The George S. Mickelson Trail in South Dakota is a 109-mile rail-trail that winds through the heart of the Black Hills.  Named for Governor George S. Mickelson, who championed its creation, it was completed in September 1998.

History

The trail follows the abandoned Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad corridor, which originally ran through the Black Hills. The railroad ceased operations in the mid-1980s, and after years of advocacy and cooperation between state agencies, local groups, and private landowners, the corridor was converted for recreational use.

Route

The trail stretches from Edgemont, SD in the south to Deadwood, SD in the north, passing through towns like Custer and Hill City.  Much of it lies within the Black Hills National Forest, though some portions cross private land.  Along the way, there are four rock tunnels, over 100 former railroad bridges, and 15 trailheads offering amenities like parking, toilets, and self-service pass stations. 

The official South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks map of the Mickelson Trail is below – you can download it at the link in the caption:

The trail surface is mostly crushed limestone and gravel and any elevation gain is mild. These attributes make the trail popular for biking, hiking, and horseback riding in warmer months. In winter, parts of the trail are open to cross-country skiing and snowmobiling.

The Mickelson Trail Trek

Twice a year the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks sponsors a 3-day bicycle ride of the entire length of the Mickelson Trail. Originally there was a single event occurring during the third week in September titled the “Mickelson Trail Trek“. The Trail Trek became so popular that in 2021 a second event, occurring during the third week in June was added as the “Mickelson Summer Trek“. Each event offers a shuttle service, well-stocked rest stops, SAG support, and mechanical assistance.

The original Trail Trek and the Summer Trek share the same itinerary with Custer, South Dakota serving as the hub. Shuttles run between the beginning or endpoint for each day.

• Day 1 – 45+ miles: The route for the first day of the Trek begins in Custer and ends at the trail’s southern terminus in Edgemont, SD. Riders then need to get back to Custer via the Trek shuttle or their own transportation.
• Day 2 – 40 miles: The route for day two of the Trek again starts in Custer and goes north to the tiny town of Rochford, SD. Bikes are kept in a guarded bike corral in Rochford while riders again need to return to Custer for the night.
• Day 3 – 27 miles: On the third day of the Trek, riders can take the Trek shuttle or their own transportation back to Rochford to begin the final day of the Trek. The route for the third day begins in Rochford and ends at the trail’s northern terminus in Deadwood.

Riding The Summer Trek

In June of 2022, Señor Trail, the lovely and gracious Mrs. Trail, and my bicycle flew to Rapid City, SD (there will be a future blog entry on flying with your bike). From Rapid City, we drove our rental car about an hour south to our hotel in Custer arriving the evening prior to the beginning of the Summer Trek.

Day 1- Mickelson Trail Summer Trek

The following morning dawned with slightly brisk, but comfortable temperatures and a slight possibility of light rain showers. I was ready! Note in the photo below, the flag in the background is blowing straight out from the flagpole. While rain showers were not an issue that day, the wind would be formidable at the end of the day as I approached Edgemont.

As I departed on the ride that morning, I was thankful for Mrs. Trail’s enthusiastic support for my crazy adventures!

The ride that day was largely downhill and offered some beautiful scenery:

A short side trip next to the trail in the small town of Pringle, SD takes you to the “Bicycle Sculpture”, which you can walk into and through!

Wildflowers along the way added to the scenery.

The Large Beardtongue is drought-tolerant and attracts bumblebees and hummingbirds. It is endangered in some parts of the US, so it is rarely seen in the wild!

Interestingly, the Western Spiderwort can serve as a radiation detector! The normally blue-colored stamens turn pink in the presence of radiation. All was well on this day, though!

A brief rest at the Lien Quarry trail stop provided an opportunity to view the forest.

Just past the Lien Quarry Trail Stop, prior to the day’s lunch stop, the trail opened up on the South Dakota plains. The view of the grasses waving in the wind was mesmerizing.

After lunch the route led through some more forested areas and then a winding downhill into the approach to Edgemont, SD, the southern Terminus of the Mickelson Trail.

It was on the approach to Edgemont that I encountered the most severe and unrelenting headwind that I have ever experienced. The winds were howling at 50 miles per hour. Later, the local news reported that the wind was so severe that a semi truck had been blown over on the highway!

Eventually, though, I made it into Edgemont ending the days ride.

Here is a short video summary of the days ride.

Day 2 – Mickelson Trail Summer Trek

The second day of the ride left Custer and proceeded north past some spectacular mountain views.

The trail passes the Crazy Horse Memorial, through the bustling town of Hill City and deep into the Black Hills. The trail passes through a number of bridges, railroad tunnels, streams, and the tiny settlement of Mystic, SD.

Here is a video riding through one of those tunnels – note to self: Plan ahead; It’s hard to take your sunglasses off while holding your phone/camera while also holding onto the handlebars!

The day ended in the small town of Rochford, SD where we parked our bikes in the bike corral for the night and waited in the Moonshine Gulch Saloon for the bus ride back to Custer. The Moonshine Gulch Saloon was one of the sites used by musicians “Big and Rich” in the music video for their song “Big Time“.

Day 3 – Mickelson Trail Summer Trek

The third day of the Trek started with a return to Rochford where my bike was waiting for me in the bike corral where I had left it the previous afternoon.

From there the ride continued north through the Black Hills for a relatively short 27 mile ride ending with a long, steep downhill into Deadwood, SD – the northern terminus of the Mickelson Trail – where the ever-patient Mrs. Trail was waiting for me.

Conclusion

The staff of the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks department do an excellent job of organizing both versions of the Mickelson Trail Trek (the Summer Trek and the original Trail Trek). This organizing effort makes the event enjoyable and attractive to cyclists, young and older.

The town of Custer is an excellent host town for the event and offers many excursions not related to the Trek such as Mount Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Memorial, Custer State Park, Sylvan Lake, and the Needles Highway or further afield, Badlands National Park and Devils Tower National Monument.

South Dakota’s Black Hills are a great destination for an active vacation and the Mickelson Trail Trek is one of the best ways to experience the area!

Señor Trail has returned to Custer and the Black Hills several times and there will be additional blog posts about those adventures!