Beaver Creek: Summer 2013

For the first time this summer, we went out for a hike at the Beaver Creek Nature Center, located about midway between Rowena and Brandon, or about 10 miles northeast of our eastside Sioux Falls home.  We have been hiking in this area for over 30 years, and it is one of our favorite spots for a nice walk in the woods.

 While Beaver Creek Nature Center is a state-owned property, a park entrance sticker is not required.  The nature center is centered along Beaver Creek and includes a varied landscape of heavily wooded forest, the creek itself as it flows along, open upland meadows, a lowland flood plain, and trails that wind through the hills and over several bridges.

Much of our hiking this summer has been build around the needs of our seven-pound miniature poodle, Finnegan.  He is over 15 years old now and has struggled with congestive heart failure for the past few years.  In the summer, he can’t take the heat and intense sunlight anymore.  Even though he can walk two or three miles, we try to structure his walks with us so that we can avoid the heat of the summer day and walk in the shade.

 So, Beaver Creek in the morning is a very good choice for us, and for Finnegan.  The area is largely dappled shade with long sections of the trail in deep shadow. While there are also areas of direct sunlight, those sections of the trail pass quickly. This variety of sunlight conditions and the dirt trails are just right for all of us.

As usual, we started out at the parking lot on the left side of the lower section of the park. From the parking lot, we proceeded to the old swayback wooden bridge over Beaver Creek and turned right along the main trail heading downstream and into the woods paralleling the creek.

This section of the trail is mostly shade, some dappled and some deep shadow.  The trail continues along the creek and increases in elevation along a path reinforced in places with inset steps.

 As the path rises, it eventually reaches a ridgeline overlooking the lower park, and a hiker can backtrack above the creek to walk in an upland meadow with a view through the trees of the parking lot area. 

We generally walk along this path for 100 yards or so and then return along the main trail as it follows a slope above the forest leading through the upland meadows. 

After a couple hundred yards, the trail then moves down the slope to a swinging wooden bridge over a ravine that extends on the left side of the pathway.

Again, allowing for a quite varied landscape, the trail moves along through another upland meadow and then reenters the forest, emerging at a set of wooden steps leading down the hill to the lowland flood plain. 

Looking down from the top of the wooden steps into the dense lowland growth is one of our favorite views in the nature center. There is a primeval sense of jungle growth when viewed from above that stirs the imagination. 

 Moving down from above, we followed the trail back to Beaver Creek and along it back through another of the meadows to yet another bridge over the creek.

On the other side of the creek once again, we turned left and followed the path alongside a field of corn toward the cabin.

The Samuelson cabin is the centerpiece of the nature center.  The cabin was constructed in 1873 on an early homestead and serves as a living history memorial to the lives of early settlers.  For several decades now, there has been an annual “Homesteaders Day” celebrated in September, and my family has been attending these for more than 30 years.

After taking a “water break for Finnegan” rest, we retraced our way back along the trail through the woods to the parking lot where we began.

 Our hike today took us about an hour and a-half, with plenty of pauses for photography and a time spend at one of the picnic tables at the shelter by the cabin.

On our way back, a mink ran across the path and into the brush.  Our dog Finnegan was captivated by the smells, and we had a difficult time encouraging him to follow us rather than dash into the woods.  Of course, it would be too bad for Finnegan if he should tangle with a mink!

As is usually the case, the nature center was deserted this Thursday morning, and it remained so during the time of our visit. 

To check out Beaver Creek Nature Center during other seasons of the year, you can access the inventory of area hiking sites on the right side of the blog.  Click on Beaver Creek, and you will see earlier narratives and sets of photographs taken during other seasons.

Beaver Creek Nature Center: Late Fall 2012

Beaver Creek Nature Area offers one of the prime hiking sites around Sioux Falls.  My family and I have hiked the trails of this state owned nature area for over thirty years, and it remains a favorite of 

ours. 

Our typical hike at Beaver Creek begins at the shelter on the east side of the park.  The Homesteader Nature Trail begins just off the parking lot and moves over an old bridge across Beaver Creek. 

The trail continues along the east and then south side of the creek, moving along a pathway through the woods and climbing in elevation over the creek.  This section of the trail had been closed for the past couple of years after serious bank collapse following a year of heavy rains.  During the closure, an alternative route was developed, and that route is still an option for hikers.  I like the original route, however, with its great view of the creek and the landscape.

The trail winds steadily along the twisting creek course, rising in elevation up a reinforced path with an overlook through the trees.  Today, the path was carpeted with fallen leaves and the sightlines were clear through the bare tree branches.   There are a couple of lesser-traveled pathways that also lead up to the highlands overlooking the creek, but our preferred route is the well-traveled main trail.

Today, we were alone in the park.  It was just Marsha and me and our little miniature poodle.  Our dog is approaching fifteen years now and has slowed down a lot.  On our walks, though, he slips back into old habits of vigor, great energy, and keen interest.  His hearing and sight have deteriorated, and he doesn’t seem to hear our commands – or he has developed “selective hearing.”  He now seems to race ahead of us and lead us down the pathways rather than walking close at hand.  Still, these walks are almost a canine fountain of youth for him.

The pathway moves up to the highlands of the park along a ridge overlooking the creek and the plain below.

The landscape changes on the ridge so that there is more open space along one side with the woods on the other. 

Continuing along the trail, the path moves back down a slope, arriving at a suspension bridge over a deep ravine.

The trail then moves up the slope to a point where set-in steps lead down to the valley floor.  The floor is heavily wooded and has always seemed like a fairyland to us. 

