Looking for a less busy and chaotic place than Spearfish Canyon’s more popular hikes of Devil’s Bathtub and Community Caves? Little Spearfish Trail might be for you. Located a handful of miles off of Highway 14A, Little Spearfish provides a longer day trail with fewer people and the opportunity to hike alongside a creek and various types of trees.
The Details
Distance: 7 mi (11.27 km) loop
Duration: 2.5-4 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation Gain: 866 ft (264 m)
Parking: Gravel parking lot located next to the trailhead
Cost: Free
Coordinates to Parking and Trailhead: 44.32841, -103.98955. Use the coordinates since it will not pull up when searching Google Maps.
How to get there
From Highway 14A, turn onto Roughlock Falls Road and continue for roughly 5 miles. The parking lot for the trailhead will be on your left. To begin the hike, walk through the gate by the parking lot, and you can start the loop by taking a left and crossing the bridge shortly after beginning or heading straight.
Hiking Little Spearfish Trail
Since this hike is a loop, you’ll have your choice of direction. For purposes of this post, we’ll walk through this clockwise. Taking the trail clockwise calls for using the bridge on the left of the trail and immediately crossing the creek. Going this route means walking through some overgrowth to start off with. There will be a gate to go through shortly after beginning this portion and then a water crossing over a board before walking across Roughlock Falls Road to connect back up with the trail.
This portion of the trail is relatively short after crossing the gravel road and eventually will require crossing again to get back on the trail. Look to your right when crossing for the second time. There will be a brown pole marker where the trail picks up again, and you’ll cross a small bridge.
The remainder of the trail is a mixture of walking amongst mostly ponderosa pines or areas of aspen and birch. The majority of the trail offers cover, but there are a couple of places where you’ll be exposed. The most significant amount of time you’ll be without tree cover is the last mile or so when taking the trail clockwise. Aside from one particular spot, the elevation gain is gradual, and the trail is mostly dirt without any significant obstacles. This is a good trail if you’re looking to escape the crowds.
You can take a look at my trail recording here.
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