Mickelson Trail Forum

Last minute trip being planned for mid May. Anyone have knowledge of what the weather might be? Would like to ride the trail but without frostbite.
It's ALL Good!

Plan for all weather conditions when riding the Mick. I'll be there mid May as well. It's amazing. Enjoy!

Are you by the chance "the Bubba"?

Well, perhaps I am.

In the cycling world, there's only one Bubba. I drive 11 hours, each way, from Kansas just to ride it multiple times a year. For some reason, I can't get enough of it.

Thank you. Yes, I am THAT Bubba. Hope to be able to add a week long tour in and around the Mick.
After all
It's ALL Good

Friends always give you raving reviews! I hope to ride the Trace with you this fall. If not, then next. Bubbafest has been on my list forever so I'll eventually make it.

I've only "officially" ridden in 21 states. My criteria is a meaningful amount of miles, so that's usually a week long tour. South Dakota, specifically the Black Hills, is the one place that just keeps calling me back. When you ride the Mick make a stop at the Rochford Mall, known as the "Small of America". From the trailhead it's less then a .5 mile in to town.

I hope you enjoy the Hills as much as I do!

Thank you for the suggestion. I am excited for finally be able to make this trip.
Natchez Trace Tour is filling fast. Actually had to add a second week since the first week filled quickly. BubbaFest is amazing.
It's ALL Good!

We are planning to ride the Mickelson trail over Memorial Day weekend with another couple. We planned to leave one car in Deadwood and the other in Edgemont so we can coordinate our own shuttle back to Deadwood. I am wondering about parking on both ends of the trail to leave a car? Thanks for any ideas!

We tend to stay in Deadwood or Lead. Drive down in the morning and ride back to Deadwood. We usually have a sag driver or someone move vehicle to Deadwood durning the day.

What is the actual distance from Deadwood to Carston Cottages. The trip planner says its 25.3 miles but other sources, RidewithGPS & Google Maps say 15.8 miles?

We have road it a few times. I have 15 miles from deadwood to Michelson crest B at 15 miles. That should be pretty close

A small group of us are planning to bike out and back on the Mickelson in early to mid-June, camping along the way (leaving car in Deadwood). We travel only 30-40 miles/day. I'm wondering about camping opportunities in the Edgemont area that are quiet and safe, other than the one in town. Read about frequent trains making lots of noise at the town campground. Has anyone wild-camped near Edgemont and the bike trail? If so, did you have to fill up water ahead of time? Thanks!

Realizing each spring is different, when does the trail USUALLY become suitable for gravel-bike riding each year? Late April, mid-May? First of June? Thanks.

Planning on riding the trail the last part of May. Starting in Deadwood and heading south. My question is do I need to worry about snow? Thanks,

I would say it's not likely, but certainly possible. I use accuweather.com which seems to be fairly accurate a month out. Just keep checking weather regularly before your departure.

Thanks will do

I'm planning camping road trip Northwest in July, I'd like to incorporate Riding the Mickelson Trail, in addition to all the other points of interest...Mt. Rushmore, Wind Cave, Badlands National Park, everything. I'm travelling SOLO so have no SAG support. I had thought I'd camp somewhere mid-point on the trail (custer?) , ride in one direction and overnight at B&B, then ride back to Campground for 1 night, then ride the other direction and overnight, then back to Campground.

That would make it a 4 day ride.

Then should like to spend an additional 4 days to do all the other tourist stuff.

Question: Is Custer State Park a good choice for camping in order to do the Trail and also all the other tourist stuff? The Oreville State Forest looks nice, but no electricity (so no A/C in July).

I have a small rig....only 16', so don't need a huge site...but do appreciate hookups.

We are riding from Custer, maybe Hill City, to Deadwood, then shuttleing back to trailhead. Camping in Custer at Big Pine Campground. On another day, possibly ride from Custer to Edgemont, spend the night, then back to Custer

Check out the Mickleson Trail Trip Planner. That might help

Sarting to plan for 2022. Planning on bike packing. I feel we can do the full trail in 2 days, Deadwood to Edgemont.

