Mt. Rushmore and Badlands Bike Tour

Meet in Rapid City. Shuttle out to Badlands National Park - a stunning 244,000-acre preserve of mixed-grass prairie punctuated with enormous needled buttes, pinnacles and spires. Once blanketed by a warm, shallow sea, it boasts one of the world’s richest fossil beds. Rhino, horse, and saber-toothed cat once roamed here. Today it's home to bighorn sheep, prairie dogs, black-footed ferret and awe-inspiring bison. Bicycle through its haunting beauty and spend tonight at the Red Rock River Resort, which tops the list of '5 Best Spa Hotels in South Dakota.'

44.3 mi. +1886 ft / -2274 ft 

This morning, visit the active dig at Mammoth Hot Springs Site of South Dakota. This is the largest number of mammoth remains in the world! Keeping to the 'largest in the world' theme, ride onward to explore one of the world's largest caves: Wind Cave, famous for unusual 'boxwork' and 'frostwork' formations. Pedal on to Custer State Park, where scenic loops wind through its 71,000 acres. Today, bicycle the Wildlife Loop in the southern section of the park. Prairie and ponderosa pine-studded hills are home to some 1,300 bison, as well as pronghorn antelope, mountain goat, deer, elk, wild turkey and a band of friendly burros. 

31.9 mi. +2598 ft / -2532 ft (or more)

Bicycle Custer State Park’s Northern Loop today. In 1922, South Dakota's Governor Peter Norbeck marked out the Iron Mountain Road on foot and on horseback. With its wooden 'pigtail' bridges and one-lane tunnels, it's an architectural marvel carving through pine and spruce forests, meadows surrounded by birch and aspen, rugged granite mountains and more needle-like granite formations. Ride through 11 tunnels in all today, right up to stunning Mt. Rushmore National Memorial. Back in 1922, Governor Norbeck advised, "To do the scenery...full justice, you should simply get out and walk." But we think the bicycle is a great alternative. Lunch is on your own here, so spend as much time as you like. We spend the next two nights at Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Sylvan Lake Lodge – Custer State Park's 'Crown Jewel'.

46.7 mi. +6,296 ft / -4,212 ft (or less)

Today you have choices to make. In the morning, most folks join us for a hike to Black Elk Peak. At 7,200' of elevation, it's the highest point east of the Rockies, and the views are astounding. In the afternoon, visit Crazy Horse Memorial, the world's largest sculpture-in-progress. 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! Or you can choose to take a ride to Hill City, a picturesque former mining town that is the oldest in Pennington County. Or just relax at the lake. Lunch is on your own.

Black Elk Peak Hike: 7.5 mi. +1,383 ft / -1,380 ft

Deadwood, once a wild-and-wooly gold rush town that hosted the likes of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane, is the Lawrence County seat and a National Historic Landmark District. Ride here today on the famed Mickelson Trail and unleash your inner outlaw! Dinner is on your own tonight, with plenty of restaurants to choose from and plenty to explore before and after. Stay at the Holiday Inn Express Gold Dust in Deadwood tonight and tomorrow. 

57.7 mi +2642 ft / -4376 ft

Begin the day with a leisurely ride through Spearfish Canyon. Bicycling Magazine named Spearfish Canyon one of the country's Top 50 Scenic Bike Paths. 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. Visit the Vore Buffalo Jump before heading to Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming. Visit the iconic landmark held sacred by Native Americans and made famous by the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Ponder the various theories as to how it was formed while we load up bikes. Once you're sufficiently awed, we will hop in the van to shuttle back to Deadwood.

AM route: 37.1 mi. +1,079 ft / -2,541 ft

Known as one of the best-kept secrets in South Dakota, Nemo Road wends its way through lovely scenery with good shoulders and low traffic. Tie your bike to the hitching post outside the Guest Ranch Store in the town of Nemo for an historic photo opportunity. Finish the week on your bike (not in the van) riding the rest of the way back to Rapid City.

42.6 miles · +2,605 ft / -3,776 ft