Roughlock Falls and Rimrock Trail Loop

Yesterday, was a beautiful 70+ degree day before the impending storm, so we went back into Spearfish Canyon to do a couple of short hikes.

Our first hike was the 2-mile roundtrip to Roughlock Falls. Located on Spearfish Creek, it is an easy interpretive trail following the creek to the falls. Hilina had tripped while running and banged up her knee the day before. As such, it was painful for her to walk, so we wheeled her down the trail in the stroller.

It is possible to access the falls by car, for those physically impaired, but it was an enjoyable walk in the canyon.

A view along the trail

Snacking at the falls

Afterwards, we did the 3.5 mile trail called the Lower Rimrock Loop. This trail starts in the canyon, ascends to the top of the plateau dominated by Ponderosa pines, and then follows a slot back down to the trailhead. It really reminded us of the landscape we used to work in on the eastsides of the Cascades. It is easy to follow and leaves from the "Rod and Gun Campground" off FR-222.

We tried to find the edge of the cliffs from above for a view down into the canyon, since there are no designated trails that follow the rim. We went off trail for some ways, using a GPS to find the edge. Unfortunately, we discovered that there are actually two rims, an upper and a low rim. As such, the upper rim occurs in the forest so that there are no views into the canyon below.

The lower rim is the one you can see from the bottom

It was a pleasant hike nonetheless

Oh, and in case you are wondering, her knee is doing much better and she was running all around today like new again.