Great Bear: Hiking in the Deep Shade on a Summer Day

During these sweltering days of mid-July, hiking for us is best early in the day in areas that provide deep shade.  This is especially important for Finnegan, our elderly canine hiking companion with heart failure. 

Great Bear Recreation Park on the outskirts of Sioux Falls is probably the best place in the area for an extended walk in the deep shade of large leafy trees.

There are several hiking trails within Great Bear, ranging from steep climbs up to sunny open meadows to lowland trails that are mostly in full or dappled shade.  At this time of year, we generally choose the lowland and shady trails that wind back into the park along well- developed pathways.   

Passing the lodge, the first feature encountered is a large pond that separates the pathways into the wooded area.  The pond at this time of year is often covered in part with green algae.  To me, the full or scattered algae growth has its own special charm in this body of still water with no outlet.

Over the years, I have seen ducks, geese, lots of turtles, as well as tadpoles and frogs in the pond.  I like to pause along the shoreline of the pond to look over the animal and plant life that lives there.

On the trip today, Finnegan and I kept to the lower trails.  My wife and I have a hiking pattern in which we cut along the right side of the pond on a rougher trail, continue down to a fork where the trails pass along either side of a wooded and steep hill and turn right again.

We return along a rougher pathway to the fork and then turn right again, heading deeper into the woods.  This trail continues to a roofed bench that has become the watering hole for Finnegan.

 A walk through the lower trails takes about 45 minutes at our slow pace.  Today, we did not encounter anyone in the park or along the trail.

The temperature had increased to about 80 degrees and the skies were clear as we finished our walk.  Great Bear is less than fifteen minutes from our home on the east side of the city, so we got in a nice stroll through a beautiful nature area before the full strength of the sun brought us to a stupor.

For additional narratives and photos of Great Bear at various seasons, go to the menu of area hiking possibilities on the right side of the blog.   

Additional photos of our hike today can be found on my Flickr account at the following URL:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jayheath/sets/72157634710123362/

Great Bear: The Lower Trail and Up on the Ski Lift Hill

Great Bear is one of our most frequented hiking areas from April through the first serious snowfall in the late fall.  It is usually thought of as a winter park, but it is also one of the primer hiking opportunities within the Sioux Falls area for the rest of the year.

This city-owned park is located along Rice Street between Sioux Falls and Brandon and parallels the east flowing Big Sioux River. Going east on Rice Street, the park is clearly marked on the right side of the road, just past a rock/sand/gravel processing plant.  There is a long paved entrance road that leads up to the park; the first exit on the left leads to the archery range and the road continues to gravel parking lot that fronts a large wooden chalet that hosts the winter activities. The chalet is also used to host various gatherings for the rest of the year, including weddings.

The Ralph and Doris Wallin Nature Trails system has a main route constructed of crushed asphalt that provides easy access for nearly anyone.  There are grass trails that spread out from that main trail so that people can take a more varied path.  In addition, there are trails that lead up onto the hills that loom over the main route.  In fact, there are three sets of hills that connect with the wide-spread web of pathways through the park. Map boards are scattered throughout the park, but without a clear notion of ordinal direction, they can be difficult to follow.

There is a large pond along the right side of the trail that leads into the wooded area.  This pond hosts a variety of life, including many turtles that are often seen sunning themselves on moss covered logs just offshore toward the end of the pond.  I have often seen geese and ducks on the pond as well.  Toward late summer, a large portion of the pond is covered in green algie, although there are a couple of aerators that keep the keep a portion of the pond clear throughout the year. The pond is one of the key interest area along the trail.

The main trail passes along the pond, but there is an alternative pathway at the head of the pond that leads the hiker into a tree-covered route on the opposite side, and this is the route that I usually take.

I like moving on natural surfaces if possible, although the improved trail is preferred when there has been heavy rain that makes the natural path muddy.

If following the alternative trail, the pathway continues on until reaching the first of several wooden bridges.  If going along the improved trail, the hiker turns to the right at a crossroad, just opposite a set of metal benches developed as part of a Boy Scout Eagle project.  Just past the first bridge, there is a pathway that leads up hill toward the ski lift summit.  This pathway is rather steep, but it is part of my regular hike.  It passes the ski lift machinery and continues along the rim of a steep hill overlooking part of northern Sioux Falls and the Big Sioux valley. 

The path moves on to an overlook that provides a panoramic view of the city; a map board has been erected with prominent Sioux Falls landmarks indicated. This is really a great view and well worth the effort to climb the hill.

