Itinerary

Day 0: Arrival in Rapid City

Guests drive to Rapid City, South Dakota or fly into Rapid City Regional Airport (RAP), arriving no later than early afternoon. From the meeting hotel near the airport a 3:00 p.m. shuttle will take guests from the airport to Wall, South Dakota.
In Wall we check into our accommodations and the group is then free to explore famous Wall Drug this first evening. Guests are on their own for dinner on this pre tour night. Before bed, be sure to check out the dark night sky!
Note: Meeting Hotel and Ending Hotel reservations and costs are NOT included unless specified otherwise. Guests are on-their-own to make reservations at the Meeting Hotel or Ending Hotel, or other nearby hotels.

Day 1: Badlands National Park

On the Black Hills bike tour. our first day of riding is through Badlands National Park. We will start just before dawn so we can catch the beautiful and soft early morning light on the various formations within the park. Guides will prepare a dawn breakfast feast to get you energized for the day ahead.
We ride from our hotel heading due south from Wall and soon enter Badlands National Park. We make a stop at Pinnacles Overlook to enjoy the increasing sunlight.
We then continue further into the park with quick stops at Yellow Mounds Overlook, Conata Basin Overlook and several additional overlooks as we progress through the park. This is a leisurely ride and we encourage you to take your time to enjoy the magnificent scenery. Eventually, we end at the Big Badlands Overlook where you can hike along the trails taking in the scenery while guides prepare a hearty lunch.
After lunch in the afternoon we shuttle to Nemo, South Dakota with an option to ride from the south western reaches of Rapid City, South Dakota to Nemo for an additional 22-miles.
NOTE: The short sections of the Mickelson Trail are officially a self guided section.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Lodging: Nemo Guest ranch or Nemo Schoolhouse.
Distance: Morning 38 miles with up to 1,600 feet of climbing Afternoon 22 miles with up to 2,215 feet of climbing

Day 2: Nemo to Spearfish Canyon

We depart Nemo and head into the heart of the Black Hills. About 15 miles in we hit some smooth gravel roads that will take us around Custer Peak with an option to ride to the peak. After descending Custer Peak we continue southwest to hook up with a section of the Mickelson Trail.
Now heading northwest we continue on the Mickelson Trail for a few miles and then take on more smooth gravel and then onto pavement for the final miles to our destination of Spearfish Canyon Lodge.
NOTE: The short sections of the Mickelson Trail are officially a self guided section.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Lodging: Spearfish Canyon Lodge
Distance: 40 miles with up to 3,575 feet of climbing

Day 3: Spearfish Canyon National Scenic Byway

Today offers three route options for our ride ride down the immensely beautiful Spearfish Canyon National Scenic Byway and then to Lead, South Dakota.
The standard route of 45-miles descends down Spearfish Canyon to Spearfish, South Dakota and then returns along the same route to end in Lead after a short jaunt on the Mickelson Trail that includes around 10-miles of smooth gravel riding.
A shorter clockwise route of 29-miles offers 14-miles of smooth gravel riding and a longer counter-clockwise E.F.I. route of 58-miles offers 36-miles of smooth gravel riding.
All of these routes end in Lead, South Dakota and the route taken will be based on the group consensus.
NOTE: The short sections of the Mickelson Trail are officially a self guided section.
Meals; Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Lodging Town Hall Inn
Distance: 45 miles with up to 2,845 feet of climbing, options to 29 or 58 mile routes

Day 4: Lead to Sylvan Lake

This is a highlight ride of the tour. The route today is somewhat deceptive in that within its 54-miles there is over 4,000 feet of climbing, so we will pace ourselves accordingly. Starting from Lead we head south and continue into the Black Hills along the Mickelson Trail for most of the day. This is one of the first rails-to-trails built in the US and named after George S. Mickelson, the South Dakota governor who helped spearhead the project.
We continue on the Mickelson Trail through the tiny unincorporated community of Rochford down to the small town of Hill City from which we embark on our final miles of riding to end at Sylvan Lake. Where our accommodations are at the Sylvan Lake Lodge for the next two nights.
Make certain to go for a wild swim at this fabulous lake as your summer will not be complete without it! The lake and surrounding rocky terrain are otherworldly and the 2007 movie ‘National Treasure: Book of Secrets’ was filmed here. Your not-to-be-missed refreshing post-ride swim in the cool mountain lake and then a sunset stroll around the rock formations are a must!
NOTE: The short sections of the Mickelson Trail are officially a self guided section.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Lodging: Sylvan Lake Lodge or Rock Crest Lodge & Cabins
Distance: 54 miles with up to 4,100 feet of climbing