Any suggestions for nearby routes (near Deadwood or Edgemont) that we could add a 3rd day? Even an out and back to the trail head could be cool, especially if there are sites to see. Looking for something in the 40 - 65 mile range.

Thanks!

Planning on riding The Mick Sept, 2022. I've read that the scenery is much better between Deadwood and Custer than it is Custer to Edgemont.
Comments/thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks.

Read here:
https://bikemickelson.com/talk.aspx?tid=11625&tonly=1

And there are several others to glean from.

I rode it Sept 2021. The scenery from Deadwood to Custer is greener, more mountainous, with more creeks and streams etc. Beautiful for sure. Custer to Edgemont has some of the least scenic areas (large flat fields of weeds etc), but also had some of the best scenery (canyons and spines). The whole thing is worth doing, but the northern half is more mountainous and green, and the southern half a bit more flat and dry.

Does the Mickelson Trail have a Trail Maintenance/Management Plan online?

Would like to drive the seven hours to the Hills and ride the trail Fri. and Sat. I see reports of some snow recently in the Hills. Would appreciate opinions on if the trail will be a decent ride on Fri. and Sat. this week before making the long trip out there. Thanks!

Following this question. I’m also hoping to ride the trail this weekend, but I heard snow now iOS likely be a factor.

We are in Lead now. Looked like some snow in the trail but planning to check it out this morning. I have a trail report this afternoon. We are riding from Edgemont to Denver tomorrow morning. I think we will be able to ride trail Edgemont to Custer then take road if need be. At Hill City we can take gravel roads to Deadwood if we need to.

10/22 - Hill City to Mountaintop snow covered in all shaded areas and all bridges. Had to walk the bikes maybe three or 4 miles. Mountaintop to Custer was fine. If the temp hold up the snow may be gone in a few more days.

How is the trail for biking after the snow storm we just received?

Just finished a ride from Custer to Edgemont. Leaving Custer the trail was under 2" of crusty snow, still left from the storm this week. Unrideable. Rode the highway to White Elephant trailhead. The rest of the ride was lovely.

Except for the locked gates at Sheep Canyon. WTH. The south gate even has barbed wire. Good luck getting a 70 lb. ebike through there (not my case).

Just finished a ride from Custer to Edgemont. Leaving Custer the trail was under 2" of crusty snow, still left from the storm this week. Unrideable. Rode the highway to White Elephant trailhead. The rest of the ride was lovely.

Except for the locked gates at Sheep Canyon. WTH. The south gate even has barbed wire. Good luck getting a 70 lb. ebike through there (not my case).

Talked to another rider after my previous post, and he said that the locked gates weren't actually locked to the post, and you can fit a bike through them. Guess I didn't study it hard enough.

Just wondering how snow conditions from Deadwood to Custer. Looking to ride Edgemont to Deadwood this coming Saturday. I think Tuesday is a chance for some moisture but hoping trail opens up by Saturday.

Thanks for any info
Brad

Given that the Mickelson Trail goes right past the Crazy Horse Memorial I am planning to stop and see it when I ride the trail in June. My question is regarding the Avenue of the Chiefs road that leads to the visitor center...is that road safe to cycle on? From what I can tell from Google Earth it looks very wide and may even have a bike lane or a shoulder to ride on?? Many thanks in advance for your insight.

I would say it is reasonably safe. It is 4 lanes, quite short, and slower speed limit as I recall. I don't remember if there is a shoulder, but I remember it being quite wide. We visited by vehicle, but I don't think I would have hesitated taking my family on that road. Here is a horrible, yet accurate video I found:
https://youtu.be/77FG8tjfDm8?t=158

The video should start you where the driver turns off the highway and onto Ave of Chiefs.

Thank you so much! The video shows the road is indeed quite wide and there is what appears to be a nice shoulder to ride on.

In September 2022, thinking about riding Edgemont to Custer, spend the night, then back to Custer. Pack up, do laundry, rest, go sightseeing, etc. Then travel by car to Deadwood, ride from Deadwood to Hill City, spend the night, then back to Deadwood. This would save carrying a lot of stuff, and we could see most of the trail. Need recommendations for affordable lodging that is close to trailhead in Edgemont and Deadwood. Does the make any sense?

