Spearfish Canyon Rock Slide
On Saturday, July 5, 2025, a rockslide occurred on U.S. Highway 14A near Savoy, S.D. (in Spearfish Canyon). The road will be closed until crews are able to remove the debris, it is anticipated the road will re-open the morning of Sunday, July 6, 2025.
During a rainy season in the early 2000s, I was living near the Rubicon, on top of canyon, when several large rocks, some as big as small cars, tumbled onto the road in front of me, bounced across, and vanished. I backed up and tried to stop oncoming cars. I’ll never forget one guy who stopped in the middle of the rockslide, took his small child out of the car, placed her on a massive rock that had just fallen, snapped a photo, and drove off without a care for others or his kid’s safety. I was furious. The rocks kept falling for about two hours. With no phone service to call SDHP, I did my best to warn drivers until a snowplow arrived. The state needs to monitor these roads closely during rainy seasons—lesson learned.
For the latest on road conditions, please visit https://sd511.org, download the SD511 mobile app, or dial 511.
Photos by: Rob Ragatz and SDDOT.