20 Surprising Waterfalls of 2020 - #18

Waterfalls are magical places for Scott and me. There is something about the sound of the rushing water leading to it crashing down below. In the spray, we find rainbows which always bring a smile to our faces. We decided in 2020 we would “collect” twenty water features that fit into the “waterfall” category. We took the year and found eleven waterfalls, one Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) dams, one Work Projects Administration (WPA) dam, six spillways, and one cascade. We did not have any criteria as to what to look for, we just tailored our travel plans to finding water features. It may not sound surprising or magical, but where we found the waterfalls blew us away.

We started to write about this project before and, honestly, got distracted by everything that was going on in our lives. You can read the first article (waterfalls 1-4) CLICK HERE.

To read about Natural Dam, waterfall #5, CLICK HERE, Charlotte Lake Spillway, waterfall #6 CLICK HERE, Butcher Falls, waterfall #7 CLICK HERE, Grand Falls, waterfall #8 CLICK HERE, Tanyard CreeK Falls, waterfall #9 CLICK HERE, Dripping Springs, waterfall #10 CLICK HERE, Crowley Lake Falls, waterfall #11 CLICK HERE, Bixhoma Lake's waterfall, waterfall #12 CLICK HERE,Cherokee Bathtub Rocks, waterfall #13 CLICK HERE, the Okmulgee CCC Spillway, waterfall #14 CLICK HERE, and Blanchard Springs, waterfall #15 CLICK HERE, the Spillway Falls, waterfall #16 CLICK HERE and Roughlock Falls, waterfall #17 CLICK HERE.

While we ate breakfast at the Latchstrong Restaurant in the Spearfish Canyon, we were told about our next surprise waterfall for the Memorial Day trip. Just a few minute hike away from the Restaurant was the Spearfish Waterfall that cut the Spearfish Canyon. The path gently went down into the valley where the Spearfish Creek resided and trees provided plenty of shade. Once again, it was a magical trip to see this 47-foot waterfall.

Scott seemed to like the walk along the trail and was taking many photos of the area. There was something about the limestone canyon and sounds of the waterfall that seemed to have his photography bug itching. It seemed as if we were constantly stopping for him to take a photo of the falls, mountains, and birds. I might seem a bit annoyed when he does this, but really it thrills me to know he is seeing nature as art and is allowing his creative side to shine through.

We loved that Spring was starting to show up in this place and to see the green buds upon the trees was encouraging to see. Even though it was just starting to show up here in South Dakota, we knew it would quickly be summer weather in Oklahoma by the time got back.