Hiking the Lake Alvin Recreation Area

A hiking trail has been developed that follows the western shoreline of Lake Alvin, beginning in the recreation area boat launch parking lot and circling in a loop through a lower and upper portion of the park.  

The trail is clearly marked as it leads west from the parking lot.  It moves through willow brush and low trees and climbs to a junction, one way leading down along the shoreline and the other up into the hills overlooking the lake.

I took the lower pathway of the loop and moved through continuous tree cover that provides glimpses of the lake through the foliage. 

A bench is situated about halfway through this first loop in a location providing a nice view over the lake. 

As the loop continues, it moves up into the hills with a steadily increasing vista of a wide portion of the lake, offering both a north and a south elevated view. 

This part of the trail passes by a wire fence that separates the park property from homes built over this commanding view.

The trail then descends down the slope to the junction of the loop and ends at the parking lot. 

This is a fairly easy trail for most people; without stopping for photos, I would imagine that it would take about 20 minutes to complete the loop.  The trail adds another element to visiting the Lake Alvin Recreation Area; the recreation area is a fee site requiring either a park sticker or a daily admission. 

Bucher Prairie Park

The Sioux Falls Argus Leader newspaper recently ran a story about Bucher Prairie Park, a 20 acre parcel of land donated to Minnehaha County as a nature preserve.  This park is a long narrow piece of prairie land that is clearly visible at the intersection of County 121 and 122, about ten miles north of Rice Street on 478^th Avenue.  We drove on Rice Street towards Brandon and took the first paved road to the left, the road that leads on to an Interstate ramp and crosses over I 90 next to the RV campground.

Bucher Prairie Park is in the second year of operation by Minnehaha County.  The major attraction to this park is native grasses and wildflowers.  There is good parking, a picnic shelter, and restrooms located at the head of a series of trails.

A pool formed along a tributary of Slip Up Creek is located next to the picnic shelter, and there are “sitting rocks” scattered about.  These large quartzite rocks are located throughout the park along the network of trails.

A system of trails loops runs throughout the park and provides about 1.5 miles of hiking.  It is possible to continue through the loops and not retrace steps along the way.

The trails are mowed through high native prairie grasses.  A couple of bridges cross over the shallow depression formed by the Slip Up Creek waterway to permit looping of the trails. 

At the western end of the park, there is a willow thicket that provides some contrast to the grassland.  Outside of the thicket and the picnic shelter, there is little shade in this park.  The purpose of the park is to provide an opportunity to stroll through native grasses and think about what the landscape might have been like before settlement.

This is a pleasant place for a nice stroll through the grasses.  A complete hike through the loops may take about 40 minutes, providing enough time to appreciate the plant life.  We thought that this might be a great addition to our hiking rotation of area trails.  It would be especially interesting to visit the park in early spring, mid-summer, and then in the late fall before the snow flies.  Again, the major attraction is the changing nature of the world of grasses.

There were lots of red-winged blackbirds out flitting around; but since there are hardly any trees on the property, most of the bird life we saw were perching birds sitting on old cattails, fence lines, or in the grasses.

I like this park and the system of trails and believe that the county has done a nice job of preserving the land as Mr. Lyle Bucher wanted: “a reflection of the prairie that would have been historically present on the site.”

A Bucher Prairie Information Brochure and Map can be obtained at the following URL:

http://www.minnehahacounty.org/dept/parks/bucher_prairie/bucher_prairie_park.aspx

A complete set of photographs taken on this hike can be seen at my Flickr page:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jayheath/sets/72157630122740694/

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/