Trying to zoom in on Spearfish Falls.

Zooming in on Spearfish Falls.

Spearfish Falls.

A series of hiking trails leads visitors to the base of Spearfish Falls.

Access to the base of the falls is via the Spearfish Falls Trail.

The bridge seen in the photos above and below is part of the Spearfish Falls Trail.

Spearfish Falls Trail bridge across Spearfish Creek.

Another view of the nearby cliffs to the north.

I tried to zoom in on the cliffs. But the camera focused on the nearby branches instead.

Ah, that's better.

Cliffs to the east.

Cliffs to the east.

A two-picture panorama of the cliffs seen to the east.

We walked around the back of the Latchstring Restaurant along the fence.

The entrance to the Spearfish Falls Trail sits in this direction.

Looking toward the Spearfish Falls Trail.

Spearfish Falls Trail bridge over Spearfish Creek.

Spearfish Falls Trail bridge over Spearfish Creek.

Looking down toward Spearfish Creek.

I spotted a nice looking house off in the distance.

I imagine the wonderful view would be offset by an intense winter.

We headed back to the car and continued on our journey along the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway.

I pulled over again to take some more pics.

I don't know the name of the peak in the photo. But it sure is photogenic.

We continued on our journey and soon happened upon an old hydro plant in the town of Maurice, South Dakota.

The Homestake Mining Company was a large gold mining operation that existed from 1879 through 2001 when it was merged into the Barrick Gold Corp. of Canada. It's known for being the second largest gold producer and for being the longest continually operating mine in the US. Two hydroelectric power plants were built specifically to supply power to the mines - Plant #1 in 1910 and Plant #2 seen above in 1917.

Plant #2 was shut down in 1947 thanks to a landslide. Today, the South Dakota Dept. of Game, Fish, and Parks owns the abandoned property. Plant #1 is still in operation and owned by the nearby city of Spearfish.

We continued onward and arrived at Bridal Veil Falls a few minutes later.

Of the three falls in Spearfish Canyon, (with the other two being Spearfish Falls and Roughlock Falls), Bridal Veil Falls is the easiest to get to as it is clearly visible from the roadway. A small parking area is present along with a viewing platform.

Bridal Veil Falls is 60-feet tall and gets its name from the shape of the water as it flows over the falls.

I headed across the street to check out the falls from the viewing platform.

A couple of information displays are posted at the viewing platform. The display in the photo above describes the history of the falls and Spearfish Canyon.

The other display provides information about the wildlife in the area.

I believe the flat section of land at the base of the cliffs is the old railroad bed that operated from 1893 until 1933 when a massive flood damaged the rail line beyond repair.

Cliffs above Bridal Veil Falls.

Zooming in on the cliffs at Bridal Veil Falls.

Zooming in on the cliffs at Bridal Veil Falls.

Zooming in on the cliffs at Bridal Veil Falls.

But the star of this show is the beautiful falls.

The best time for viewing the falls appears to be in the spring during the snow melt. But it's also popular with ice climbers when it is completely frozen over in the winter.

We departed Bridal Veil Falls and continued on our journey through Spearfish Canyon eventually arriving in the city of Spearfish, South Dakota. From there, we headed back to Gillette which concluded this day's activities.