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South Dakota

A Cycling Journey: The Black Hills & the Mickelson Trail

Program No. 23723RJ

Cycle along an abandoned railroad line through the beautiful Black Hills, as you conquer the 109 miles of the Mickelson Trail. Learn about geology and human history along the way.

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6 days

5 nights

13 meals

5B 3L 5D

Hotel Check-in, Orientation, Welcome Dinner

Rapid City, South Dakota

Bicycle Fitting, Edgemont to Minnekahta, Mammoth Site

Hot Springs

Minnekahta to Harbach, Crazy Horse, Indigenous Dance

Black Hills

Harbach Trailhead to Mystic Trailhead, Mount Rushmore

Black Hills

Mystic Trailhead to Deadwood, Transfer to Rapid City

Rapid City, South Dakota

Program Concludes

Rapid City, South Dakota

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At a Glance

Former South Dakota Governor George S. Mickelson envisioned a bike trail that would follow an abandoned railroad line through the beautiful Black Hills. Though the governor died before it was completed, his legacy lives on along the Mickelson Trail, completed in 1998. Traverse the entire 109 miles of the trail, from Edgemont to Deadwood, cutting through rugged mountain terrain, towering evergreen forests and grassy prairies. Cycle along the trail’s easy grades and crushed limestone surface through three plant ecosystems. Your cycling instructors double as local historians and naturalists, as they share with you stories of the Black Hills Gold Rush and the ghost towns that line the trail and point out geologic structures, flora and fauna.

Activity Level

Outdoor: Spirited

This program is designed for intermediate to experienced cyclists. Cycling 16-35 miles daily on wide trail of crushed gravel and limestone. Trail grades up to 4% and trail elevation gains/losses up to 1,000 feet while cycling. Elevation range 3,450 to 6,300 feet during program. Walking one mile on uneven terrain, standing for up to two hours and climbing stairs. Expertly fitted mountain bikes and helmets included.

Small Group

Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.

Best of all, you’ll…

Conquer the entire Mickelson Trail on a cycling journey through the stunning Black Hills, learning about local native and settler history along the way.
Ride to the world’s largest sculpture, the Crazy Horse Memorial, and visit Mount Rushmore National Memorial.
Take a field trip to the Mammoth Site to observe an active paleontological excavation site, boasting the largest concentration of mammoth remains in the world.

General Notes

This program is designed for mountain pedal-bikes only with limited option for E-bike upgrade beginning in 2025.

Featured Expert

All trip experts

Stephen Yellowhawk

Stephen was born in Eagle Butte, SD on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation, and raised in Rapid City, SD by his grandparents. In 2009 Stephen received his bachelor’s in elementary education from Oglala Lakota College. Growing up in his grandparents’ home, he learned from their example how to combine both the Christian and Lakota Traditional value systems. Stephen is the current board president for the Black Hills Powwow Association and is actively pursuing a master’s degree in leadership and management.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Stephen Yellowhawk View biography

Suggested Reading List (6 books)

Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop

You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.

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A Cycling Journey: The Black Hills & the Mickelson Trail

Program Number: 23723

Heartland Legacy The Art of Jon Crane

by Gail Crane

Dust jacket notes: "Acclaimed artist Jon Crane has spent thirty-one years creating Heartland Legacy - Art That Takes You Home. In Heartland Legacy: The Art of Jon Crane, admirers can at last enjoy his work in book form. They can also meet the person behind the paintbrush through the story of Jon's life, told as only his wife Gail can tell it. Through Gail's shared insights and observations, readers will get to know a man who is straightforward, honest, and realistic, both in daily life and in the magnificent watercolors that have earned him a national reputation - a man who is a builder, an explorer, and a recorder of the world as he sees it. Jon and Gail Crane have embarked together on numerous adventures - traveling the United States and Mexico, building a unique home in an idyllic natural setting. But the most satisfying adventure of them all, the one that never ends, is art. Within these pages, Jon Crane's art will take you on a faraway adventure to a simpler time - and a place called home."

Pioneer Days in the Black Hills

by John S. McClintock

A rough-and-tumble account of the early days of Deadwood and the Dakota Territory written by early day pioneer John S.McClintock. He provides material on the gold rush, skirmishes with Indians, exploits of road agents and outlaws, and appearances of celebrities such as Wild Bill Hickok and Deadwood Dick.

Roadside History of South Dakota

by Linda Hasselstrom

Reading Roadside History of South Dakota is like having a knowledgeable friend explain the most fascinating and pertinent tidbits of the state's past without reciting a lot of boring details. The book's comfortable, conversational style guides readers smoothly along the state's highways and byways. Even those who think they already know South Dakota will can anticipate learning new things from this insightful, informative, yet thoroughly readable and entertaining roadside history. The material is rich, and Linda Hasselstrom reveals it in an exciting way by focusing on the people who made South Dakota what it is today.

The Carving of Mount Rushmore

by Rex Alan Smith

This entertaining and very readable book tells the fascinating stories of the people of Mt. Rushmore. Included are first person accounts of not only the carvers, the politicians and Borglum, but an almost unbelievable host of others who became part of the tumult and triumph that make this history read like a novel. If you’re only going to read one book about Rushmore, this is the one.

A Trail Guide for the Mickelson Trail

by Aleen Golis

From the Edgemont Trailhead at Mile Marker 0 to the Deadwood Trailhead, 109 unforgettable miles to the north, this guide provides a comprehensive overview of the Mickelson Trail, the fascinating history of the current towns and ghost towns it glides through, flora, fauna and geological information to make the experience both interesting and educational.

Exploring with Custer: The 1874 Black Hills Expedition

by Ernest Grafe & Paul Horsted

General George Armstrong Custer's Journey to the Black Hills in 1874 was better documented than any other military expedition of the Old West. Not only did William H. Illingworth record superb views of the landscape and several camps, but at least fifteen men wrote diaries, reports or newspaper dispatches brimming with vivid detail. This book blends the Illingworth photos and their present-day counterparts with selections from all known accounts to paint a unique portrait of everyday life along the trail. Please order through Paul Horsted at www.dakotaphoto.com or 1.800.248.2194

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A Cycling Journey: The Black Hills & the Mickelson Trail

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At a Glance

Best of all, you’ll…

General Notes

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