the road, in the outdoors, and on the page
Heather's Compass 