#3: [05-Jul-14]

#2: [22-May-11]

#1: [18-Jun-01]

20-Mar-2026 --

Continued from 44N 103W

Evidently, the Forest Service didn't predict an all-time March record heatwave when they posted their winter season vehicle restrictions. Considering I was enjoying short-sleeves weather in mountainous western South Dakota in early spring, this was only a minor letdown — the drive to this spot was beautiful! I'd departed my hotel in Hill City less than an hour earlier, having woken to the sight of pine trees and the sound of vacationing families. Later I was to join my friends and fellow confluence hunters, Jack and Emma, at Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park, from where we'd embark on a day hike that included South Dakota's high point, Black Elk Peak. But while I had a few hours to pass that morning, I jumped at the opportunity to take a drive through a less traveled section of the region, en route to the Black Hills' sole latitude/longitude intersection, 44N 104W.

Deerfield Road, heading west out of Hill City, provides the simplest access to this confluence for those approaching from the Rapid City/Keystone area. I found it to be a lovely winding drive through the heart of the small mountain range, alternating between pine forest and cattle grazing meadows and passing by still-partly-frozen-over Deerfield Lake, before reducing to gravel and following a lengthy, narrow creek valley for some 9 miles [15 km]. Little do this valley's cattle know how good they've got it in the views department, compared to their eastern South Dakota bovine brethren! At the ninth mile past the lake, I approached the junction of Deerfield Road and Boles Canyon Road — the spot where I was to start heading south toward the 44th parallel. From as soon as I could see the junction in the distance, I knew my chances didn't look good for today's time-limited attempt; I was greeted by a temporary roadblock that limited motor vehicle access to "over-the-snow vehicles" from December 15th to March 31st, per the attached flyer. Given the usual nature of this area's early spring weather (often snowy), this was understandable. Funnily enough, as it happened to be this morning, a snowmobile would've been a questionable transportation choice.

The GPS showed a distance of over 6 miles [10 km] to 44N 104W, too far for an on-foot roundtrip in the two hours I had to spare. Future winter attempts to this confluence should be made with the expectation of local road restrictions; walking the roads is certainly doable, and a snowmobile would be ideal in typical circumstances (i.e., not during the most extreme March warm spell in western United States history). Confluence or not, it was a wonderful morning to be in the mountains; I lingered near the area for about half an hour, climbing atop a small hill adjacent to the road crossing and gazing across the quiet, pastoral setting.