Visiting South Dakota this weekend...

Hi,
I'm heading to South Dakota for a long weekend get-away (October 1-5), and will be in the Keystone/Rapid City/Custer area. I haven't been up that way in about 10 years, and probably twice as long for my wife.
Can anyone give me an idea what the fall colors are like? Am I too late (things are already progressing pretty well in Colorado), or are there some places that still have some good colors? Any special events going on in the area that might be particularly photogenic (or just plain fun)?

Thanks!

Bob, your best bet would be to contact Lon Sharp at sharp@gwtc.net for some guidance. Lon lives in SD and has a great deal of knowledge on the shooting opportunities in the area.

Good luck!

I just returned from there. IMO, there is still plenty of color to be had. I'll admit I'm not that experienced with fall color in the mountains, but there was lots of color to be seen. We stayed just outside Custer SP. I agree with Wayne, give Lon a holler for a local perspective.

Hey Bob, I just got back from the Black Hills/Badlands last night. The draws along the creeks in the Black Hills have bright yellow from cottonwood, boxelder, and ash. The slopes are mostly green and not much aspen, at least from what I saw. What really blew my mind was Spearfish Canyon, located just south of Spearfish along scenic byway Hwy. 14A. The aspen where outstanding and still had about 30 to 40% green leaves yet to turn. That was last Monday. This weekend should be great. The sheer cliffs and golden yellow colors are all along the drive. When you get to Cheyenne Crossing, turn around and head the opposite direction. This is a very impressive drive. The rest of Hwy. 14A from Cheyenne Crossing to Sturgis is not worth the effort if your looking for color.

Best,
Don

Thanks everyone!
Looks like we'll run into some unsettled weather tomorrow and Friday, but the weekend is looking very good...

For the big, bold yellow spash of aspens, Speafish Canyon and nearby is the ticket. There are nice big aspen patches in the central hills, as well. It should be prime anytime soon. I hope the incoming nasty weather system does not do too much with wind/snow/really cold to cause them to drop. The little creek bottoms have bits of red in various ivy (including poison) to go with the aforementioned cottonwoods, ash and boxelder. You will find grasses are in good shape so many of them turn to various shades of red, yellow & brown, so the prairie edges offer good possibilities. I am planning on checking some of those places this week with the hope of catching bull elk against that color...

Thanks Lon!
It looks like we might be chasing the storm through the area, so hopefully we'll get there without too much drama!