Not sure it would help, but I know my wife and Sister-in-law looked for the most budget friendly places they could. That being said, we stayed at the Best Western in both Custer and Hill City. I believe both have coin operated laundry facilities.

After having been there just a few weeks ago, I might also dig a little deeper and search for cabin rentals. You might find something less expensive, but laundry might mean you look for a business in town to get that done. VRBO.com and Airbnb.com are also worth a try. You may be more flexible than we were as our party was 10 people.

We just completed our journey from Deadwood to Edgemont and I wanted to put some information out there that may help others as well as some of my own comments. First, it was amazing to be in the mountains again. They are certainly my happy place! Our group was 4 adults and 4 children ranging in age of 7-11 and none of us are expert riders. Our plan was to split the journey up into 5 days. We planned to ride from Deadwood to Rochford, then to Hill City, onto Custer, then Hot Springs and finally Edgemont. We decided to power thru the 4th day and ride the 44 miles from Custer to Edgemont. Logistics worked wonderfully with my in-laws being our pit-crew. I modified an enclosed trailer with bike racks so we had my rig and that of my in-laws to shuffle equipment and bodies to and from. This setup was certainly the keystone of our trip!

We all did what we could to get ourselves ready for this trip, but there were certainly some shortcomings. I think you need to be an avid rider or dedicate yourself to several long-distance rides prior to the trip to be more prepared. But aside from sore saddles and other muscles, we had a wonderful time! Collectively we felt our favorite parts of the ride where between Deadwood and Hill city because the trail is far enough from the highway that it's peaceful with less human interference. Seemed we had good Verizon cell service for most of the trail with the exception of an approx. 20 mile radius around Rockford. Once leaving Rochford, my GPS wanted to take me out to hwy 385 to get to Hill city, but that was a 2hr loop from there. So we forced it to take us South on Rochford Road enduring the 20ish miles of dirt road thru very scenic valleys.

As you leave Hill City, the scenery changes to more of a high desert; coupled with the trail paralleling the highway for most of it; this became our least favorite section. At Pringle the trail diverges again from the highway and back into more beautiful valleys. From here, there is far less traffic on hwy 89, so when it does parallel the main roads, it’s not nearly as intrusive. As you continue south, the scenery changes to open spaces with buttes, which some may find more appealing than Alpine forests, but at this point, we were ready to be done.
In Edgemont, you have to watch for signs for the end of the trail. The map on this site is accurate in that the trail ends where it meets Hwy 185 NE of town. From there you jog east and then immediately south to catch Old Hwy 18. Ride that into town looking to turn south on 2nd street. Then less than ½ mile from there, you will see the city park and the end of the trail.

We stayed our last night in Hot Springs, hoping it to be more touristy than it was. If you stay at the Baymont, set your standards low. In fact, my immediate family had planned to stay an extra night there but cancelled our reservations in favor of something in Spearfish instead. That worked out MUCH better. Nicer place to be, back in the mountains, and then somewhat closer for our journey home.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. We spent 9 days in the area splitting touristy stuff with biking and enjoying as many of the local breweries as we could. If you are researching this trail, it is very fun and we had great weather the last couple weeks in Sept. The trade off is that fewer restaurants are open, making it hard to find dinner places without crazy wait times. But we made due.

Planning a trip with friends for May, and wondering about the trail surface. We all primarily ride road bikes on asphalt and are set up for that, mostly running 25mm tires. Short of purchasing gravel bikes, what would folks think best if we just want to put on wider tires? My wife and I rode the Katy Trail in MO and found that trail surface very coarse and loose in places, really slow going w/o mt. Bike style setup. On the other hand, some crushed limestone trails in nearby WI are easily managed on road bikes with no change in tires. We’d appreciate any advice, thanks!

Let's try it as multiple choice:
(a) hard-packed soil, (b) fine crushed limestone, (c) loose gravel, pea/bean size, (d) loose gravel, walnut size, (e) railroad ballast...
Could anyone who's ridden the trail comment on the trail surface they've experienced? Thanks!

