Black Hills and Devil’s Tower Ride Route Plan
From Austin, Texas, the Ride covered 3250 miles over 10 days through the scenic and majestic roads and byways of South Dakota and eastern Wyoming, traversing the panhandle of Texas and the states of Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska along the way. The ride included the historic South Dakota towns of Deadwood, Lead, Custer, Keystone, Hot Springs, Wounded Knee, and of course, Sturgis. I traveled through the awe-inspiring Black Hills National Forest, Badlands National Park, Wind Cave National Park and Custer National Park, and rode those famous motorcycle roads that riders everywhere revere, including the Iron Mountain Road, the Needles Highway and the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway. I visited historic Mount Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Memorial, and hiked around the base of the stunning but eerie Devil's Tower in Wyoming. I visited the grave sites of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane and a number of other famous characters at Boot Hill. I inspected the many wares offered at the famous Wall Drug Store in Wall. I stood in front of the Full Throttle Saloon in Sturgis, the heart of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally each August. As is always the case, this trip brought me new friends, including Mike and his buddies in Custer, who invited me to join them at the "Locals Only" table for coffee at the Our Place Cafe; or Dawn, the manager of the Recreational Springs Motel outside of Lead, who was the perfect host during my five day stay there. Although this was a solo ride, I was so engaged in taking in the breathtaking vistas on this trip that I rarely felt alone, although the ride across the South Dakota plains to Wounded Knee was a very interesting but desolate ride. You will see in the web album for this trip that I actually had a close encounter, but not of the third kind at Devil's Tower, but of the Buffalo kind at Custer and Wind Cave National Parks.
Day 1: Austin to Perryton, Tx 515 mi.; 10 ½ - 11hrs
183 to 36 to 83
Perryton
Lodging: Best Western Perryton
Day 2: Perryton to Valentine, Nebraska; 484 mi.; 9 ½ - 10 hrs
Continue 83 north
Liberal, Kansas
Garden City
North Platte, Nebraska
Valentine
Lodging: Trade Winds Lodge
Day 3: Badlands Nat’l Park, Sturgis, Deadwood, Lead; 268 mi., 8 – 8 ½ hrs
Continue 83 north
Left on 44
Right on 240
POI: Badlands Nat’l Park Visitor Ctr
Continue 240 northeast to Big Badlands Overlook
Backtrack on 240 west
Lunch Option: Cedar Lodge Cafe
Continue thru Park to I 90 west
Exit to Sturgis
Sturgis
Backtrack on 14a to Deadwood
Deadwood
Continue 7 miles on 14a southwest to Motel
Lodging: Recreational Springs Motel, Lead, SD
Day 4 -7: Home Base Lead/Deadwood
Day 4: Monument Loop: 163 mi. 7 – 8 hrs
POIs on Loop: Boondock’s; Mt. Rushmore; Needles Hwy; Holy Terror Trail;
Homestake Gold Mine, Lead; Keystone, Deadwood
Go 14a northeast toward Lead
Right on 85 thru Lead
Right on 385
Boondock’s Store
Merritt
POI: Largest log Chair
Left on 16 west
Right on 16a toward Keystone
244 to Mt. Rushmore
POI: Mt. Rushmore
Continue south on 244
Left on 16
Left on 87 (Needles Hwy)
Left on 16a east
Right on 36 east; left on 79 north
Right on 40 west (Holy Terror Trail) to Keystone
Keystone
Right on 16a to US 16 West
Right on 385 north
Continue on 85 to Lead
Lead
POI: Homestake Mine
Left on 14a south to motel
Lodging; Recreational Springs Motel
Evening: Visit Deadwood
Day 5: Devil’s Tower Loop 175 mi., 7 – 8 hrs
POIs on Loop: Devil’s Tower, Wyoming; Sundance, Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway,
Bridal Veil Falls, Roughlock Falls, Savoy; Spearfish Falls,
Sturgis Motorcycle Museum; Full Throttle Saloon
Go south on 14a toward Cheyenne’s CrossingLeft on 85
Right on 585
Left on 1 90 West
Exit 185 to Sundance
Right on 14 west; right on 24 north
POI: Devil’s Tower
Continue on 24 northeast
Hulett
Lunch Option: Ponderosa Cafe, Hulett
Continue 24 northeast
Right on 89 south to Spearfish
Right onto 14a (Spearfish Canyon Scenic Trail)
POI Stops: Bridal Veil Falls; Roughlock Falls; Spearfish Falls; Spearfish Canyon Lodge
Continue 14a to lodging
Lodging: Recreational Springs Motel
Day 6: Iron Mountain Rd Loop 186 mi,. 7 – 8 hrs
POIs on Loop: Iron Mountain Rd; Custer State Park Wildlife loop; Crazy Horse Monument
Go 14a northeast toward Lead
Right on 85 thru Lead
Right on 385
Boondock’s Store
Merritt
Left on 16 west
Continue 16a South toward Keystone
Continue on 16a (Iron Mountain Road)
Note: Iron Mountain Rd ends short distance
from Wildlife Scenic Loop entrance
Left on Custer State Park Wildlife Scenic Loop
Right on 87 North
Left on 16A to Custer
Lunch Option: Our Place Cafe (where the locals eat)
Right on 16 north to Crazy Horse Memorial
POI: Crazy Horse Memorial
Continue north on 16
Left on 85/385 northeast
Left on 14a toward Lead
Lodging: Recreational Springs
Day 7: Pick em ride day and/or Rest and Relaxation if desired
Options:
A: Visit Sturgis, Deadwood, Lead (What I did/visited the POIs below)
B: Rim Rock Scenic Hwy & Nemo Loop From Silver City; 133 mi.; 4 – 4 ½ hrs
C: Vanocker Canyon Rd, Sturgis to Nemo
Points of Interest Not to Miss:
Deadwood: Downtown, Mt. Moriah Cemetery (Boot Hill),
Nuttal & Mann’s Saloon # 10, Midnight Star Casino
The Mint Bar: John Wayne’s Pickup
Sturgis: Downtown, Motorcycle Museum, Full Throttle Saloon
Lead: Homestake Mine, Downtown District
Day 8: First leg back to Valentine, Neb, thru Black Hills, Hot Springs, Wounded Knee; 301 mi., 8 – 8 ½ hrs
385 South to 16 to Custer
Breakfast: Our Place Cafe
Continue 385 South
POI: Wind Cave Nat’l Park
Hot Springs
POI: Famous Mammoth Site
Take US 18 Southeast from Hot Springs
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
Take left on Big Foot Trail to Wounded Knee
Wounded Knee
Backtrack to US 18, continue East
South on 73
Left on US 20 to Valentine
Valentine, Nebraska
Lodging: Trade Winds Lodge
Day 9: Valentine to Canadian, Tx; 530 mi.; 10 ½ - 11 hrs
83 south to Canadian, Tx
Lodging: Canadian Courts
Day 10: Canadian to Austin: 469 mi.; 9 ½ - 10 hrs
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