Cycle South Dakota: Mount Rushmore & Badlands

Welcome to Rapid City, gateway to South Dakota’s Black Hills, Badlands National Park and the iconic Mount Rushmore. If you arrive early there is plenty to see and do here – perhaps stroll through the Historic District and the City of Presidents, a street dotted with bronze statues of past presidents beyond the four you’ll meet at Mount Rushmore. You may like to get to know the creatures at the acclaimed Reptile Gardens, or just kick back at one of the many local breweries in and around town. Meet your fellow cyclists and guide at midday (12pm) then enjoy a scenic drive (approximately 1 hour) to the Badlands National Park. After a group meeting, get fitted to your bike then take an enjoyable 16km/10 mile introductory test ride through the dramatic landscape along the Badlands Loop Road. From here its back into the vehicle for the drive to the small city of Hot Springs (approximately 2 hours), renowned for centuries for its hot springs, considered by the Sioux and Cheyenne people as sacred. The evening is free for you to explore or relax. Soothe your muscles at the Evans Plunge or Moccasin Mineral Springs or head into town for dinner with your new riding buddies.

After breakfast, leave Hot Springs and drive north along straight roads that cut through rolling green hills before arriving at Wind Cave National Park, an extraordinary landscape home to one of the world’s largest caves. Step into a hidden world as you tour the Garden of Eden section of the Wind Cave. Learn about this intriguing environment as you pass by unique boxwork, cave popcorn, and flowstone formations. From here it's onto your bike for the ride to the western entrance of the Custer State Park (approximately 30 minutes), then enjoy a scenic 30km/19-mile ride along the famed Wildlife Loop in the southern section of the park. Keep a keen eye out along the road and the nearby hills are for the bison, elk, antelope, mountain goat, and deer that inhabit this pristine environment.

Today is short and at times challenging ride, but definitely one you’ll remember for a lifetime. Leaving Custer State Park behind, make you way north up the sublime Iron Mountain Road. This architectural masterpiece carves its way through the forests, valleys and mountains of South Dakota as it winds up the Black Hills, each of its 314 curves revealing a different view. While the journey is inspiring, the destination just as remarkable as you emerge from the trees to the spectacular view of Mount Rushmore. Park your bike and take a leisurely stroll up the Presidential Trail for a close-up view of sculptor Gutzon Borglum’s colossal masterpiece as the granite-hewn faces of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln stare out across the Black Hills. Grab lunch and take your time to soak it all in before a final drive to Hill City and an afternoon relaxing those leg muscles.

A longer but far flatter ride awaits you today as you cycle the excellent George S. Mickelson Trail though the heart of the beautiful Black Hills. The trail runs for 109 miles, but you’ll only cover a fraction of that as you cycle the traffic-free path through spruce and ponderosa pine forests, across countless converted railroad bridges and the occasional rock tunnels. Start the day with a short drive (approximately 45 minutes) before joining the trail at Rochford, riding a gentle uphill to the high point of the trail at Dumont, then enjoying a gradual 21-kilometre descent into the legendary town of Deadwood. For those looking for an extra challenge you’re welcome to ride the entire trail section and its two long but not overly steep climbs (and descents!) from Hill City to all the way to Deadwood.
This afternoon is free for you to explore the fabled city of Deadwood, home to Wild West luminaries such as Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane. The streets are paved with history and there are plenty of restaurants and cafes nearby to soak up the atmosphere.

After an early breakfast take a short vehicle transfer to Savoy (approximately 30 minutes) and begin your last day of cycling. This ride is short but certainly memorable as you pedal mostly downhill along the stunning Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway. Named by Bicycling magazine as one of the country’s most scenic bike paths, the smooth road through vibrant foliage, past gorgeous waterfalls and beneath towering 1000-foot-high cliffs is a cyclist’s paradise and a perfect final ride. Hop back aboard the support vehicle and make the short drive back to Deadwood where you’ll have some time to freshen up before driving back to Rapid City (approximately 1 hour), where upon arrival your cycling adventure will come to and end.