“ This is like a whirlwind tour of South Dakota . They ’ re the best of the b est .”
Wanderers , adventurers , hikers and more can find their way through the trails of South Dakota with FalconGuides ’ new release “ Hiking South Dakota ” by Marcus Heerdt .
With this in-depth hiking guide , outdoor enthusiasts can easily explore 50 unique hikes across the state . These trails feature diverse landscapes including mountains , forests , lakes , rivers , waterfalls , plains and badlands formations .
“ This is like a whirlwind tour of South Dakota . They ’ re the best of the best ,” said Marcus .
Marcus serves as an experienced trail guide for the readers of “ Hiking South Dakota .” So far his hiking adventures have taken him to all fifty states as well as the Yukon Territory , Spain , Russia , Kyrgyzstan and beyond . “ I like hiking , but even more so I love to wander ,” said Marcus . As a child , Marcus spent a lot of time outside wandering around the family farm , the woods or down a railroad track . He was always curious about nature . “ And I ’ m still doing it today ,” said Marcus . “ I ’ m still curious about the world . I still have that wandering spirit .”
In August 1991 , Marcus ’ grandmother even took a picture of him climbing around Sylvan Lake , and it is featured at the beginning of “ Hiking South Dakota ” as a tribute to her .
“ I ’ m very glad my ‘ gramma ’ made it into the final version of the book because she was very special to me . I would also like to say that she gave me her natural eye for photography . She was always taking pictures ,” said Marcus .
Today , Marcus is an award-winning reporter for the Fall River County Herald-Star newspaper and said , “ I really love working for that newspaper , meeting the people and reporting on everything that ’ s happening in the town and throughout the county .”
Marcus ’ photography and writings have also appeared in several books , newspapers , magazines , edited collections and online publications . Originally , Falcon- Guides approached Marcus during the pandemic about revising “ Hiking the Black Hills Country ” after seeing his website where he had a gallery of photographs taken in South Dakota and writings about different trails .
“ I was really excited because I had owned the previous version of that book by the previous authors and had hiked every trail in it . So I kind of knew what needed to be updated already ,” said Marcus . “ It turned out to be a massive challenge .”
That book was published in 2021 . In 2022 , it was followed by “ Best Easy Day Hikes Black Hills Country .” Now after two years of work , “ Hiking South Dakota ” was published in 2024 . Marcus considers this his best hiking guidebook .
“ I ’ m very satisfied with how ‘ Hiking South Dakota ’ came out ,” said Marcus . “ It took a lot of time for me . I drove 6,000 miles just for this book .”
Marcus Heerdt
Whether experienced , beginners , visitors or residents , “ These books are meant to help people explore the Black Hills ,” said Marcus , “ and discover new trails and all of the beauty that this state has to offer .”
In “ Hiking South Dakota ,” the 50 featured hikes are categorized into five regions including Glacial Lakes , Southeast , Missouri River , Badlands and Black Hills . The book includes an overview and map of each region since there is something unique in every corner of the state .
“ I ’ ve been all around the country and the world , and South Dakota is oftentimes referred to as the land of infinite variety . I think that is true . There are not a lot of states that have what we have ,” said Marcus . “ It ’ s just a truly fascinating place .”
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