I noticed that, like many of our nature areas, home development seems to be in the future.  A sign at the end of this elevated section of the park advertises home lots for sale.  Again, I am so thankful that the city has acquired this property so that all citizens an enjoy strolling through wooded hills that have been preserved for the public.

Another steep pathway leads down off the hill, back to the valley with the main trail, providing a looping aspect to the hike up and down the hill. The trail continues into the woods for another few hundred yards until ending at one of the many benches.  I generally pass the end of this trail and double back on the opposite side of the ravine.  There is also a route up the second set of hills that leads through a meadow and back downhill to the continuing trail in the second valley.  This assent pathway is very steep, nearly straight up the hill. 

As the pathway returns to the crossroad, the main trail continues to the right and leads over other bridges deep into the second valley.  A roofed rest station is located at the end of this section of the main trail.  This is a nice quite spot to sit for a while and listen to the birds and the wind blowing through the trees.

On the walk back toward the chalet, just before the pond, there is another opportunity to climb up the second large hill, this one overlooking the parking lot, the chalet, and providing another panoramic view over northern Sioux Falls. 

On strolls through these trails, I have seen many types of birds, including hawks and turkeys.  I have also twice seen lone coyotes moving through, deer on several occasions, and once a skunk.   This is a wonderful spot for a stroll through the wooded areas and is another of the many outdoor gems within the Sioux Falls area.  It is one of our favorite hiking areas and is only a few minutes away from our eastside Sioux Falls home.  Most new hikers to this area just wander around the pathways the first few times to become oriented to the web of trails. 

For the complete set of photographs associated with this narrative, visit my Flickr page at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jayheath/sets/72157629504889318/

Great Bear Recreation Park: The Northeast Loop Trail: Early Winter

The first snowfall of the season began this morning in Sioux Falls. Great Bear Recreation Park is about to assume its winter role as a regional skiing site; the park began “making snow” this week, two inches or so fell today, and the temperatures are expected to be chilly this next week, all of which supports the early opening of the park for winter sports activities.

So, my wife and I decided to take our Saturday hike at Great Bear, along the northeastern loop (Cactus Hill), as probably our last hike in this park for the season. Great Bear is one of the primer hiking locations within the Sioux Falls area and is part of the city parks department. There are two general pathways to take on a hike at Great Bear. The more comfortable and accessible route is to park near the lodge and walk down to the pond and continue along a loop of improved trail. There are several extensions along this trail; my favorite is to hike up the steep slope that leads to the top of a ridge overlooking much of northeast Sioux Falls. There is a branch trail that leads along the ridge to a bench and mounted map that points out major buildings clearly visible from this elevated point. There are a couple of other extended hikes over two rows of hills that extend east. These trails are rated as “most difficult,” but I enjoy making my way through the woods and up and down the slopes.

Access to the northeastern loop is either through the parking lot adjacent to the lodge or from the parking lot near the entrance to the archery range. With operations at the lodge gearing up for the season, we parked at the small lot near the entrance to the archery range and walked up to the trail.

This trail is rated as “more difficult” on the Great Bear hiking map and circles around a meadow before leading up the slope through the forest. The trail passes along a ravine and moves through a tunnel of trees to a rather steep climb leading to another upland meadow.

Crossing the meadow, the trail leads over to the edge of the archery range and then continues down the slope.

There is a fork in the trail with a branch leading deeper into the woods on a downward slope. The other fork continues along the border of the archery range past the clubhouse for a local archery club. There is signage along the way to indicate the border of the range so that a hiker doesn’t stray off the path. These trails join together again at the bottom.

We took the trail through the woods that leads down to the bottom of the hill and then winds along the lower meadow. There is a bench along the lower trail near a pathway that takes a hiker back to the lodge parking lot. We only went down that trail to check out the extent of snow pack that has been developed for the opening ski season. Our hike this afternoon was for about 1.5 miles and took us about 40 minutes.

Great Bear offers the opportunity to get a glimpse of wildlife in the area. We have seen many deer, an occasional coyote, turkeys, a skunk, and lots of birdlife. The area is heavily wooded, but the trails are very well maintained. The park is popular with hikers during the spring, summer and fall months. The original purpose of the park was winter activities, and skiing and snowboarding characterize park activity from December through March. I like to go to the lodge on a winter weekend to have a cup of hot chocolate and watch the activity. This winter I plan on using my snowshoes at Great Bear and will describe that experience in a month or so.

Great Bear is on the northeast of Sioux Falls along Rice Street toward Brandon. It is one of the outdoor jewels of Sioux Falls and is in our regular hiking rotation. I generally visit the park twice a week during the hiking season.