(ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: MAY/JUNE 2003)

From the rocky perch atop Buzzard's Roost, Spearfish Canyon looks like my private oasis. I'd hiked for almost an hour along the steepest of the three trails from Spearfish Canyon Lodge into the Black Hills, through forests redolent of fern and birch, having no idea that such a dramatic vista would be my reward. If I had any breath left, this view would take it away. A thousand feet below me lies the bed of the canyon, waterfalls coursing down its limestone walls, against an expansive backdrop of Black Hills extending as far as my eyes can see. Less than 50 miles north of Mount Rushmore, I feel as if I'm worlds removed from the bustle of crowds. But I soon realize that such enthrallment isn't mine alone. I spot a plaque commemorating an earlier visitor: "How is it that I've . . . heard so much about the Grand Canyon," asked architect Frank Lloyd Wright, "when this is even more miraculous?"

Wright's words of wonder from 1935 still apply to these Black Hills. Beyond the patriotic shrine of Rushmore, the attractions of Custer State Park and the gambling mecca of Deadwood, the region remains ripe for discovery. Where so many areas popular for their natural splendor have become loops of congestion, this southwest corner of South Dakota is the perfect place to get away from all the people who are getting away from it all. Visitors who come for Rushmore return because there's so much more to explore.

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