I have done Katy, Mickelson, C&O, Gap, Cowboy, etc. Used 35 and 38mm on a hybrid, towing a Bob Trailer. Zero problems and good grip. Have also seen 25-28s bog down.

Hi Scott, my family stayed in Hill City two years ago and we started thinking about riding the trail then. I asked around wanting to know if my 700x25 tires would work. Virtually, everyone we met while we walked the trail were on 35-40 or higher. All said they didn't think a 700x25 set up would work. So I purchased a gravel bike with 700x40 tires and I'm looking forward to making the trip in May also. Of course, I guess anything is possible, but in May the trail could still be a little sloppy making 25s that much harder. Good luck!

I would not advise 25's. The conditions are pretty variable. Most of the trail is pretty finely crushed rock, but there are some wet areas and the stretch on the north is no longer railroad grade and can be muddy and likewise is not "flat." I personally would not do anything less than 40's.

May 2021 on Mickelson will have patches & areas of wet, mud and very soft gravel stretches. The tire needs to maneuver in that.

I just rode from Edgemont to Custer on 32s. Cyclo-cross bike with loaded panniers. I fishtailed on numerous occasions. I wouldn't suggest anything smaller than a 32.

Have ridden Katy from end to end on our tandem, can it be done on Michelson? Our tandem has 26 x1.25 tires, which worked well on Katy.

we rode the Mick on a comotion speedster tandem in June 2017 on 700x35c tires. It was fine except a bit tricky in the sandy sections just before Edgemont. It may be more difficult if the trail gets very wet.
We also rode that tandem on the Allegeney and C&O.

I just rode it on 32s and was fine except for the two times I slipped off the edge into the soft shoulder. The previous post is spot on. You will want more than 32s if it has recently rained. It all depends on how good of a bike handler you are.

Is there a place to camp for the night near the Pringle trailhead?

If you go to AirBnB.com and search for Pringle SD, you'll find a log cabin and several campsites listed at "Plenty Star Ranch". The AirBnB maps makes it look like 2 or 3 miles north of Pringle.

I rode past it today. It's a few miles north of Pringle. At $45 for a tent site it's a little too close to the highway for me.

GETTING READY TO RIDE MICHELSON IN A COUPLE WEEKS. ANYONE ABLE TO GIVE INFO AS TO IF SMOKE FROM THE WILDFIRES IN SURROUNDING STATES IS IN THE AREA AND CAUSING CHALLENGES WITH BREATHING ON THE RIDE

Was just in the Custer area this past weekend and there was significant smoke. Could definitely cause some challenges. I am biking the trail in a few weeks as well.

I'm in Custer right now. Road up from Edgemont this morning. No smoke at all. Use www.purpleair.com for smoke readings

Is there tent camping in Edgemont near the Michelson trailhead? The only campground I see is an RV spot near the train tracks. Is that it for camping in Edgemont? looking forward to riding the trail in a couple weeks.

Yes. It's $15 for a tent site. But be warned that the trains run by there all night long. Unless you are a really heavy sleeper, I would suggest a night at the Cowboy Inn instead.

I am trying to plan a trip for September 2022 from PA to Rapid City to visit Mt. Rushmore, and that general area. The Custer State Park looks interesting to me. I am interested in riding the Mickelson trail. I see that there is a spur from the State Park to the trail. I am a bike rider, primarily rail trails. I don't necessarily want to do a long distance, just a sample of the trail. My primary focus of this trip is sightseeing through that section of SD and drive through WY to Grand Teton National Park. How is the trail in the general area of the State Park?

Hi Reese. I am going there this week ! I plan to bike part of the Mickelson as well as stay in Custer SP. I didn't realize that there is a spur from the park over to the MT ?? Wonder where you can access it? Maybe I can ask a ranger. How did you find it?

The spur is located at Gordon Stockade in Custer State Park according to Trail Link by the Rails to Trails Conservancy in the Custer State Park Spur Facts section

I did not see the trailhead in the park but it connects right in the town of Custer. From there it is an excellent 6 mile ride up to Crazy Horse.

thx! I'll try to find the spur while in the park