George S. Mickelson Trail:
South Dakota
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Description:
Named in honor of the former South Dakota governor who crusaded for the trail before his death in a plane crash in 1993, the George S. Mickelson Trail runs through the heart of the Black Hills, connecting Deadwood with Edgemont 114 miles to the south. The trail incorporates nearly 100 converted railroad bridges and 4 tunnels, and much of it traverses national forest; however, some segments pass through private lands and users are asked to respect landowner rights.

In many places the trail is notched into the mountains—pressed up against granite walls to one side and dropping off to steeply on the other. The granite gives way to slabs of slate stacked haphazardly like tall, thin texts on a bookshelf. Since the trail was completed in the fall of 1998 it has become one of the premier rail-trails in the West, rich with boom and bust history of gold mining, and challenging for bicyclists as it cuts through rugged mountain terrain.

The George S. Mickelson Trail's northern section cuts a curving course through mountains and ponderosa pine forests, over creeks and through narrow valleys by the towns of Deadwood, Lead, Rochford and Mystic. Every few miles it traverses a converted railroad bridge, some over trestles hundreds of feet high. Just south of Mystic, a once-thriving mining town, trail users encounter a 40-foot-long tunnel that was blasted through rock and lined with beams cut to fit the curving contours that give the tunnel its keyhole appearance.

From Hill City south through Custer to the White Elephant trailhead a few miles north of Custer features a gradually changing landscape, from mountains and corridors of ponderosa pine to high mountain meadows and the open prairie. Valleys stretch and cattle graze in the fields. You'll find many attractions close to this stretch of the trail, including the Crazy Horse Monument, which the trail passes north of Custer, and Mount Rushmore, located near Keystone 6 miles east of the trail in Hill City.

While it took less than 1 year to build the railroad line in the early 1890s, it took more than 15 years to develop the George S. Mickelson Trail (aka "the Big Mick") on the right-of-way, from 1983 when Burlington Northern abandoned what was known as the High Line to the trail's dedication in September 1998. In addition to the support provided by the late governor, the Black Hills Rails to Trails Association was integral in crusading for the railbanking of this corridor by the state and seeing it converted into a multi-use trail. With prodding from the local trail group, Burlington Northern donated the right-of-way to the state in 1989.

The George S. Mickelson Trail was featured as a Trail of the Month by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.

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Parking & Trail Access:
There are numerous access points and places to park along the George S. Mickelson Trail. A detailed map of the trail and trailhead information are available on the trail website (www.mickelsontrail.com).

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Reviews: [4 trail ratings]
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A JEWEL OF A TRAIL
By twirlymaker in November, 2011
This has to rate as a Jewel for its Scenery and a crushed stone surfaced trail. I was able to pedal from Deadwood to Kirk & return, late afternoon on 19 Oct, and then the next day, from Mystic Trailhead to Rochford Trailhead & return on my Tri-Cruiser. Noel Keller 19 & 20 Oct 2011
Mickelson trail from south to north; a tale of 3 different bikes
By tomfhammer in October, 2010
Tim, Paul, and I rode the entire Mickelson Trail on October 16, 2010. Started at Edgemont just after sun-up at 7:30 AM and coasted into Deadwood at 5:30 PM. The weather cooperated nicely, with minimal wind and temps that hovered around 50 degrees. Not bad for mid-October in the Black Hills!

The trail was in perfect condition, except for some washed out edge sections close to Deadwood. (I think they had some very heavy rains the week before). I'm certain that will be fixed before Spring, based on how well maintained this trail system is. The trailheads still had water, so we didn't have to carry an over-abundance of the wet stuff with us. That helped keep us light.

We rode a variety of bikes. Tim's was a Trek mountainbike with non-aggressive tires. Paul rode a Redline cyclo-cross bike that he had just acquired. I rode a Trek 7500 cross-over with a light front shock. I don't think there was any clear cut advantage by one bike over another. The most important thing for finishing a one day trek in daylight, I believe, was to stay away from aggressive mountain bike tires and also to keep the bike as light as possible.

We stopped in Hill City and bought a replacement tube at Rabbit Bicycles. More importantly, however, we got advice as to where to grab a bite to eat. We were told to check either The Alpine Inn, The Bumpin Buffalo, or the Slate Creek Grill. We decided on the double 'B' though all options appeared viable. We all had a nice sandwich and a celebratory beer. Paul was pleased to find that the double 'B' had PBR on tap! PBR is Pabst Blue Ribbon for those who don't know about bad beers.

We departed Hill City at about 1:30 and kept a fairly steady, uninterrupted pace the rest of the way. Arriving at Deadwood with cold hands, another cold beer awaited us at the trailhead. Despite my cold hands, the cold beer was very appreciated.

We look forward to doing this again, but probably will wait til 2011.

Tom Hammerquist - Gillette, Wy

Outstanding Trail
By ltbike in October, 2010
We biked this trail in September 2010. It is amazing. Well-maintained. You will get such diverse scenery and conditions. I would rate this trail difficult. We rode Trek hybrid bicycles. Beautiful. I highly recommend it. We rode three days and used two trucks for our shuttles. We were camped at Custer at an RV park.
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