BackBone Buffet Update - It Gets Better

I'm going up the rough side of the mountain on my way home, meet my people (Trying to get home)

I'm going up the rough side of the mountain on my way home, oh yeah (Trying to get home)

I'm going (Climbing)

Up the rough side of the mountain (Climbing)

Oh, Jesus (Climbing)

On my way (Climbing)

Climbing Higher Mountains, Traditional.

Contrary to the sign, USFS 818.1A is not a "DEAD END" for those on a bicycle.

Last month I introduced the BackBone Buffet, my new rough road bikepacking route showcasing the best of the Central Black Hills of South Dakota. I've ridden all the roads on the route, although not in one ride put together this way. I look forward to bikepacking it this summer. See, Introducing The BackBone Buffet.

Starting the climb up to Elk Mountain Lookout Tower on USFS Low Standard Road 818.1A.

The BackBone Buffet started with the idea of creating an easily accessible 4-5 day rough road bikepacking loop smack in the middle of the Black Hills. With all my riding, scouting, and routing throughout that area over the years, I decided not to start from scratch, but rather cherry-pick favorite sections of my original BackBone, DoubleBackBone, BackBone Grande, BackBone DoubleGrande (not yet released) and even some Black Hills Bounty roads and combine them in a single 200 mile loop out of Hill City.

Those existing routes occasionally intersect, e.g., the original BackBone and the BackBone Grande meet on Black Fox Camp Road, but connecting the chosen sections often required some distance of different roads. Eventually, I fashioned together and published the loop. BackBone Buffet - RideWithGPS Map.

Looking back on the climb up USFS Low Standard Road 818.1A.

Analyzing those new connectors more closely over time and coffee, I unearthed a couple of areas to improve. For example, I did not particularly like the connection from the bottom of Red Bird Canyon (about Mile 103) to Dewey Road (USFS Primary Road 769) (about Mile 108) and beyond. That stretch required over 5 miles on paved U.S. Highway 16, followed by more miles on highly developed Dewey Road before finally reaching some primo Bounty roads to McKenna Spring. There must be a better way.

So, from USFS paper maps and RideWithGPS satellite images, I pieced together a possible re-route that turned off U.S. Highway 16 a couple of miles short of Dewey Road onto an unnumbered, double-dashed, apparently abandoned "Road Closed Yearlong To Motorized Traffic." After about a mile, that "road" t-boned into USFS Low Standard Road 818.1A for a suck-it-up steep pitch to a fire lookout tower and then a gradual descent over to Dewey Road. What's not to love about that! 

It looked to be an awesome add to the BackBone Buffet, and possibly to the BackBone DoubleGrande, if that first mile of abandoned "road" is public. However, I could not determine that from home, since it was not clearly labeled and passed through private land. Time for a road trip.

Elk Mountain Lookout Tower, with 360 degree views from the top.

Score! That little unnumbered, double-dashed "road" is a public road that actually does connect with USFS Low Standard Road 818.1A. It is closed to motorized vehicles yearlong, but is always open for travel by foot, horse, and bicycle. Sweet!

Know that it's not easy. From the paved highway, the route climbs over 700 feet in the first 2 miles and another 400 feet in the next 2.5 miles, with at least one pitch of 19% (according to RideWithGPS). But the 360 degree views from atop the lookout tower are breathtaking, as are the sharp elevation drop views along the relatively long, gradual descent.

Uffda! 

Absolutely I added it to both the BackBone Buffet and the BackBone DoubleGrande.

So, for anyone riding any of my routes, check the RideWithGPS file for the latest update. 

I'm always looking for the best.

Updated BackBone Buffet map on RideWithGPS, showing the climb up Elk Mountain Lookout Tower.
The new section leaves U.S. 16 to climb to the tower and then descend to Dewey Road.

Same map as above, but in "Google Terrain" mode to show relief. Would you look at that!

Climbing Higher Mountains, Aretha Franklin (1972).

A Short Recovery Story

I'm better now, almost my normal. But it was a long 10 weeks.

