Limited ride

Im swinging thru next week and will have only time for a 25 mile out, then back. I can start from pretty much any trailhead. Where\what direction would be my best bang for my buck thinking bridges\tunnels\cool stuff?
No wrong answers.

If you start in Hill City at mile marker 60 and go north to Rochford at mile marker 82 that would get you close to the mileage that you are looking for. I also think north of Hill City is more scenic than south of Hill City, but I guess that's subjective and just my opinion.

Going north from Hill City to Rochford, you will go through Tunnels A, B, and C...and you could get to the last Tunnel D north of Rochford by adding just a few more miles to your trip.

Deadwood at mile marker 108 (the northern end of the trail) south to Rochford at mile marker 82 would also get you the mileage you're looking for.

I think either of the two suggested routes above would be great. I'm assuming you'll be on gravel type tires. The crushed limestone can be very loose in some areas. Road tires...well, I wouldn't go on any tire narrower than 35c. Although, I know some have.

Below, I have attached a map showing you the distances and the elevation. I like to be going downhill at the end of the day. But at some point, you'll have some hills to climb. Not extreme, but they are there. The map I've added will show you where the elevation gains are, the distances, and other relevant information.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XFs2s09xrtDfwRGwJZe5G62P2crsyW4l/view

Good luck.

Thank you. Helps me a ton!

Great, hope I helped. I just noticed that Tunnel D at mile marker 85 is exactly 25 miles north of the Hill City trailhead at mile marker 60. So, there's your 25 miles out and back.

And that particular section is fairly flat with some nice views.

Dan, let us know what you end up doing. Will be headed that way from WI in August