The Beast Posted January 7, 2014 #1 Posted January 7, 2014 I've been talked into riding from Langley BC Canada to Sturgis. Anyone have any Must See's. Loos like I-90 to Billings and then 212 down is the easy straight route, but may not be interesting? Also, Any Tips once at the Home of Harley as I will be on my Venture with my wife. Must rides/does when there? Anything to stay away from????
cowpuc Posted January 7, 2014 #2 Posted January 7, 2014 Hey Beast, may sound like a goofy ? but are you going during the Rally?
XV1100SE Posted January 7, 2014 #3 Posted January 7, 2014 If you can fit the Bear Tooth in I would do that, also do the road thru Ten Sleep WY to Buffalo WY
vzuden Posted January 8, 2014 #4 Posted January 8, 2014 Devils Tower in Wyoming, Custer State Park/Mount Rushmore, Badlands Nat'l Park. These are the usual highlights. Each a day trip when based in the Sturgis area
bj66 Posted January 8, 2014 #5 Posted January 8, 2014 If you havent already done this, scroll down to the Roads and Destination forum. Then click on the thread with South Dakotas region in it. There are 3 topics in there about Black Hills/Sturgis/and Iron Mountain Road. Those should help with the Black Hills. As far as the Black Hills go, There is alot to see, and I would also check out You Tube. Type in Black Hills South Dakota. People always put up vid clips of their vacations. You can get some good ideas as well.....Towns to look for besides Sturgis, and Deadwood are, Hill City (1880 Train), Custer, Spearfish, and even Rapid City. Obvious must rides in the Hills are Iron Mnt Road, Needles Highway, Vanocker Canyon, Custer State Park and Spearfish Canyon. Another great ride is around Sylvan Lake, and of course Mnt. Rushmore, and Crazy Horse monument. Devils Tower isnt far away either......You Tube will help alot
The Beast Posted January 8, 2014 Author #6 Posted January 8, 2014 Thanks for all your help and yes it is during the Rally Aug 4 - 12 . My buddy from Long Beach Calif has it on his bucket list and wanted to share his bucket ;-}
cowpuc Posted January 8, 2014 #7 Posted January 8, 2014 Just gonna assume neither of you have ever been to the rally before and write my response accordingly.. Your going thru Coeur d'Alene - lucky dog!! Coming from Langley, if your gonna skip Yellowstone, I would at least ride thru Little Big Horn Battle Ground Nat Park, than instead of hauling butt across the 212 I would drop down to 14 west (above Sheridan) - head west across the Big Horns, you will come to 14A (to the right) - ride 14A across the bighorns - IT IS AMAZING!! I would than turn around and ride it back, and finish the ride on 90 if I were in a hurry.. Your gonna see thousands upon thousands of bikes on the road, touring in the Blackhills during the Rally can be very slow going, roads plugged up with bikes everywhere, lots of crazys but still alot of fun if you take your time - yee be warned.. Dont let the term "Blackhills" fool ya, they are mountains and are subject to extreme weather changes, IMHO, best riding the "Hills" is early morning till early afternoon and than 5 till just before dark.. Keep your eyes on the sky between those times,, I have seen everything from tornadoes to huge hail come out of no where during those times... Leave the west end of Sturgis and you are on 14, stay on 14 and you will go thru Deadwood - awesome town (play around a little in town to be sure you dont miss mainstreet)!! Stay on 14 and you will end up riding Spearfish Canyon.. About 1/2 way up the Canyon you will come to a Lodge (both sides of the road), this is where 222 (gravel) comes in.. A very short ride on 222 is a really pretty water falls - dont miss it!! Also, if you like back country dirt road riding, 222 west thru the mountains is FANTASTIC!! Camp anywhere, lots of elk, watch for quads, you can go across the mountains on dirt roads all the way to Sundance Wyoming (awesome ride!!) and your a short jaunt to Devils Tower.. Continuing north on 14 will complete the Spearfish Canyon ride and put you right back on US-90.. Check your weather and ride hard any direction to out run the rain.. Next ride, leave out on 14 again thru Deadwood only this time stay on 85 after going thru town (Deadwood), take 85 to 385 and follow 385 thru the mountains - BEAUTIFUL!! Gonna pass a huge reservoir, than your gonna come to Sheridan Lake (on left) - I have seen Big Horn Sheep on the cliffs over looking the Lake many times - AWESOME!! Even had em cross the road in front of us a couple times - I have looked all over the country and have NEVER seen em anywhere else!! Stay on 385 thru Hill City - cool place!! Keep on 385 until you get to 87 (needles hwy), turn