Mickelson Trail Bike Camping

[Sergio]

Greetings! Heading off for some bike camping on the Mickelson Trail in S Dakota in October. Thinking of going from Deadwood to Edgemont vs the other way due to elevation decrease, but wondering if any campaigners have advice about stops, campsites, food, sites, etc. We're planning on a leisurely three days on the trail. Been three years since the Atlantis escaped the city and we're really looking forward to it!

Sergio

[Steve Palincsar]

On 09/13/2017 11:49 AM, Sergio wrote:
> Greetings! Heading off for some bike camping on the Mickelson Trail in S Dakota in October. Thinking of going from Deadwood to Edgemont vs the other way due to elevation decrease, but wondering if any campaigners have advice about stops, campsites, food, sites, etc. We're planning on a leisurely three days on the trail. Been three years since the Atlantis escaped the city and we're really looking forward to it!
>
>

I rode on the Mickelson Trail in SD in Sept of 2009. We were there in
the Black Hills when the financial system melted down. Notable
observations:

1) you have to pay to ride the trail. Very surprising to me.
2) It was shocking how exhausting a 6 mile long 2% grade on gravel
surface could be; where I ride it's rolling, and 0.7 mi is a long hill.
3) It was in the high 40s-low 50s early in the morning, and in the high
80s in the middle of the day, rapidly plunging as it got towards sundown.
4) When we finished the tour we stopped for lunch at a Subway and as we
were chatting about the lovely weather the girl behind the counter told
us it's not always like this in September, and we were very lucky. A
week later that part of the state was under four feet of snow and a
state of emergency had been declared.
5) South Dakota is the sort of place where a restaurant considers beef
to be a vegetable. 5) Buffalo steak is incredibly tough.
6) Needles Highway & Iron Mountain Road are incredible. If you are
there, by all means ride them. I lack the superlatives to describe it.

--
Steve Palincsar
Alexandria, Virginia
USA

[Keith Muller]

Sergio,

Me and my wife try to ride the Mickelson Trail every year. It's a wonderful ride. We usually do it in two days and have plenty of time to stop and explore. We always ride it north to south(Deadwood to Edgemont). We are going to be riding it in a couple weekends.

Places of interest:

Moonshine Gulch in Rochford - bar/restaurant that has greasy burgers and cold beers. They also have random locals play music on Sundays.

Alpine Inn in Hill City - owned by a German lady, they have a German lunch menu that's tasty. The dinner menu is pretty simple, big or small steak. They have a huge desert menu, which is what they are known for. They are closed on Sundays.

If you have three days, I'd say ride Deadwood to Hill City day one. Stay in Hill City and spend day two riding in the area and exploring. You've got Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse and Custer State Park not to far away. You will ride by Crazy Horse on your way to Custer.

Maybe spend night two in Custer and finish out day three to Edgemont. The ride out onto the prairie to Edgemont is one of my favorite parts of the ride.

There is lots to do and see. The ride is overall pretty easy. I'd say the toughest part is Deadwood to the Dumont Trailhead. But it's still not that bad.

This is hands down my Favorite rails-to-trail Trail.

They do require all users by a trail pass. $3 per day or $10 annually. That money goes to maintaining the trail.

October is a really great time of the year to ride the Mickelson Trail. Nice during the day, and cools off at night. Don't forget your favorite sweatshirt for the nighttime.

If you have any other questions, let me know.

Keith

[Sergio]

Great feedback! Very helpful in planning. Getting antsy to hit the road. I'm hopeful the weather holds, or at least isn't too rainy. It's also an excuse to pick up some new gear... :)

[Sergio]

Just got back from the George S. Mickelson Trail. What an amazing piece of rail-to-trail work! Beautiful from start to finish. Much slower going than anticipated though with many long, though not steep, climbs, and the gravel path eating up a fair amount of our velocity. We lucked out with the weather too. The week prior was raining and snowy with highs in the 30s and 40s, but while we were out we caught it in the 60s and 70s only down into the 40s at night. A lot of the seasonal businesses and camping sites were closed and there weren’t a lot of others on the trail, so plenty time for quiet introspection and view absorption each day. We did it in three days, two nights, but if I did it again I would probably try for four days three nights for a more leisurely pace, but maybe I’m just slow… :)

Definitely worth the trip!