Thank you to our 2026 Season Sponsors
Thank you to our 2026 Season Sponsors
September 14, 2026
Spearfish Canyon is presently displaying 33% of its peak fall colors. A lightning strike sparked a quarter-acre forest fire on the north side of Spearfish Peak (on a hill close to Spearfish Canyon’s entrance) in the early morning hours of Monday, Sept. 14.
September 14, 2026
Color Change: 33% (Low)
Spearfish Canyon is presently displaying 33% of its peak fall colors. A lightning strike sparked a quarter-acre forest fire on the north side of Spearfish Peak (on a hill close to Spearfish Canyon’s entrance) in the early morning hours of Monday, Sept. 14. The U.S. Forest Service worked with the Spearfish Volunteer Fire Department to lay hose to get water to the site. Crews will continue checking on the area throughout the week, but the fire was under control at the time this report was filed. The Spearfish area received about a quarter inch of rain on Monday.
Botany Bay continues to be a stunner in Spearfish Canyon. This region of the Canyon earned its name on account of its diverse plant life. From the forest floor to the top of its rocky peaks, Botany Bay is full of fall color right now.
From the Canyon entrance through Bridal Veil Falls, many boxelder and ash trees are shining with bright, almost neon yellow and green leaves. Ruby reds from Virginia Creeper stems can also be spotted after Split Rock near Spearfish Creek.
Near mile marker 13 is another noticeable area to view beautiful fall trees this week. This area has an assortment of golden and verdant deciduous trees on the western Canyon wall. As you continue on Highway 14A around Savoy, look for amber-colored birch and aspen in the higher elevations of the rocky cliffs. As I stood in the Canyon today, I spotted wildflowers of many colors including goldenrod, yellow toadflax, and purple crownvetch.
September 10, 2026
The fall foliage in Spearfish Canyon is currently at 29% toward its peak seasonal colors. The Canyon will be the perfect backdrop for those ready to embrace the cooler, fall-like temperatures forecasted this weekend. As you drive along the Scenic Byway, watch for golden trees around Split Rock (about 1.7 miles into the Canyon from Spearfish). Then, on the western side of the road, consider parking at the large semicircle near Botany Bay.
September 10, 2026
Color Change: 29% (Low)
The fall foliage in Spearfish Canyon is currently at 29% toward its peak seasonal colors. The Canyon will be the perfect backdrop for those ready to embrace the cooler, fall-like temperatures forecasted this weekend.
As you drive along the Scenic Byway, watch for golden trees around Split Rock (about 1.7 miles into the Canyon from Spearfish). Then, on the western side of the road, consider parking at the large semicircle near Botany Bay. The flora here is reaching peak colors into the mountain inclines. Look for additional buttery yellows in the birch trees on the western side of the byway as you approach Bridal Veil Falls.
I anticipate the vibrant greens across from Maurice Intake will begin to lighten their leaves into yellow hues over the next week. Iron Creek Trail hikers will notice golden dogbane at the trail entrance. Dogbane is giving us the most substantial color of all foliage right now throughout the Canyon.
Be sure to gaze beyond the vertical trucks of the evergreen trees this weekend. Doing so will give you glimpses of the seasonal changes on the forest floor, along with swaths of green deciduous trees ready to reveal their colors.
September 7, 2026
This is the first Spearfish Canyon Leaf Report of 2026. Our prayers are with our firefighters and neighbors impacted by the fire on Lookout Mountain that started Monday afternoon, September 7. For our out-of-town readers, Lookout Mountain is two miles north of Spearfish Canyon across Interstate 90.
The fall foliage in Spearfish Canyon is currently at 18% of its peak color saturation. As you enter the Scenic Byway 14A, you will see yellow dogbane with its distinctive red stems sprinkling the forest floor. Ground cover and shrubs are the stars of the Canyon right now.
September 7, 2026
Color Change: 18% (Very Low)
This is the first Spearfish Canyon Leaf Report of 2026. Our prayers are with our firefighters and neighbors impacted by the fire on Lookout Mountain that started Monday afternoon, September 7. For our out-of-town readers, Lookout Mountain is two miles north of Spearfish Canyon across Interstate 90.
The fall foliage in Spearfish Canyon is currently at 18% of its peak color saturation. As you enter the Scenic Byway 14A, you will see yellow dogbane with its distinctive red stems sprinkling the forest floor. Ground cover and shrubs are the stars of the Canyon right now! There are patches of radiant red Virigina creeper and sumac making their presence known throughout the Canyon, with more color saturation to come.
Mostly notably, we are seeing changes in the deciduous trees about four miles into the Canyon from Botany Bay through Bridal Veil Falls. Watch for bright greens and emergent yellows in some hop-hornbeam and birch trees in this area. The leaf colors create a striking contrast with the warm layers of sandstone rock, which is about 300 million years old.
We typically see the height or “peak” fall colors in Spearfish Canyon between September 23 to October 3. The hot, dry weather we have been experiencing in Spearfish during the later summer could indicate an earlier peak color season.