left (only way you can go) on 87, Sylvan Lake is on left - neat place - nice bathrooms on left as you enter.. Up da hill back on 87 and OMG - UNREAL!!! After leaving the eye of the Needle on 87 (needles hwy) keep riding (gorgeous) and you will come to 753 (entrance to Center Lake) - turn left on 753.. Follow 753 and you will deadend into 16a (Iron Mountain Rd).. BEFORE YOU TURN LEFT ON 16 GO STRAIGHT ACROSS THE ROAD INTO THE LITTLE CAMPGROUND THERE - THIS IS WHERE YOU GET TO SEE WOLFS!!! Leave the wolf place and turn right on 16a, stay on 16a (awesome ride with occasional views of Rushmore thru tunnels - wayyyyy cool).. Also, if you like to coast - this place is happening!!! Stay on 16a till you come to 244 - left turn and Rushmore is up the hill!! It will be packed, you may end up stopping on road for view.. Rushmore is REALLY prettiest at night (to me).. Turn around and go back to 16, turn left, into Keystone - neat town, GOOD FOOD!! Follow 16 to Rapid City.. Another GREAT ride that I like is 44 out of Rapid City east over to the back door of the Badlands National Park, into the park, and than out the west gate into Wall Drug.. Wall Drug is a tourist trap of a place BUT at the far end of mainstreet (again, you gotta find mainstreet - its NOT the main road you come in on) in the back of the main building on the end is a kids playground area,, the building on the back of this area is LOADED with real genuine cowboy and indian pictures - this place is AWESOME!!!! Good food here to if ya like Hot Beef Sandwiches!! Yamaha shop in Rapid City has better service than the one in Sturgis IMHO. Rapid City Harley Davidson puts on a better "show" than the Harley shop in Sturgis - IMHO. Look for and make sure you find "Mainstreet" in Sturgis, its not a the main road coming from either exit off 90! If your planning on moteling FIND IT NOW!! If your Camping at one of the big campgrounds and you want a break you can ALWAYS escape and camp on the prairie - if it not fenced and its been mowed it open camping (have never been kicked off) - no fires of course.. American Roadhouse in Sturgis is a neat place to relive being young, kinda of mosh pit place with kids crammed all around ya dancing,, late nite Sturgis on mainstreet is AMAZING - lots of builders/gearheads hanging out late - great bunch of guys!! Usually very good deals on tires and installs if ya need it during the rally.. Of course, huge shows, races and all that too.. Packin heat during the rally is a MAJOR no no!! NO ONE, other than SD Cops on duty at the rally are allowed to have em.. They dont care where your from, what licenses you have or even if your another cop - NO WEAPONS - and they take this veyr seriously.. Getting tired here, I will post this and edit it later if needed... Hope it helps somehow! Puc
bj66 Posted January 8, 2014 #8 Posted January 8, 2014 Just another quick note. All of these rides described in the Black Hills are relatively close together. Lots to see, and do in a fairly small area. 50 to 75 miles each way from Sturgis/ Deadwood has a lot to offer when riding. Puc did a good job of describing it, one ride opens right into another. As far as camping goes, I stay at Iron Horse Campground. Love it there. Clean showers/bathrooms, good food, and entertainment. They have a beer barn with small bands. Most of all, I can get a good night sleep. I am past the need to party 24 hrs a day. But if you are looking to camp close to Sturgis I would recomend find a campground where the shuttle bus stops. You can catch a ride into town, or to one of the other campgrounds like the Chip if you want to really party and not worry about driving for a night or two. Best of both worlds that way. I know Aussie Annie stayed at the campground next to where I stay, she could tell you about that place. Yama Mama stayed in Spearfish a few years ago as well at Chris's campground (I think). If I remember right they liked it there. I have a good friend who also stays in Spearfish and has for about 15 years. He loves it, I think it is in the city owned park, and the police patrol it so it is quiet. tx2sturgis stays at Glencoe and likes it there. Glencoe is a party campground, and is about a mile from where I stay. There are a lot of options, but I wouldnt wait to find a spot....
cowpuc Posted January 8, 2014 #9 Posted January 8, 2014 Oh yea, when you get within a couple hundred miles in any direction of the Rally you will start finding free tear off maps of the Black Hills rides at all the gas stations.. These are VERY definitive of all the good riding.. I probably have one somewhere, if I can find one I would gladly mail it to you guys if you would like...