Traveling to spend Christmas with family, I returned home not feeling well. I didn't think much of it, other than a seasonal bug of some kind. At the time, I was 10 weeks into a 20 week structured training program for another self-supported, solo race at the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo. I built some down time into that schedule, so I suspended training to get healthy.

However, a week off the bike did not improve anything. Not one bit. Now, I was stumped. I considered covid, but did not have some common symptoms such as high fever, massive headaches, dry cough, or metallic taste of food. I just felt tired all the time, didn't feel like doing much of anything (including riding or writing), and felt short of breath very easily. I took off another week.

Nothing. For several more weeks, I continued to struggle with unusual fatigue, utter lack of motivation, and shortness of breath and never did return to my training program, or anything remotely approaching it. More time passed. What to do? With the weekend race but a small part of a planned 18 day road trip, I decided to go for it and work through it. The road trip turned out great. The race did not. See, 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo (2025).

Back out there. Rolling across the prairie on gravel and dirt.

When I returned home in late February, not much changed. After a couple more weeks of uggh, I took to the internet to search possibilities. Almost immediately, I learned about something called Long Covid, with primary symptoms listed as chronic fatigue (feeling tired all the time), malaise (not feeling like doing anything), shortness of breath (short of breath very easy), and "exertional fatigue," defined as feeling significantly greater fatigue than normal at a given level of exertion (every lap at 24 HOP). Reportedly, the symptoms can last for weeks, months, and even years for some people.

Hey. That's a start. I read about various treatment options, including Ivermectin, both alone and together with other over the counter pills. One study showed promising results for Long Covid with a dosage of 12 mg per day for 5 days. Perhaps not coincidentally, I found in our medicine cabinet a single blister card of Ivermectin, left over from the recent past. Yes, exactly 10 pills of 6 mg.

I decided to take one 6 mg pill every 12 hours, which would be 12 mg/day for 5 days.

After taking the first pill at about 9 pm on a Sunday evening, I awoke the next morning after my best sleep since Christmas. Surprisingly, I did not feel that pesky generalized fatigue. More significantly, the oppressive malaise was completely gone. It was as if bright sunshine had burst through heavy cloud cover to burn off a long lingering fog. 

Since completing that 5 day protocol, I am back on the bike, with vigor, and back on the blog, with acuity. I am again studying maps and venturing out into the Black Hills to scout more back roads, improve existing routes, and create new ones. I even rolled out of town onto prairie gravel for over 3 hours, my longest single ride in six months. The winter fog is gone.

This is my experience with a 10 week, undiagnosed ailment. I really don't know what it was or how it's gone. I don't even care if it's all a placebo effect. It doesn't matter. 

This is what happened to me.

And I'm back.

A Week On The Bounty

It ain't no use, we're headed for disaster.

Our minds say no, but our hearts keep beating faster.

Ah! Leah! Here we go again.

Ah! Leah! Is it ever going to end?

Ah! Leah! Here we go again.

Ah! Leah! We ain't learned our lesson yet.

Ah! Leah!, Mark Avsec & Donnie Iris (1980).

Ready to roll on Day 1 of the inaugural Black Hills Bounty (2021).
Paul Brasby, Lane Bergen, Ben Cooper, Jeffrey Bloom, Craig Groseth, Mark Hoffman.

For the fifth consecutive year, Paul Brasby and his aging crew with reconstructed joints are preparing to return for another weeklong bikepacking tour of the Black Hills of South Dakota. See, Black Hills Bounty Page.

While the miles and smiles of prior rides linger fondly, deeper reflection reveals a consistent pattern to the group dynamics of this weeklong bikepacking trip. 

It goes something like this, regardless of the actual difficulty of any day.

Day 1 - This is awesome!

Day 2 - Why do I do this?

Day 3 - This sucks!

Day 4 - I suck!

Day 5 - I might be OK.

Day 6 - This is awesome!

Day 7 - Next year! For sure!

Takeaway? Stick with it. It's always worth it.

