September 9, 2025
Color Change: 25% (Low)
Spearfish Canyon is beginning to show us its fall colors. At present, the Canyon’s trees and shrubs are at 25% of their full peak color. The forest regions around Bridal Veil Falls and Devil’s Bathtub parking area are showing lighter greens and some yellows.
As you approach Savoy, you will spot golden birch and dogbane. It almost looks like the trees are shedding their leaves on the forest floor at some spots, the low-lying dogbane is that vibrant right now. The emerging reds in the Canyon are from the sumac plant. It comes in various sizes throughout the Scenic Byway. Red sumac is hard to miss on the Canyon’s rocky hillsides.
Spearfish Canyon has the distinction of being one of the first places in the U.S. to see peak colors in its deciduous trees each year. This is because of the Canyon’s higher elevation, drier climate, and tree types. Places like the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee or Acadia National Park in Maine see their peak colors later, in mid-October to even early November in some years. Spearfish Canyon is a great place to get that first taste of fall.
