For those who favor the trail less traveled, South Dakota a ords opportunities to explore scenic backcountry byways, rolling river breaks and expansive prairie scenes with seemingly endless skies. So, take time to smell the grasses and the ponderosa pines as you travel these picturesque routes. Retrace the long-ago footsteps of the Yankton, Lower Brule, Crow Creek, Cheyenne River and Standing Rock Sioux tribes on this exceptional scenic byway that stretches from Kenel on the North Dakota border to Running Water on the Nebraska line. Revel in a landscape largely untouched for centuries, with free-roaming wildlife, mixed-grass prairies, rolling hills and limestone cli s falling to the grand Missouri River. Stop at the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre, the Akta Lakota Museum in Chamberlain and the H.V. Johnston Lakota Cultural Center in Eagle Butte, which all showcase tribal history. Among the most popular drives in South Dakota, this one-hour loop takes motorists through an otherworldly moonscape marked by ragged ridgelines, sawtooth spires and native grasslands that support diverse wildlife including bison, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs and black-footed ferrets. With striations of color best observed at daybreak and dusk, this gorgeous drive sports nearly 30 scenic overlooks, so stop and take a picture in a place like no other. Follow South Dakota Highway 240 between Cactus Flat and Wall. SCENIC BYWAYS 350 miles By Tom Gri th Native American National and State Scenic Byway Highways 37, 1804 & 50 Badlands Loop State Scenic Byway Highway 240 31 miles Peter Norbeck National Scenic Byway Highways 87, 16A, 244 & 89 70 miles Travel the world and you’d be hard-pressed to fi nd a more scenic experience than this Black Hills byway named for visionary South Dakota Senator and Governor Peter J. Norbeck. This masterpiece of artistic engineering features spiraling “pigtail” bridges, tunnels that frame the faces on Mount Rushmore, hairpin curves and fi nger-like granite spires that rise from the forest fl oor. Along the route, watch for bu alo, white mountain goats, deer and elk. Spearfi sh Canyon State and National Forest Scenic Byway Highway 14A 20 miles Towering limestone palisades, quaking aspen, cascading waterfalls, babbling brooks and outstanding hiking trails await adventurers on this stretch of highway in the northern fringe of the Black Hills. Thrilling leaf-peepers and fl y fi shermen alike, this special slice of South Dakota is a world away from your regular day. Savor Savoy, home to Spearfi sh Canyon Lodge and the Latchstring Inn, where you can sit on the back porch and listen to Spearfi sh Falls (which is only steps away). Stretching around the southern half of one of the largest state parks in the U.S. and the home of one of the country’s biggest bu alo herds, this route meanders past pine-clad hills, red-walled canyons and rolling grasslands that provide forage and protection for dozens of bird species, as well as a diverse population of animals. In spring, watch cinnamon-colored calves stand in their mom’s shadow. In fall, listen for the bugle of elk hidden in the timber and the gobble of wild turkeys searching for a mate. Custer State Park Wildlife Scenic Byway 18 miles OYATE TRAIL (HIGHWAYS 50 & 18) Spanning South Dakota east to west for nearly 400 miles, this alternate southerly route across the state is sprinkled with cultural and historical sites, expansive settings dotted with farms and ranches, as well as national parks and wildlife refuges. TravelSouthDakota.com 15
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