Bridal Veil Falls – Spearfish Canyon, South Dakota

I love visiting waterfalls – whether they require a hike or if they’re located off of a roadside pullout, I’m always up to see one. So being that I was driving through South Dakota’s Spearfish Canyon Scenic Drive, I made sure to mark Bridal Veil Falls waterfall on my Google Maps to make a note to stop here. So in this short guide, let’s explore Bridal Veil Falls and see if this South Dakota waterfall is worth it.

Bridal Veil Falls – Location and Details

Location:
The pullout for Bridal Veil Falls is located about 6 miles into the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Drive (US Highway Alt 14), if you’re driving south from Spearfish, SD. You can’t miss it – Bridal Veil Falls has a large viewing platform to try to accommodate all of the tourists this waterfall attracts.

Cost: Free

Best time to visit Bridal Veil Falls:
I’d probably say sometime in spring. Perhaps there would be more water flow but from other photos I’ve seen online, this waterfall seems to look pretty pathetic year round. I visited the waterfall in late June.

Photography tips:
This isn’t a waterfall where you’ll want to fuss with your tripod to get a beautiful long exposure. Snap a photo and be on your way.

Viewing Bridal Veil Falls in South Dakota

Before my trip, I looked at photos and reviews of this waterfall. The reviews were overwhelmingly positive but the photos made me raise an eyebrow. These people are going apeshit over….this?

Nevertheless, the online reviews of people losing their shit over this waterfall made me think that this has got to look better in person. Right?

WRONG.

I pulled over along the side of the road, walked across to the viewing platform and saw Bridal Veil Falls with my own eyes.

And it was just as pitiful in person as it was in pictures. Bridal Veil Falls in Spearfish Canyon amounts to merely a trickle of water coming down a canyon wall. Yet, lots of cars pulled over, hundreds upon hundreds of positive reviews, — hell, I even have friends who have taken trips out here to the Black Hills rave about this waterfall. Have these people never seen a waterfall before? What am I missing?

Hiking and rock scrambling in this area is prohibited, so no, you cannot get any unique compositions for photography. What you see is what you get.

I snapped a total of two photos here, got back in the car and sped away. Good riddance, Bridal Veil Falls!

Bridal Veil Falls in South Dakota Spearfish Canyon – Final Thoughts

It’s a waterfall. It’s not impressive. You can pull over along the side of the road to view it if you want. But there’s no way in hell I’d ever send anyone out to see this waterfall. And frankly, the entire Spearfish Canyon Drive was one big ‘meh’ from me but that’s another post for another day.