Beaver Creek Nature Area

After a spell of hot weather (by Minnesota standards) a day with a forecasted high of 72º was the perfect chance for another close-to-home getaway.

By doing a little online searching, I discovered the Beaver Creek Nature Area in SE South Dakota. Years ago we stopped here when they were holding their autumn Homesteader Day Celebration and enjoyed seeing the re-creation of many pioneer activities. On that visit we did not explore any further than just the demonstration area so wasn't sure what to expect in way of hiking paths. The area's Homesteader trail was only around a mile and a half long, but one report I read classified the trail as "difficult". I was apprehensive but willing to give it a try.

After packing a picnic lunch, we headed out mid-morning. Most of the drive was on I-90 with never ending views of corn and soybean fields...and quite a few wind turbines.

Last year the growing season started so wet that some farmers never did get anything planted, but this year the crops look phenomenal! The photo below was actually taken on July 12th and you can see the corn was already taller than 6 foot Bob! The old standard of corn being "knee high by the 4th of July" was certainly surpassed this year!

The last few miles to the nature area were on gravel roads.

Only one other car was in the parking lot when we arrived. With the map I had printed off, we started past the cornfield to find the beginning of the Homestead Trail.

The trail begins at the edge of the forest and for much of the hike we were completely covered by a canopy of trees.

After a short distance, the trail crossed Beaver Creek.

A great reminder written on the bridge.

At times the path was wide and easy to follow. In other places the trail was narrow and nearly covered by foliage. I used the app "Map My Walk" to record the hike and you can see at one point we had to back-track because the trail simply disappeared.

According to "Map My Walk" we hiked 1.6 miles total.

At times the dark woods were even a bit creepy!

A tangled mess of fallen trees.

Even with temps in the low 70's, I was glad that most of the trail was shaded. I was on the warm side when the trail was out in the sun.

A little over a mile into the hike we encountered some gain in elevation. From reading reviews, I had anticipated much worse so was pleasantly surprised to see the rustic steps going up the hillside.

After climbing for awhile, the path eventually lead back down towards the river to a long and very bouncy suspension bridge. 

This was right before Bob decided it would be funny to jump up and down and make the bridge go crazy!

Tarzan?

We completed the circle trail and then retraced our steps across the creek and back to the parking lot where we grabbed our lunch from the back of the car. A shady picnic table in front of a homesteader log cabin was the perfect spot to eat. We tried to imagine what life might have been like 150 years earlier to the Samuelson family who called this place home!

Information on the sign by the cabin.

The Samuelson family of 10.

We were the only ones in the park as we ate our lunch. The cool breeze and peaceful surroundings enticed us to relax and take our time. Bob even took a little siesta.

It was only mid-afternoon when we finished eating and checking out the cabin so we decided to drive the 10 miles to the city of Sioux Falls. Sioux Falls is South Dakota's largest city and was named after...you guessed it...the falls on the Big Sioux River.

Often Sioux Falls is a shopping destination for us, but during the pandemic we have only been going inside stores if it is absolutely necessary. In fact, the last time I went to a grocery store was mid-March. Nowadays all of my purchases are done online for delivery or curbside pickup.

But on a cool day, a visit to Falls Park sounded pleasant. Unfortunately many other people had the same idea and it was quite crowded. We donned our masks and for the most part were able to socially distance, but we didn't stay long. The falls are beautiful though...in any season.

Same view from January 2016. Brrrrr!

Queen Bee Mill built in the late 1800's

Observation Tower. 

Falls Overlook Cafe inside a building that used to house a hydroelectric plant. 

Pandemic-era selfie.

Right down the road from Falls Park is the Smithfield pork processing plant.
This factory was one of the early hotspots in the U.S. for Covid-19 after about 1,000 workers were infected with the virus.

Back at home in the evening I noticed on my weather app that the sunset and moonrise in our area were just minutes apart. And it was to be a full moon to boot! With my quick-driving, chauffeur husband, I was able to get to good viewing areas for both events and get these photos!

Until next time...stay safe & stay healthy.