Rapid Valley, SD Birding Trails and Maps

101 Reviews

Looking for the best Birding trails around Rapid Valley?

Find the top rated birding trails in Rapid Valley, whether you're looking for an easy short birding trail or a long birding trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a birding trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.

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Activities
Length
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10 Results
Activities
Length
Surfaces
Type

Custer State Park Spur

3.2 mi
State: SD
Asphalt

George S. Mickelson Trail

112 mi
State: SD
Crushed Stone

Homestake Railroad Grade Trail

3.5 mi
State: SD
Dirt

Leonard Swanson Memorial Pathway

8.2 mi
State: SD
Asphalt, Concrete, Gravel

Spearfish Recreational Trail

5.2 mi
State: SD
Concrete

Ballpark Road Trail

1.1 mi
State: SD
Concrete

Deadman Trail

0.75 mi
State: SD
Concrete

Moose Drive Bike Path

1.5 mi
State: SD
Concrete

Sturgis Centennial Bike Path

4.4 mi
State: SD
Concrete

Sturgis Connector Trail

0.6 mi
State: SD
Concrete
Trail Image Trail Name States Length Surface Rating
The Custer State Park Spur offers a 3.2-mile paved connection between South Dakota's 109-mile George S. Mickelson Trail and Custer State Park, home to bison, coyotes, and prairie dogs in the beautiful...
SD 3.2 mi Asphalt
Overview 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...
SD 112 mi Crushed Stone
More than a century ago, steam locomotives lugged supplies from Deadwood to Lead and to the miners at Homestake Mine, once the largest goldmine in the Western Hemisphere. This narrow-gauge track fell...
SD 3.5 mi Dirt
The Leonard Swanson Memorial Pathway, named for Rapid City's late, longtime public works director, is a sprawling eight mile system of paved bikeways that follows the path of Rapid Creek across the...
SD 8.2 mi Asphalt, Concrete, Gravel
The Spearfish Recreational Trail travels for 5 miles through the heart of Spearfish, a town situated east of the South Dakota/Wyoming border and just north of the Black Hills National Forest, known...
SD 5.2 mi Concrete
The Ballpark Road Trail is a short sidepath, one of several in the city of Sturgis that together form a ten mile off-road system of trails. Beginning at the intersection of Junction Avenue and...
SD 1.1 mi Concrete
The Deadman Trail is a short trail that follows the ominously named Deadman Gulch on the outskirts of Sturgis, and connects to other portions of the city's ten mile bike path system. Starting in...
SD 0.75 mi Concrete
Though Sturgis may be best known for the popular motorcycle events it hosts, the city also offers some great opportunites for the other kind of biker. The Moose Drive Bike Path is a 1.5 mile sidepath...
SD 1.5 mi Concrete
The Sturgis Centennial Bike Path runs a little over four miles across the northern edge of the city of Sturgis, loosely following the route of the Bear Butte Creek. While the western portion of the...
SD 4.4 mi Concrete
This short sidepath provides a useful connection between several trails in the ten mile system of bike paths within the city of Sturgis. Beginning near the intersection of Butte View Drive and Dolan...
SD 0.6 mi Concrete

Recent Trail Reviews

George S. Mickelson Trail

Elk Sightings

October, 2024 by jeff.steele

We’re from TN. Rode Sept 17, 24. Deadwood Trailhead is open. This site says it’s closed. Rode 25 miles South. Saw beautiful colorful Aspens with Momma & baby Elk. After climbing the ridge outside of Deadwood it became a beautiful trail. Wished we could’ve ridden more.

George S. Mickelson Trail

Long Hills

September, 2024 by nk2zvxqyvd

Beautiful scenery and wildlife and so well maintained! Friendly people all along the way. Excellent trailheads with water, bike tools, air! I only saw one review commenting on the hills. There really is no flat according to our elevation record on Strava. It is either a looooong uphill or a loooong downhill. Even though the hills are only 4% grade, 10 miles of that gets old. My husband and I are 64 & 62, no e-bikes, thank you and riding loaded. We ride 40 miles twice a week up and down hills usually with a headwind, but the ride from Custer to Deadwood was pretty taxing for us. We would do it again but probably do the whole trail and take 3 days. trip from

George S. Mickelson Trail

Sensational!

