Maps and Photos

View Detailed Maps:   Indian Creek    Red Shirt    Chalk Hills

Indian Creek
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	From the dizzying heights of Sheep Mountain Table to the broad Cheyenne River valley, Indian Creek includes a vast array of landforms and unique plant life. Hikers, hunters, horseback riders, birdwatchers and others will find here one of the most inspiring and diverse diverse wilderness experiences left in the nation’s lower elevations. Its size, rugged terrain and tranquility make this the only area in the Great Plains where one can backpack or stock-pack on a quality scale similar to that of the Rockies or Alaska. The proposal would protect approximately 29,600 acres, including the largest block of scenic Cheyenne River badlands breaks in South Dakota. Indian Creek was recommended for wilderness designation by the U.S. Forest Service in its 2002 management plan for Buffalo Gap National Grassland.

Red Shirt
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	The proposed Red Shirt wilderness features colorful striped buttes rising to stunning plateaus, with Schumacher Canyon and its layers of color-banded clays as its scenic centerpiece. Adjacent to the Pine Ridge Reservation, this area was used by the Lakota for shelter, food, medicinal plants and burial sites. The Fairburn agate beds draw rockhounds to Red Shirt, representing the area's most popular recreational activity. Approximately 16,600 acres are proposed for wilderness designation. Red Shirt was recommended for wilderness designation by the U.S. Forest Service in its 2002 management plan for Buffalo Gap National Grassland.

Chalk Hills
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	The cedar and juniper canyons, lush grasslands, flat-topped tables and sheer cliffs of the proposed Chalk Hills area were made famous by the movie "Dances with Wolves." The Chalk Hills ridge, with its side slopes of white shale clays, forms the backbone of this proposed wilderness. The area was used as a refuge by Lakota warriors during the Indian Wars at the end of the 19th century. The proposal would protect approximately 4600 acres.