Out in the parks
The rock under your feet has a story millions of years in the making. Digging the Past, Shaping the Future looks at how the geology of the Black Hills formed, how it still shapes our lives today, and how we put it to use every day.Drop in between 1 and 4 p.m., talk with a […]
Join Black Hills National Forest staff for an evening hike along the Reuter Springs Trail to see how the Forest grows its next generation of trees. Forestry Technician Jed Burgers will walk you through the tools and techniques used to collect cones from native ponderosa pine and explain how those seeds become the seedlings that […]
Celebrate the Fourth of July with the Black Hills’ own fireworks: birds. Nature’s Fireworks explores the roles birds play in a healthy forest, from pollinating plants to helping control disease, and why they are as essential as they are beautiful.Stop by during either session, from 10 a.m. to noon or from 1 to 4 p.m., […]
Meet the animals that call the Black Hills home. The Wild Side of the Black Hills introduces the many animals of the region and the roles each one plays in keeping the ecosystem healthy.Drop in between 1 and 4 p.m., learn with a Forest Service presenter, and make a plaster footprint of a native Black […]
Head to the quiet Wyoming corner of the Black Hills for a campfire sing-along in the Bear Lodge Mountains. Sally Svenson, the Songbird of the Black Hills, plays her original songs and shares the stories behind them at Reuter Campground. Music starts at 7:30 p.m.Getting there: Reuter Campground is near Sundance, Wyoming, off Warren Peak […]
Meet the night shift. Join Wildlife Biologist Amy Hammesfahr at the Little Elk Creek Trail for a guided hike into the world of bats. You’ll learn what makes these mammals such important members of the Black Hills ecosystem, how they navigate and feed after dark, and the adaptations that let them thrive at night. Good […]
From the forest floor up, plants keep the Black Hills alive. This program looks at how plants make their own food through photosynthesis and cellular respiration, why they matter to human survival and the local economy, and how they form the foundation of the whole ecosystem.Stop by during either session, from 10 a.m. to noon […]
Smokey Bear turns 82 on August 9, and the Pactola Visitor Center is throwing him a party all weekend. Join the celebration of the Forest Service’s most famous bear and the wildfire-prevention message he has carried for generations. The party runs both Saturday, August 8 and Sunday, August 9, which is Smokey’s actual birthday.This is […]
It’s Smokey Bear’s actual birthday. Smokey turns 82 on August 9, and the Pactola Visitor Center party continues for a second day. Join the celebration of the Forest Service’s most famous bear and the wildfire-prevention message he has carried for generations.This is a come and go event. On Sunday, stop by from 10 a.m., with […]
Love the Black Hills? Learn how to leave them better than you found them. Respect the Woods, Protect the Wild covers Leave No Trace principles, the local ecosystem, the Junior Ranger program, and practical tips and tricks for visiting your national forest responsibly.Join in from 1 to 3 p.m. with a Forest Service presenter.Getting there: […]
Some guests overstay their welcome. The Unwanted Guests: When Nature Goes Rogue explores invasive species in the Black Hills: what makes a plant invasive, how to recognize one, and how you can help the ecosystem when you spot them. The program runs from 1 to 4 p.m. Check the Forest Service and association channels for […]
Beneath Pactola Reservoir lies a town that disappeared underwater. The Sunken City tells the story of Pactola, the community that was flooded when the reservoir was built, and how that change rippled through life in the Rapid City area.Drop in from 10 a.m. to noon, learn with a Forest Service presenter, and build a small […]
