A Cycling Journey: The Black Hills & the Mickelson Trail

At the time of check-in, collect your Road Scholar Welcome Packet from the front desk. In the packet you will find information regarding program details including the location of orientation. The program orientation will begin at 4:30. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. They will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. There may be some light paperwork at the end of the orientation session. If you don’t arrive in time for orientation, please refer to your welcome packet on how to locate the Group Leader and get caught up on any information you may have missed. Lectures and field trips will be led by local experts and a knowledgeable Group Leader. Transportation for program-related activities will be via motorcoach unless specified otherwise. Periods in the daily schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

At the hotel.

At leisure. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.

At the hotel.

We will check out of the hotel, load our luggage onto the motorcoach, and kick off our program by traveling to the beginning of the Mickelson Trail. Mile marker “0” is in the town of Edgemont. There is more than a century of history connected to railroads, mining, and ranching. We will meet the bicycle equipment team and get fitted for bikes and helmets. The Group Leader will discuss trail safety and section highlights, as well as what to look for along the trail. We will have a trail “sweep” — an extra staff person riding behind the group to assist with any issues that may arise — with us every day. Riding through the streets of Edgemont, we will pass historic buildings and remnants of a once-bustling bygone era. We will ride 16.2 miles to the Minnekahta trailhead through the valley of the Cheyenne River. As the trail starts its gentle climb out of the valley, we’ll see outcrops of unique geologic formations. The flora and fauna in this southern section of the trail is strongly influenced by several grasslands and sagebrush steppe species. It also houses deciduous and pine forest species. Once we reach the Minnekahta trailhead we’ll reboard the motorcoach and travel to the nearby historic town of Hot Springs.

At a local cafe.

Next, we’ll travel to the Mammoth Site for an expert-led exploration of an active paleontological dig site. The Mammoth Site boasts the largest concentration of mammoth remains in the world! We’ll take a figurative journey back in time when Ice Age mammoths, camels, and giant short-faced bears roamed the Great Plains of North America. More than 26,000 years ago a sinkhole collapsed and the warm spring percolating from the bottom filled it in to create an ideal watering hole for animals to quench their thirst. The sinkhole proved to be too slippery and steep for the animals to retreat, thus creating a death trap for large Columbian and Woolly Mammoths. From the Mammoth Site, we’ll travel a short distance to our hotel, check-in, and freshen up for dinner.

At the hotel.

We’ll be joined at the hotel by a local expert who will teach us about the history, creation, and development of the Mickelson Trail.

At the hotel.

Checking out of the hotel, we'll load our luggage, board the motorcoach, and travel a short distance back to the Minnekahta Trailhead. There, we’ll collect our assigned bicycles and prepare with another Group Leader safety and trail highlights brief. We’ll then bicycle from the Minnekahta Trailhead to Harbach Trailhead, about 28.4 miles. Along the trail, we’ll pass through backcountry areas where Native Americans camped and made arrowheads, waiting for wildlife to come for water. These places were also ideal locations for soldiers to evacuate illegal miners and settlers. This area of the Mickelson Trail is a mix of prairie grasslands and deciduous and pine forests. Several geological features are present, as well as unique early 20th century barns and old homesteads. We will end the day's bicycling field trip in the town of Custer.

This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like in Custer. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

We’ll board the motorcoach and transfer to Crazy Horse Memorial. In 1939, Chief Henry Standing Bear wrote to sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski, “My fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know the red man has great heroes, too.” In response, and without federal funding, Ziolkowski set out to create a memorial to the history and heritage of Native Americans, personified by Chief Crazy Horse. He began carving the mountain in 1948 and worked on the project until his death in 1982. His family continues the dream as work progresses on the world’s largest mountain sculpture that still uses no tax dollars and is funded privately through a non-profit organization. When completed, the Crazy Horse Memorial will be the largest outdoor sculpture in the world: 641 feet long and 563 feet high. Led by a museum expert, we’ll explore the Crazy Horse Museums and learn about its campus which serves as a repository for Native American artifacts, arts and crafts, and the Native American Educational & Cultural Center. Next, we’ll take the motorcoach to the town of Keystone and check in to our hotel with some time to freshen up before dinner.

At the hotel.

We’ll be joined by a local expert who will captivate us with stories and dances that are representative of local Indigenous peoples.

At the hotel.

We will board the motorcoach and travel back to the Harbach Trailhead where we’ll collect our assigned bicycles and prepare with another Group Leader safety and trail highlights brief. We’ll then bike from the Harbach Trailhead to the Mystic Trailhead, about 30 miles. The historic town of Mystic, was named on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. Once a bustling town visited by President Coolidge in the summer of 1927, it is now marked by the McCahan Chapel and a few other historic cabin buildings. The ride to Mystic encompasses some of the most breathtaking scenery along the trail. Lush meadows, pine and evergreen forests, crystal stream waters, and two of three hard rock tunnels will greet us along the trail. For those who wish, there will be an opportunity to stop and explore the quaint town of Hill City independently. It features local artist galleries, shops, and museums including the South Dakota Railroad Museum and the Black Hills Institute of Geologic Research.

At Mystic, we’ll have a pre-selected box lunch.

Continuing via motorcoach, we’ll ride to the town of Keystone. Under the guidance of our expert Group Leader, we’ll explore the United States’ Shrine of Democracy: Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Danish-American sculptor Gutzon Borglum, the creator of Mount Rushmore, wrote: “The purpose of the memorial is to communicate the founding, expansion, preservation, and unification of the United States with colossal statues of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt.” Borglum intended his monumental sculpture to be not only a memorial to four of our greatest Presidents but a Shrine to Democracy. Why these four? Washington led the nascent United States to win independence from Great Britain. Jefferson was the author of the Declaration of Independence. Roosevelt the “trust buster” ensured the rights of working people and was instrumental in building the Panama Canal. Lincoln led the country through the Civil War. Borglum began work in 1927 and continued until his death in 1941, when his son, Lincoln Borglum, took it on and ended work later that year. We will have an opportunity to expand our exploration of Mount Rushmore with an elective, independent short walk on a portion of the Presidential Trail to Borglum’s studio. Interpretive signage along the way will illuminate more about the monument, its construction, and the artist whose vision produced one of America’s most iconic symbols. We will return to the hotel after our field trip.

At the hotel.

We will board the motorcoach and travel to attend the Lighting Ceremony at Mount Rushmore, a patriotic program presented by a park ranger in the open, outdoor auditorium. Subject to weather.

At the hotel.

After check-out and loading our luggage, we'll board the motorcoach and ride a short distance back to the Mystic Trailhead. We will collect our assigned bicycles, prepare with another Group Leader on safety, and be briefed on highlights of the trail. We will bike the last leg of the Mickelson from Mystic to the legendary town of Deadwood. The ride to Deadwood features unique geologic structures, old Stagecoach stops, gold mines, and breathtaking evergreen-clad mountains.

At Dumont Trailhead, we’ll have a pre-selected box lunch.

Deadwood was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964 because of its significance in western history. Due to the number of booming mining camps, Deadwood became a magnet for legendary and notorious characters like Seth Bullock, Wild Bill Hickok, and Calamity Jane. As the northern terminus of the Mickelson Trail, we will celebrate our completion of the full 108.8-mile trail in Deadwood. We will enjoy an end-of-trail toast then have independent time to explore what Deadwood has to offer. Later in the afternoon, we will regroup at an announced time and place, then take the motorcoach back to Rapid City. We will check in to our hotel and prepare for our final evening together.

At the hotel. Share favorite experiences and enjoy camaraderie with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.

At leisure. Prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.

At the hotel. This concludes our program.

If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!