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Flatlander coming to the Black Hills

Started by kendall_smith, June 04, 2012, 01:16:00 PM

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kendall_smith

Hey guys!  I hope I'm posting this in the right place on your site.  My wife and I are coming to your neck of the woods for our summer vacation and we're wanting to make sure we do as much cool stuff as we possibly can.  As of two days ago we have a campsite reserved at the Big Pines campground in Custer for July 2-7.

We'll be living out of our pop up camper for the week and we are bringing all of our toys with us- dual sports (his and hers), street bike (ours) and mountain bikes (his and hers).

What are the must see/do/ride things we need to keep in mind?  Based on your local knowledge, what would you do if you only had a week to do as much as you can in the Black Hills?  We want to mostly ride, but are also open to hiking, sight-seeing type activities as well.

Thanks in advance for any help/ideas/suggestions!

kendall_smith

I guess it might help to clarify what type of riding we're looking for also.

Dual sports- I subscribe to the dirtbike-with-turn signals school of thought when it comes to dual sports.  Ideally when I ride dual sports, I want to ride as little pavement as possible.  I run full knobbies and like to save the asphalt riding for the street bike.  I'll be bringing my KTM 350 EXC-F and my wife will be on her KLX 250S.  I prefer to ride the gnarliest stuff I can find, but have to back it down a bit when my wife is with me.  She's handled everything I've thrown at her from a dual sporting standpoint, but if the ride turns into more trail riding than dual sporting, she'll most likely have a bit of a hard time with really gnarly stuff.

Street riding- as much twisties as possible.  I probably don't need as much help planning this activity since a good road map should tell me what I need to know, but there are surely some must-see places we need to go that you locals might be able to point out.

Mountain biking- I like most kinds of riding- everything from smooth and flowy to rock hopping technical.  I plan on looking into your mountain biking areas here soon, but let me know if there are any must-ride areas.

Other than that, we're pretty open to suggestions.

sam i am

Welcome!  Sounds like you have an awesome vacation lined up!

Quote from: kendall_smith on June 04, 2012, 01:32:25 PMDual sports- I subscribe to the dirtbike-with-turn signals school of thought when it comes to dual sports.  Ideally when I ride dual sports, I want to ride as little pavement as possible.  I run full knobbies and like to save the asphalt riding for the street bike.  I'll be bringing my KTM 350 EXC-F and my wife will be on her KLX 250S.  I prefer to ride the gnarliest stuff I can find, but have to back it down a bit when my wife is with me.  She's handled everything I've thrown at her from a dual sporting standpoint, but if the ride turns into more trail riding than dual sporting, she'll most likely have a bit of a hard time with really gnarly stuff.

Check out the MVUM (here).  Also note that you will need to purchase a Trail permit before you can ride.  I lack a plated bike, so I tend to stick to the gnarlier singletrack stuff, but hopefully one of the DS guys will chime in with some nice DS routes/loops.

Quote from: kendall_smith on June 04, 2012, 01:32:25 PM
Street riding- as much twisties as possible.  I probably don't need as much help planning this activity since a good road map should tell me what I need to know, but there are surely some must-see places we need to go that you locals might be able to point out.

I would have to recommend Needles Hwy, Iron Mountain Rd, and Spearfish Canyon.  All are very twisty and immensely gorgeous.  Hopefully you don't get stuck behind a huge motorhome or bus...otherwise the ride is a blast.

Quote from: kendall_smith on June 04, 2012, 01:32:25 PM
Mountain biking- I like most kinds of riding- everything from smooth and flowy to rock hopping technical.  I plan on looking into your mountain biking areas here soon, but let me know if there are any must-ride areas.

Check out both Paha Sapa Trails and BHMBA.  Must do trails include Storm Mountain and Victoria Lake.  These are more XC (10-15 mi loops) oriented trails, but do have a few techy spots thrown in.  If you do want more techy stuff, Bonecollector, Buzzard's Roost, and Breezy Point have a lot to offer.  Another must do system is M-Hill (HLMP) which happens to be located right smack dab in the center of Rapid City.  M-hill has everything from full on downhill runs with man-made jumps, to gnarly rock gardens, to smooth and rolling xc trails.  I may have a slight addiction to mountain biking, so let me know if you want some more info on these or any other trails in the hills...hopefully I can help!

kendall_smith

Awesome!  Thanks for all the information Sam.

I did a little reading in that link you posted for the MVUM and couldn't tell whether or not my plated bikes need a trail permit or not.  I know that in some forests, plated bikes are exempt from needing permits since they are street legal, but it appears that I will need a permit regardless.  Am I interpreting that correctly?  No biggie if I do need to get a permit, but I better order them soon.

Thanks for the head's up on the twisties- I will definitely look into those further.

As for the mountain biking, I think we might end up staying an extra day now and going to the Sturgis BAM festival (http://sturgisbam.com/site/).  Looks like it should be a good time and give us a variety of riding.  We'll also check out the other trail systems you mentioned.

Looks like I have a good starting point for some things to research.  Thanks again!


Fletch

you need the permit whether plated or not in SD, WY is either/or. On the street bikes make sure you ride Norris Peak rd. and Vanocker Canyon, they are great roads and less traffic than the rest of the hills. Try to ride the street early in the morning or later in the evening to reduce the number of houses you encounter plodding along. DS riding is endless, I think there are several thousand miles of trails/roads? grab a map at the FS office when you get your permit. you should be able to find something that suits you as far as difficulty. have fun..
stupid is my middle name, but my first name is Mike

kendall_smith

Thanks for the update Fletch.  I guess I will be ordering some permits for the bikes here shortly.

Good thought on the street riding- I will definitely keep that in mind. 

jacin theis

Just make sure you ride Vanocker North to south. its moslty uphill that way and way more fun, in my opinion.  Another nice road ride is From Cheyenne crossing to Buckhorn wyoming on US 85 south of Lead. Oe of the best and most underated rides in the hills.
Whos in for a big trip? Alsaka? Moab (again)? Baja?
1100 GS

Fletch

Quote from: jacin theis on June 05, 2012, 09:53:10 AM
Just make sure you ride Vanocker North to south. its moslty uphill that way and way more fun, in my opinion.  Another nice road ride is From Cheyenne crossing to Buckhorn wyoming on US 85 south of Lead. Oe of the best and most underated rides in the hills.

+1
stupid is my middle name, but my first name is Mike