Each fall, BHSU students and staff head north on Chicken Creek Rd. and pay an entrance fee to get lost in a corn field.
Spearfish Valley Produce Farm started as a two-acre farm and produce stand in 2003, and since then, it has transformed into one of Spearfish’s most beloved seasonal locations. The local farm, owned by the Krautschun family, started giving tours of their pumpkin patch to kindergarten classes as field trips.
They exhibited the lifecycle of a pumpkin, from seed to full-grown squash, and allowed the children to run through the fields. When the Krautschuns saw the excitement of the children visiting the farm, the idea for the Spearfish Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch was born.
The fall event has a variety of activities that are bound to have something for everyone in the family. The Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch earn their spot in the title due to their appearances and allure, with fun autumn themes and endless pumpkins to choose from.
Guests are given a map outside of the maze and are then directed into the tall corn stalks to find their way to stamp locations scattered within. When they get all of the stamps located and marked on their map, they must find their way out of the corn field.
Some guests mingle, and some rush, but everyone is smiling and enjoying the challenge. The activity gets more difficult during the last weekend when the maze is open in the evenings and becomes haunted. During this time, guests must navigate the haunted maze by flashlight.
The Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch has more than just its titular features, with multiple playgrounds, a barrel train, a hay slide, ziplines and more. The Corn Maze hosts several music events per season, with local bands and food available. This provides the opportunity for an enjoyable evening, and also an opportunity to support local artists and musicians.
“There’s something for everyone,” said Nicole Krautschun, one of the co-owners of Spearfish Valley Produce Farm. “No matter what age.”
Agritourism is a growing field in South Dakota. Tourists and locals are seeking authentic experiences, and places such as the Spearfish Corn Maze offer them the opportunity to visit and interact with an agricultural enterprise.
Several attractions make use of a grain wagon, guests can ride pedal tractors and kids get to play in a real corn pile. It offers the guest and farmer a place to share worlds.
The Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch is a place that naturally invites kids to put the phones away and play in the dirt. There is an emphasis on family fun, supported by the Krautschun family, and the Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch is structured for that purpose: quality family time. No navigation app is going to help in the corn maze, and there’s no point in using a phone on the barrel train.
“There are opportunities here that you don’t get as much nowadays,” Krautschun said. “Kids running around with no phones in sight, you don’t see that much anymore.”
The Spearfish Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch is only part of the Spearfish Valley Produce Farm. The farm still raises about 55 acres worth of sweet corn, tomatoes, onions, eggplant, beets, cabbage, pumpkins, squash, cucumbers, pickling cucumbers, gourds, zucchini and numerous varieties of peppers. Corn stalks are also available for fall decorating to help support the farm.