Day 5: The Needles Highway and Wildlife Loop road

After breakfast, we ride another highlight of this tour, the twisty Needles Highway, down from Sylvan Lake through the wildly fun Needles Eye Tunnel – you simply will not believe this road! It is marvelously narrow and twisty road with spires of rocks (the Needles).
Next up is Custer State Park, South Dakota’s first and largest state park, named after Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer. This segment in the park is along Wildlife Loop Road that travels through 18-miles of open grasslands and pine-speckled hills. Where you are likely to see bison, pronghorn, whitetail and mule deer, elk, coyotes, burros, prairie dogs, eagles, hawks, and a variety of other birds.
Following lunch we turn north back towards Sylvan Lake Lodge. Along the way we stop in Custer, SD at the Purple Pie Palace for pie and ice cream.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Lodging: Sylvan Lake Lodge or Rock Crest Lodge & Cabins
Distance: 48 miles with up to 3,080 feet of climbing

Day 6: Crazy Horse Memorial, Mount Rushmore and the Iron Mountain Road

On our final day of the Black Hills bike tour we ride from Patagonia to the sky island of Parker Canyon and Parker Canyon Lake. To start the day cyclists ride a route through the Canelo Hills and upward through Parker Canyon to a lunch stop at the Parker Canyon Lake.
After a well deserved break, we reverse course and head downhill towards Elgin traversing Arizona’s wide open wine growing region where we will have to option to end at one of the area’s wineries. We then shuttle back to Tucson to end the tour.
Distance: 70 miles with up to 5,210 feet of climbing

* This is a general itinerary. Tour itineraries are subject to change based on the group, available accommodations and other unforeseen circumstances such as the weather, local conditions, government intervention, that may affect the quality of the trip and/or safety of the participants. Please view this itinerary as an outline as to what to expect on this tour.

Lodging

Black Hills bike tour
Night 0: Frontier Cabins or Best Western, Wall, SD (elevation 2,825′)
Night 1: Nemo Guest Ranch or Nemo Schoolhouse, Nemo, SD (elevation 4,615′)

Night 2: Spearfish Canyon Lodge, Lead, SD (elevation 4,990′)

Night 3: Town Hall Inn, Lead, SD (elevation 4,995′
Nights 4 & 5: Sylvan Lake Lodge, Custer, SD (elevation 5,080′) or Rock Crest Lodge & Cabins, Custer, SD (elevation 5,315′)
Meeting Hotel and Ending Hotel reservations and costs are NOT included unless specified otherwise. Guests are on-their-own to make reservations at the Meeting Hotel or Ending Hotel, or other nearby hotels.

Included:

• Lodging in comfortable Inns
• All meals included, (except for dinner on day 0)
• Luggage transport and mechanical support
• Entrance fees to the National Parks included.
• Energy food and drinks

Not included:

• Night before and after the tour not included.
• Bike rental. Be sure to bring your own helmet. We have a very limited supply and will only pack them if special arrangements are made ahead of time.
• Flights to and from the trip.
• Gratuity guides.
• Alcoholic beverages

Pricing / Tour dates

Tour price 2024: $ 3345.-pp. Single fee $ 495.-
Bike rental:
Scott Addict 10 $ 250.- per week
Scott E-bike road bikes with straight bars $ 395.- per week
Tour dates 2025:
18 May – 23 May
25 May – 30 May
01 Jun – 06 Jun
08 Jun – 13 Jun
15 Jun – 20 Jun
22 Jun – 27 Jun
06 Jul – 11 Jul
13 Jul – 18 Jul
20 Jul – 25 Jul
11 Aug – 16 Aug
17 Aug – 22 Aug
24 Aug – 29 Aug
07 Sep – 12 Sep
14 Sep – 19 Sep

Conditions

Deposit $ 950.- pp
The deposit payment for a tour must be paid within two weeks after the booking is confirmed.
The remaining payment is due 90 days before the start of the tour.
For tours that are booked within 90 days before the start of the tour you will pay 100% of the tour price

Information

Meals:
We provides most meals on all tours (unless otherwise noted) including breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Guides will prepare a daily lunch en route for nearly every tour, both road and off-road, as well as provide nutritious snacks at periodic aid stations during the day.
Most of our road tours utilize local restaurants for all meals and occasionally guides may prepare a dinner or two during a tour. Due to the nature of being “off the grid”, most of our off-road tours feature guide prepared meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
FUN NOTE: When guides prepare a meal in camp and the guests sit around and watch, this is called “Guide TV”.
Lunches: Our guides prepares healthy lunches to keep you going. We will serve you fresh organic fruits and veggies, salads, hummus, sandwich fixings, nuts, gourmet cheeses and, of course, plenty of salty/sweet snacks such as chips and cookies.
Dinners: On our road tours. We sources our favorite restaurants in each town that we visit. Our guides focus on establishments that offer fresh and local ingredients and guests choose whatever they desire to eat off the menu including: appetizer, salad, entrée, and of course, dessert… yum!
Also, while on tour if a guest wants to dine early before the group and go to bed, this is fine. We understand that on some days sleep is the most important post-ride element