Bridal Veil Falls
The next morning, July 6th, we take a trip up Spearfish Canyon. The road leads past the fish hatchery, plunging into the mountains and woods over ground owned or leased by the Homestake Mine Company. The road is fairly well worn but poorly marked. Nevertheless, this trip above all others is not one to be abandoned. Word just arrives that the road will be improved clear to Lead next summer. The road winds over gentle slopes and makes sharp turns. One must drive under twenty miles per hour and sound his horn often. But a person does not realize the marvelous beauty that lies hidden in this valley until he actually penetrates, not a mile or two, but clear up as far as cars will go. One must get out and press through the timber until he comes to a place from which he can view a great expanse of the valley and wall before he can fully appreciate Spearfish Canyon.
Admiring the Falls
Wildcat Cave is located a few miles up the valley. The car must be parked beside the road and the ascent up the steep canyon wall continued on foot. The cave lies a quarter of a mile or so up. The climb to it is steep and part of the way is over rocks washed by springs.
The path leads through dense growths of timber and shrubs. At last we come to a huge overhanging cliff, below which is the Wildcat Cave. Over the top of the cliff clear cold spring water half drips, half runs continually. At various places in its walls springs ooze out, too. The one little waterfall over the center comes down through about fifty feet of space. If a person is adventuresome and ambitious he might climb the crags clear to the top of the mountain on the right.
Savoy Canedy Photo
Seven and a half miles up the canyon from Spearfish we come to Bridal Veil Falls. This is a beautiful waterfall, with not much volume but a great height. Probably it falls 200 feet and is twenty feet wide on the average. The spectacle of this is really awe inspiring. The flimsy lace like folds tumbling over the succeeding layers of rock make unquestionably the most beautiful waterfall in the Black Hills. We stop at its foot to eat our lunch while admiring its beauty.