September, 2024 by mnproulx_tl

Rode the entire trail from Edgemont to Deadwood over two days. The scenery was spectacular. Every last foot of the trail surface was smooth and even; I cannot heap enough praise on the State Parks Department for the job that they do in maintaining the trail and trailheads.

Accordion

George S. Mickelson Trail

Completed in three days. Started in Deadwood, ended in Edgemont.

July, 2024 by tires4145

Completed in three days. Started in Deadwood, ended in Edgemont.

George S. Mickelson Trail

Beautiful trail out of Deadwood, but climbs

June, 2024 by jxr74csq7g

Rode 24 total miles from the start in Deadwood. There was a total of 1550 feet of elevation gain. A few miles from town there is an option to go left or right. I took left on the way out and came back the other trail. The left option is definitely more remote but has some sections with 9+% grade. I did not really have the right gears and couldn’t stand up without losing traction. The other trail does not seem to have as steep gradients. I have 42c tires running tubeless with pressure in the mid 30s. I have a 1x setup with 36t chainring and a 44t largest cog.

George S. Mickelson Trail

Beautiful Trail

June, 2024 by rebecca.wolfe

Rode 36 miles RT from our HipCamp to Crazy Horse. 1,000 ft increase in elevation in the 18 mi out portion. Beautiful views between Custer and Crazy Horse

George S. Mickelson Trail

great

September, 2023 by wanda lyons

This is one of the best trails ever! We stayed at a B & B, Bishop Mountain Rental, which is right off the trailhead in Hill City! Enjoyed the ride so much!

George S. Mickelson Trail

stunning

July, 2023 by brianfred52_tl

this is a very well maintained trail with the exception of the first few miles out of Deadwood. this section does not drain as well as the rest and has some rough spots. the scenery is unbeatable, following a small stream and lined by granite and trees. we took a shuttle from Hill City to Dumont and rode back to Hill City. the rest of our riding was out and back rides covering the rest of the trail south to Pringle. I highly recommend this trail!

George S. Mickelson Trail

Favorite all time trail!¿¿¿¿¿¿

June, 2023 by allyn.dana

We finally finished the whole trail this month and have done the sections from Deadwood to just outside of Hill City twice. This is a fantastic trail and I can’t recommend it enough. Yes there are hills but that makes the return more fun. And the hills are easily managed when you have an e-bike! I hadn’t read much positive feedback on the Edgewood to Minnekahta trailhead and I loved it! Beautiful scenery with canyon type views. Wonderful rest areas with clean bathrooms and fresh water. So much to write about this trail but it’s all been said. Ride it, you will be so glad you did!

George S. Mickelson Trail

Beautiful but a little steep

October, 2022 by viaranch

This trail was beautiful. We rode about 10 miles one way. The bridges were cool. It was a little steep at places but nothing too terrible. The only complaint we had was the amount of cow dung on the trail. It was really bad in some places. Not blaming anyone but just be aware. Definitely would ride again. So beautiful

George S. Mickelson Trail

Beautiful but a little steep

October, 2022 by viaranch

This trail was beautiful. We rode about 10 miles one way. The bridges were cool. It was a little steep at places but nothing too terrible. The only complaint we had was the amount of cow dung on the trail. It was really bad in some places. Not blaming anyone but just be aware. Definitely would ride again. So beautiful

Leonard Swanson Memorial Pathway

Great ride!

July, 2022 by beverlyrm55

We rode the entire trail on our recent stay in Rapid City. There’s some construction and one detour the day we rode. Otherwise a fun easy ride. It mostly runs beside Rapid Creek and there are plenty of places to stop and enjoy the serenity of the creek. It runs through the city’s many parks.

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