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Mary Kurz from Portland on 12/30/2023 1:09:07 PM:
What is the best direction when doing the whole trail?
 
Eric from KCMO on 12/30/2023 1:43:53 PM:
Most people do southbound, because it is predominantly a gradual downhill route. The exception is the first 16 miles are uphill out of Deadwood and then crests before Dumont. I hired Bill from Black Hills Discovery Tours. Bill drove my truck to Edgemont where it was waiting for me when I finished riding the trail. This was a little expensive, but less than two shuttle tickets for you, your partner and your bikes. Plus, I didn’t have to ride the shuttle two hours back to Deadwood (if I had parked there) Bill said he has some clients who hire him for a ride to or from Dumont where they ride downhill to Deadwood then the next day start the southbound trek from Dumont to ride the rest of the trail.
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Anne from Omaha, NE on 1/17/2024 1:41:51 PM:
HI Mary! My brother and I did Deadwood to Edgemont last September (2023), spread over three days. That uphill climb out of Deadwood was brutal and we had other factors against us (cold temps and rain + our overnight packs added extra weight). We ended up not making it to our intended destination (Hill City) and instead called a shuttle to pick us up in Rochford. We had no problems the rest of the ride (day 2 was Hill City to Custer and day 3 was Custer to Edgemont).

When I do it again (and I will because it was so much fun and such a beautiful area!), I will not start in Deadwood, lol!

For reference, my brother and I are casual cyclists and we did not do anything special training-wise before our ride. During spring/summer/fall, I typically ride a couple times a week on trails near my home.
 
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