South Dakota, USA

Mickelson Trail Bike Tour

DURATION

6 Days

PRICE

$2,999

LEVEL

BADV_AbilityLevel_Icons Beginner

DAILY DISTANCE

15-30 Miles

INCLUDED ACTIVITIES

Cycling (bikes included), Hiking, Mammoth Site, Crazy Horse, Mt. Rushmore, Wind Cave

INCLUDED MEALS

All breakfasts. One lunch and one dinner on your own.

Discover and explore what we ultimately strive for in a cycling vacation–which is to simply “Pedal Happy”.

The George S. Mickelson Trail is one of the premier rail-trails in the West, rich with boom-and-bust gold mining history, American history, and the sublime scenery of the Black Hills. Bike to Mt. Rushmore. Explore Deadwood, onetime home of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane, and Crazy Horse Memorial. Visit one of the world’s largest caves and the country’s biggest mammoth dig. Ride the whole of the Mickelson – along with a few fascinating side trips – on this 6-day bike tour. While the trail is not paved, the surface is compacted and the route is perfect for those who prefer as little traffic as possible, eminently do-able routes, and terrific scenery. This tour packs a lot of wallop for the buck!

National Parks on this tour: Mt Rushmore National Memorial | Wind Cave National Park

Mickelson Trail Bikes: To optimize comfort and performance on the unpaved Mickelson Trail, our standard bike options for this tour are flat-bar e-bikes, or flat-bar road bikes with wider tires. Our drop-bar bikes have narrower tires (28-32 mm), so we recommend having gravel experience if you would like to ride a drop-bar bike on this tour. The Mickelson trail surface is mostly hard-packed and smooth crushed lime and gravel with some shorter sections of hard-packed dirt with some rocky bumps.

This tour is operated under special use permit/s with the Mt Rushmore National Memorial and Wind Cave National Park. Bicycle Adventures is an equal opportunity provider.

Day 01

Visit The Mammoth Site. Ride the Mickelson Trail from Edgemont to Pringle.

Meals

– Lunch
– Dinner

Lodging

Red Rock River Resort

Ability Level

BADV_AbilityLevel_Icons Beginner

Distance

33 miles (or less)

Elevation

+2026 ft / -606 ft

Meet in Rapid City in the morning. Our first stop is in Hot Springs at The Mammoth Site, an active paleontological dig where we pay a visit to the fossils of 61 woolly mammoths from the Ice Age. In Edgemont, at the south end of the Mickelson Trail, we hop on the bikes to ride the trail to the tiny town of Pringle (pop. 112). Return to the Red Rock River Resort in Hot Springs tonight, with time for a soak before walking to a privately hosted al fresco dinner at Silk Road.

Day 02

Visit Wind Cave National Park and continue on the Mickelson Trail.

Meals

– Breakfast
– Lunch
– Dinner

Lodging

Legion Lake Lodge

Ability Level

BADV_AbilityLevel_Icons Beginner

Distance

20 miles

Elevation

+1141 ft / -987 ft

In the morning visit Wind Cave National Park, location of one of the longest and most complex caves in the world. The Lakota (Sioux), who live in the region, spoke of a hole that blew air, a place they consider sacred as the site where they first emerged from the underworld. In 1881, brothers Tom and Jesse Bingham heard wind rushing out from a 10-inch hole in the ground. According to the story, when Tom looked into the hole, the “wind” (exiting cave air) blew his hat off of his head. A mining company purchased the land but when it turned up no valuable mineral deposits the project turned to tourism. This was the first cave in the world to be designated a national park. We ride through the Park – this is the first place we should see bison! – and have a chance to check out the Visitor’s Center and the Bingham’s original cave opening; there is not time to do the cave tour. Continue on the Mickelson Trail from Pringle to Legion Lake Lodge for the night.

Day 03

Ride to Crazy Horse Memorial before heading to Hill City.

Meals

– Breakfast
– Lunch
– Dinner

Lodging

Sylvan Lake Lodge

Ability Level

BADV_AbilityLevel_Icons Beginner

Distance

16 miles

Elevation

+677 ft / -986 ft

This morning, ride the car-free trail to Crazy Horse Memorial, the world’s largest mountain carving. Lakota leader Crazy Horse led a war party to victory against Federal Government troops at the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876. This fascinating memorial has been under construction since 1948 and receives no government funding. It’s so large that if Mt. Rushmore could be moved, it would fit inside Crazy Horse’s shoulder! Ride onward to Hill City. Hop in the van for the transfer up the hill to Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Sylvan Lake Lodge – Custer State Park’s ‘Crown Jewel’ and our home for the next two nights.

Day 04

Hike Black Elk Peak this morning. Visit Mt. Rushmore this afternoon.

Meals

– Breakfast

Lodging

Sylvan Lake Lodge

Ability Level

BADV_AbilityLevel_Icons Beginner

Distance

Hike: 7.5 miles; +1,384 ft / -1,380 ft

Hike Black Elk Peak this morning. At 7,242 feet, Black Elk Peak is the highest point in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Standing sentinel over the Black Hills, Black Elk Peak is topped by a stone fire tower that provides a magnificent view of the surrounding landscape. This afternoon, explore Mt. Rushmore National Memorial. Gaze in awe at the 60-foot sculptures of four United States presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. Lunch and dinner are on your own today.

Day 05

Ride from Hill City to the gold-rush-era town of Rochford and then on to Deadwood.

Meals

– Breakfast
– Lunch
– Dinner

Lodging

Holiday Inn Express Gold Dust

Ability Level

BADV_AbilityLevel_Icons Beginner

Distance

22 miles

Elevation

+1365 ft / -1079 ft

Ride from Hill City, the first settlement established in conjunction with the discovery of Black Hills gold in French Creek to tiny Rochford (pop. 26). It’s home to the Montezuma Mine, the Moonshine Gulch Saloon and the ‘Small of America.’ After lunch, bike or van onward to Deadwood, onetime home of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane. Plan for time to explore! Stay at the Holiday Inn Express Gold Dust in Deadwood tonight.

Day 06

Ride the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway.

Meals

– Breakfast
– Lunch

Ability Level

BADV_AbilityLevel_Icons Beginner

Distance

19 miles

Elevation

+255 ft / -1,911 ft

Enjoy a leisurely ride through Spearfish Canyon this morning. Older than the Grand Canyon, the spectacular 1000-foot walls and limestone palisades of this creek-carved gorge offer some of the most breathtaking scenery in the Black Hills. Finish riding at the city park in Spearfish where we’ll celebrate the completion of the tour with lunch before returning to Rapid City in the afternoon.

*Bicycle Adventures operates under special use permits while on Federal Lands managed by the National Forest Service (USDA), National Parks and Bureau of Land Management. In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) To file a complaint of discrimination: write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Dates
Guaranteed
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Price
Availability
Dates
Single Supplement
Price
$810
This is not required. It is an optional fee to allow a solo traveler to guarantee a private room for the duration of the tour.
Dates
Jun 9, 2024
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Price
$2,999
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Closed, call to book
Dates
Jun 16, 2024
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$2,999
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Open
Dates
Jun 23, 2024
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Price
$2,999
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Open
Dates
Aug 12, 2024
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Price
$2,999
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Open
Dates
Aug 19, 2024
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$2,999
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Open
Dates
Aug 26, 2024
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Price
$2,999
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Open
Dates
Sep 2, 2024
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Price
$2,999
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Open
Dates
Sep 9, 2024
Guaranteed
This means that the tour will definitely depart as scheduled and not be canceled.
Price
$2,999
Availability
Limited

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