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Southwestern South Dakota

I then decide to do a little climbing off trail. The first photo shows my pathway up through a formation. The second shows a downward view after climbing the same formation as high as humanly possible.

Back at the trailhead and across the road I discover this castle-like formation. It's probably about 30 feet tall.

I hop in the van and drive to my next hike, Saddle Pass Trail. This is another short hike but it's very steep. This is pretty much the angle of climb all the way to the top.

On the way up I encounter this enormous hoodoo, it is about 15 feet tall. A Hoodoo is a formation that looks like a mushroom. The top of the hoodoo consists of a harder, more erosion-resistant surface that protects the lower, softer ground below it. In this case, the upper structure is wormhole sandstone and the lower structure was brule clay.

At the top of the hike I encounter a field full of hoodoos.