Continuing along the valley floor, the path continues back to the banks of Beaver Creek where it links up with the trail network and leads to another bridge over the creek.

Turning left after crossing the bridge, the path leads along the creek shoreline to a second parking lot where the homesteader cabin is located.

The cabin is located in a large open area where restrooms and picnic tables are located.  This area was homesteaded around 1870, and the existing cabin was built soon thereafter. 

A major family-style activity sponsored by the South Dakota Game Fish and Parks and the Siouxland Heritage Museum is held on this site each September – Homesteader Day.  This event usually has music provided by the South Dakota Old Time Fiddlers; lots of “old timey” crafts, such as candle making and blacksmithing; a show by the Civil War re-enactors; and tours of the cabin by docents.  It is really a fine activity, and my family has enjoyed it many times over the years. 

The hiking trail is about 1.5 miles long, and doubling back from the cabin to the east parking lot probably brings the hike up to two miles.  We usually sit around a picnic table in the cabin area for a few minutes at the end, so our total time is about an hour and fifteen minutes for the hike.

This dirt trail is classified by the SDGFP as “very difficult, extremely hilly, very uneven surface.”  There is always the possibility of seeing wildlife along the path. Today we saw a deer flashing through the woods.  The Beaver Creek Nature Area is very popular with local birders.  The YMCA also uses these trails in the summer for their adventure hikes.

Additional information about Beaver Creek Nature Area can be found on the SDGFP web site at the following URL: http://gfp.sd.gov/state-parks/directory/beaver-creek/docs/beaver-creek-trails.pdf

The full set of photos of the hike today can be seen on my Flickr account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jayheath/sets/72157632013166422/

Beaver Creek Nature Center - Early Winter

We decided to check out Beaver Creek Nature Area this past Saturday; it is unusual at this time of the year to still be able to hike these trails. Normally, snow has covered the landscape and effectively closed down the hiking trails for the season. Since the temperature was up into the low 40s, we encountered a few other people eager to take advantage of these relatively tropical conditions.

Over the past ten days, there was a light dusting of snow, perhaps an inch or two, but most of it had melted. What little snow there was tended to be dry and powdery and was most visible along the surface of the trails.

Beaver Creek is now ice covered, and that added a seasonal touch to the landscape.

I felt as though we were privileged to be able to roam about this nature area in December. It was as though we were witnessing a shutdown of park life just before a deep blanket of snow covers the area.

Moving along the trail, one can look deep into the woods through the leafless trees and see an aspect of the landscape that is hidden by vegetation from spring through fall. It really is a wonderful time for a stroll in the woods along the trails and up and down the hills.

Our walk on Saturday was for the usual hour or so, and we felt invigorated by the stroll. As nearly always, we were accompanied by our eight-pound miniature poodle; a remarkably agile 13-year old dog with great endurance; we feel good to be able to keep up with him!

Beaver Creek Nature Center - Late Fall 2011

The Beaver Creek Nature Area is located northeast of Sioux Falls. I generally go east on Highway 42 until past Rowena, turn north on 484th Avenue at the tall broadcast tower on the left side of the road, and then continue north about 3 miles to a sign indicating “nature area” and turn back west on a gravel road for a mile or so.

This nature area is located along Beaver Creek and provides a great two-mile hike through lowland grasses, a climb up a hill above the creek, and then a varied path that leads through upland forest, prairie grasses, over several hills. The trail continues back down a steep path to the bottomland along the creek before ending at the homesteader cabin in the picnic and activity grounds of the area. There are a couple of options that extend the hike along the way – branching trails that loop around and rejoin the regular trail.

I generally begin my hike at the shelter at the eastern end of the park. The currently maintained trail leads through the grasslands to a pedestrian bridge across Beaver Creek.

After crossing the bridge and continuing for a hundred yards or so, I take the left fork in the trail that leads up the slope and winds around a hill. There is a blocked off pathway to avoid that was in use until floods took out a portion of the trail, and an indication of that closed path is visible. At this time, a hiker just continues climbing up the trail toward the hilltop.

Once on the elevated trail, a hiker can turn left for a stroll along the ridgeline overlooking the creek and lower park area. I generally walk along this trail for a few minutes just for the great view before turning back and continuing along the main trail.

The upland trail continues around the hill and then begins a descent toward a ravine spanned by a suspension footbridge. The trail then begins another ascent to a meadow-like area lined with plum trees.

The trail soon reaches another descent toward the bottomland, a climb down on a set of inset log steps. The view from this point is one of the highlights of this park. The lowland wooded area spreads out in a landscape that reminds me of fantasy stories. This view is my wife’s favorite spot along the hike. After descending the steps, the trail continues its way down to the bottomland, where it moves through a wooded area back toward the banks of Beaver Creek.

A hiker walks along through the shoreline woods along the banks until the trail curves back into a meadow. At that point, there is a pathway that intersects with the outgoing route and takes the hiker back to the pedestrian bridge over the creek.

I turn to the left and continue along the trail as it leads past a cultivated field into the picnic/activity area around the Samuelson cabin (1872). The cabin area has been used by the Siouxland Museum for youth summer activities and is also where the annual fall homesteader day activities are held.

While Beaver Creek is a state nature area, no park sticker is required to enter. This is one of the premier hiking areas in the area and is quite popular with bird watchers. My hikes along this trail generally take about an hour.

The trail is rated by the state as “very difficult, extremely hilly, with very uneven surfaces.” The YMCA uses this setting for part of their summer youth programming. For me, a hike at Beaver Creek is in my regular rotation, and I do it two or three times a month from April through November. I took the hike yesterday and thought about how the trail and park will soon be nearly impassible with snow.