Parking at th over night

We are going to ride the trailing a couple weeks. I would like to start at the Red Fern TH
Ride to Deadwood spend the night, then return/bike to our van the next day. Is this doable? Safe? Thoughts... suggestions ??

I don’t know about that trailhead, other than it exists. Seems like it’s very rural which suggests it’s probably fine. Of course like anywhere you do not leave any valuables or any bags visible in a vehicle. That bag might have your dirty underwear, but thieves see a bag that might contain something of value….anyway. I can offer a possible more valuable tip. The Mickelson actually has two different paths in the area of the Kirk trailhead. That path is easy to spot there in Kirk, going southbound. Since you’re going northbound initially it MAY be harder to spot that fork before Sugarloaf. I do know as you reach that fork it will be off to your right and will go downhilll….you may see some sort of overhead conveyor bridge slightly down trail. If you search for Flatiron City on the map and follow that trail south you’ll see that bridge thing and then the fork. I suggest you open google maps, and zoom in to see Kirk, Sugarloaf and Flatiron, then spot both possible routes. Going northbound I suggest taking the Flatiron section in order to ride the two steep but short sections going downhill. Going southbound on day two you should ride the longer but flatter Sugarloaf sections. The Flatiron is noted to be more scenic but those two steep sections might require hike-a-bike two times for a few hundred feet. If I remember correctly the Flatiron section was developed for local trail users as a loop trail by incorporating it into the Mick…..it’s not part of the original railroad. Keep in mind that the Mickelson is already uphill leaving Deadwood for I think 12 miles……rail trails generally aren’t steep, because trains don’t handle uphill very well, but even a slight uphill climb for a cyclist might be a challenge for some riders. I personally rode from Deadwood to Custer including climbing up to Crazy Horse in one day, 66 miles. Day two I rode 45 miles to Edgemont. I have not ridden northbound.
FYI if you like cycling jerseys they’ve got a combination shop jersey/Mickelson trail jersey at Acme Bicycles in Rapid City. Alternatively in Spearfish they have a nice shop jersey with a Black Hills theme at Two Wheeler Dealer. I don’t do spandex, but I do like collecting bike jerseys from places I’ve traveled to and done some sort of memorable bike ride.

There is no parking of any kind at the Red Fern resistor, just restroom, shelter & cistern. Better to leave you vehicle in Hill City, 8 miles south.