VentureFar Posted January 9, 2014 #10 Posted January 9, 2014 I have been to the Rally 6 out of the last 7 years. Not going this year. Wife has other plans for MY vacation this year. Everything written above is awesome info. No mention of the caves - some of the best caves in the world are around Sturgis. If you are only going to go to one cave, I suggest Jewel Cave but I have been to many and they are all interesting. I didn't see you write how many days you are planning to stay in Sturgis. Northwest is one day ( devils tower, spearfish cyn etc), East is one day - Badlands, SD Air and Space Museum at Ellsworth AFB, wall drug etc. South is really two days - lots down that way. Great concerts if you like the band playing at Buffalo Chip - watched ZZ Top two times sitting comfortably on my bike about 100 ft from the stage. Full Throttle Saloon - fun nighttime hangout- don't go for their buffet breakfast ! ....you will notice bikers stop waiving to each other about 100 miles from Sturgis- you are no longer greeting a fellow "lone traveler", you are now one of 500,000 bikers. I suggest you get gas anytime you see an open pump and try to eat at "off hours" due to the crowds. Early breakfast, 11 lunch, 5 dinner etc. Always, always carry rain gear. On the bike and when you are hanging out - use a backpack and carry a quick poncho and a sturdy umbrella. There are places to swim so have a small towel and proper attire on the bike - it can be 110 F or 50F so be prepared for all. Are you bypassing Yellowstone? At minimum enter the north entrance and exit through Cooke City - maybe spend the night in Cooke City but book now. Then leave over Beartooth Hwy or capture the two greatest scenic rides and exit Yellowstone through CODY WY - go to the rodeo in the evening and get an early start out north bound over Chief Joseph Highway then it T's into Beartooth and make a right over Beartooth. Sooooo much to see. You will have an epic journey.
Guest tx2sturgis Posted January 9, 2014 #11 Posted January 9, 2014 Glencoe. Pervert Road. Nothing else needs to be said. Except this: bring plenty of memory cards for your camera. :-) [using Tapatalk and on the road again]
Dragonslayer Posted January 9, 2014 #12 Posted January 9, 2014 Devils Tower in Wyoming, Custer State Park/Mount Rushmore, Badlands Nat'l Park. These are the usual highlights. Each a day trip when based in the Sturgis area Been to all of those rides and well worth the journey. However, you may want to think about doing the Badlands. While visually interesting the road through is about 50 miles of rough rocky gravel road. Had a hard time doing it on my 1st Gen Venture pulling a trailer. 50 miles at
Dragonslayer Posted January 9, 2014 #13 Posted January 9, 2014 Just another quick note. All of these rides described in the Black Hills are relatively close together. Lots to see, and do in a fairly small area. 50 to 75 miles each way from Sturgis/ Deadwood has a lot to offer when riding. Puc did a good job of describing it, one ride opens right into another. As far as camping goes, I stay at Iron Horse Campground. Love it there. Clean showers/bathrooms, good food, and entertainment. They have a beer barn with small bands. Most of all, I can get a good night sleep. I am past the need to party 24 hrs a day. But if you are looking to camp close to Sturgis I would recomend find a campground where the shuttle bus stops. You can catch a ride into town, or to one of the other campgrounds like the Chip if you want to really party and not worry about driving for a night or two. Best of both worlds that way. I know Aussie Annie stayed at the campground next to where I stay, she could tell you about that place. Yama Mama stayed in Spearfish a few years ago as well at Chris's campground (I think). If I remember right they liked it there. I have a good friend who also stays in Spearfish and has for about 15 years. He loves it, I think it is in the city owned park, and the police patrol it so it is quiet. tx2sturgis stays at Glencoe and likes it there. Glencoe is a party campground, and is about a mile from where I stay. There are a lot of options, but I wouldnt wait to find a spot....I stayed in Horse Thief Campground near Rushmore. That was pretty nice.
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