Whitney Preserve

Tulip Gentian © Ed Orth

Why You Should Visit
Whitney Preserve is adjacent to beautiful Cascade Springs, the largest perennial spring and one of only two warm springs found in the Black Hills. The preserve, named for Nathaniel and Mary Whitney, conservation pioneers in South Dakota, includes three miles of Cascade Creek just below its source, Cascade Springs.

Location
The Whitney Preserve is located in the southern Black Hills southwest of Hot Springs, South Dakota.
Map (.jpg, 392 KB)  Directions (.pdf, 584 KB)

How to Prepare for Your Visit
For information on how to visit, please contact Bob Paulson at (605) 342-4040 or email: bpaulson@tnc.org.

What to See: Plants
The spring supports a unique warm riverine system that includes four rare plant species - tulip gentian, beaked spike-rush, southern maidenhair fern, and stream orchid - that are found nowhere else in the Black Hills or the surrounding Great Plains. Download a rare plant fact sheet (.pdf, 106 KB).

What to See: Animals
The property contains prime mountain lion habitat, with a nearby active den, and it includes an unusual Townsend's big-eared bat nursery roost. Because Cascade Creek remains ice-free throughout the year, it's a valuable winter fishery and provides an important water source for wildlife - especially birds.

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site   
As a conservation site, Whitney Preserve receives a high biodiversity ranking, making it an outstanding example of an extremely rare natural community.