48820592 Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 For our vacation this summer, we will be spending the majority of our time in the Black Hills and we want to hike and bike as much as possible. Are there hiking trails that you love? How about biking? I have read about the George Mickelson Trail which is 109 miles long; I'm sure there are some parts that are more scenic than others, what parts of the trail do you recommend? Also, any fun things to do that I don't know about from tourism websites? We are planning on a rodeo in Lemon, SD, Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse. I would like to take a guided trail ride on horses--any recommendations for that? Thanks, Mary P.S. We are planning on stopping in DeSmet to see the Laura Ingalls Wilder place. Is this worthwhile? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 Check out the Mickelson Trail. It's quite long and is a converted railway track (part of the Rails to Trails project). Black Hills are also has a good Volkssport group that does a lot of walking. The walks are open the the public. I think they might have a few walks where the public is not allowed to go, meaning they have special permission so you can see things others can't. You'd have to call and ask. When we visited our hotel proprietor mentioned we had just missed some walk and that was too bad; they had permission to see something unusual. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laughing lioness Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 I wrote a post about the LIW DeSmet place. We loved it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
48820592 Posted May 25, 2015 Author Share Posted May 25, 2015 I wrote a post about the LIW DeSmet place. We loved it! Thanks for sending this link, I needed to hear someone say it is a great place to visit. My oldest dd has read every book at least 15 times. She will especially love it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
48820592 Posted May 25, 2015 Author Share Posted May 25, 2015 Check out the Mickelson Trail. It's quite long and is a converted railway track (part of the Rails to Trails project). Black Hills are also has a good Volkssport group that does a lot of walking. The walks are open the the public. I think they might have a few walks where the public is not allowed to go, meaning they have special permission so you can see things others can't. You'd have to call and ask. When we visited our hotel proprietor mentioned we had just missed some walk and that was too bad; they had permission to see something unusual. Thanks for the info on the Mickelson Trail. Do you have a section of the trail that is more scenic than others that you would recommend--we can probably do 25 miles round trip. Also the Volkssport group looks interesting, we'll have to check that out. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 Thanks for the info on the Mickelson Trail. Do you have a section of the trail that is more scenic than others that you would recommend--we can probably do 25 miles round trip. Also the Volkssport group looks interesting, we'll have to check that out. Thanks I'm not sure. It's been a long time. I do remember people like the tunnels and the trail runs through several towns including Custer and Hill City. I think Hill City is considered the best place to get on the trail. I would ask around when you get there. The locals are very friendly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 The first time I visited the Black Hills there was a biker convention/meet-up; motorbikes, though. ;) Probably not the kind of biking you mean. It was LOUD. I had to seek refuge in the shops when a convoy was passing on the street in town. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
48820592 Posted May 25, 2015 Author Share Posted May 25, 2015 (Btw, you can't find lodging during that time, so avoid going during that week.) Thankfully, we will miss the Sturgis bike rally, however, we still are too late to get camping accomodations in Custer State Park for the middle of July. Disappointed about that, it sounded like a beautiful place to camp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 Since you are so close, make sure you head out to see Badlands NP if you haven't. There are hiking paths there too - from super short stretch breaks to a little bit longer to see more. We're an outdoor/hiking family and everyone (including my mom) liked this stop FAR better than Mt Rushmore. Crazy Horse is a nice stop - more for their museum area dedicated to Native Americans than for the actual sculpture. Custer State Park was interesting, but for us, we were on our way to Yellowstone/Grand Tetons, so it got very overshadowed in our memories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 Thankfully, we will miss the Sturgis bike rally, however, we still are too late to get camping accomodations in Custer State Park for the middle of July. Disappointed about that, it sounded like a beautiful place to camp. If you're looking for a place to stay in Custer, check out the Shady Rest. It's run by a husband and wife team who homeschool their 4 children. They live behind the office. The kids enjoyed having someone to play with after 10 days of travel without any other kids. The other thing I liked about it was that it was two blocks off the main strip, which made it much quieter. You can easily walk from there to downtown. It's close to the Mickelson trail too, maybe 1-2 blocks away. It's a bit funky, but I liked being off the main strip and the price was better than the other hotels. And the people who unit are super sweet and hard working. The dad (John?) is quite helpful about things to see and do. He's the one who told us we had just missed the Volkswalk. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 We really enjoyed the Shady Rest motel as well. It was very homey, not 5 start but clean and just relaxing. Very nice family that runs it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 That would be the Sturgis Rally, every year in July. We used to live at Ellsworth Air Force Base (just east of Rapid City), and every summer the Black Hills would rumble for a week or so. Quite the experience! (Btw, you can't find lodging during that time, so avoid going during that week.) Eta: I just did an internet search, and it appears the rally is held August 3-9 this year, and it is going to be the 75th anniversary. Rumble is definitely the right word! It's kind of like the Indy 500, but on main street Rapid City. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Krispy69 Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 We are avid lovers of the Black Hills!! Never a dull moment, always something new. I recommend Sylvan Lake in the Custer Park. It is surrounded by hiking trails and is the base of the trailhead that leads to Harney Peak, absolutely BREATHTAKING!! Quite the hike though!! I just learned about Hippy Hole, I know where it is, but I want to know if it is better to hike on off Highway 40, or to hike in from Harney/Rockerville Road????? Thank you!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Krispy69 Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 We are staying at the Rafter J Bar campground, heard so many nice things about it (located just south of Hill City)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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