Ah, Leah! Donnie Iris (1980).

Introducing The BackBone Buffet - A 200 Mile Bikepacking Sampler

Introducing the Black Hills BackBone Buffet.

A new bikepacking route that cherry-picks the best rough roads found on the original BackBone, DoubleBackBone, BackBone Grande, BackBone DoubleGrande, and even some Bounty routes to showcase the best of the Central Black Hills in a memorable 200 mile loop.

If you're looking to bikepack more than an Overnighter, but less than a week, in the Black Hills of South Dakota, here's a 200 mile loop that samples a sweet smattering of each of those BackBone routes. At 40-50 miles/3,200'-4,000' gain per day, that's a tantalizing 4-5 day tour. Great all on its own, or a shake-down for something bigger.

Of course, one could more aggressively tackle the BackBone Buffet as an Overnighter of back-to-back centuries or even a through-ride of a double century. It's just a route, after all, not an event. You do you.

For the RideWithGPS file, go to Black Hills BackBone Buffet.

Here's an overview.

Start at Hill City riding north on the Mickelson Trail. Follow the BackBone Grande route north to Black Fox Campground (Gold Mountain, tunnels, Castle Peak, Moonshine Gulch). See, BackBone Grande Page.

Continue on the original BackBone up Black Fox Camp Road, over Flag Mountain (taking the spur to the lookout), down to Deerfield Lake (with a short stretch of single track Trail 40L), and down Williams Gulch Road. See, BackBone & DoubleBackBone Page.

Jog a bit west on the DoubleBackBone and some Bounty roads (Jasper fire area) to pick up the BackBone DoubleGrande (a route not yet finalized) over to and down Red Bird Canyon. See, Bounty Page and Red Bird Canyon.

Continue south on the BackBone DoubleGrande, veer off on Bounty roads to McKenna Springs (abandoned road), and pass Jewel Cave National Monument. See, Connecting.

Take more Bounty roads back to another part of the BackBone (overlook view of Crazy Horse Memorial) and drop into Custer. 

Finally, Custer to Hill City on the BackBone Grande Mt. Rushmore Alternative (Sylvan Lake, Needles Highway, Iron Mountain Road, Mt. Rushmore). See, BackBone Grande - Mt. Rushmore Alternative.

Total = 202 miles/16,200' gain.

Here are a few approaches.

1. 4 day tour (50 miles/4,000' gain average):  Day 1 = Hill City to USFS Whitetail Campground at Deerfield Lake (60 miles/5,300'); Day 2 = Whitetail to McKenna Springs (62 miles/3,500'); Day 3 = McKenna Springs to Custer (38 miles/3,200'); Day 4 = Custer to Hill City via Mt. Rushmore (42 miles/4,600').

2. 5 day tour (40 miles/3,200' gain average, for a Bounty-type experience): Day 1 = Hill City to USFS Black Fox Campground (40 miles/3,400'); Day 2 = Black Fox to disperse camp (40 miles/3,500'); Day 3 = disperse camp to McKenna Springs (42 miles/2,200'); Day 4 = McKenna Springs to Custer (38 miles/3,200'); Day 5 = Custer to Hill City via Mt. Rushmore (42 miles/4,600').

3. 2 day ride (100 miles/8,100' gain average, early training for a Tour Divide-type racer): Day 1 = Hill City to McKenna Springs (122 miles/8,800'); Day 2 = McKenna Springs to Hill City (80 miles/7,800').

+. One also could add 50-60 miles by riding from Rapid City to the Hill City start and then back to a Rapid City finish.

With many miles of solid Black Hills National Forest Service roads, the BackBone Buffet route may seem pretty tame. While some miles roll fast, others do not. More than a few miles of Low Standard roads await, along with abandoned roads and some single track. Also, those miles from Deerfield Lake (mile 60) to Custer (mile 160) offer no services and no resupply. Cell service is spotty or non-existent. On the other hand, there is a reliable spring at McKenna Springs (mile 122) and some surface water. So, it should be a nice bikepacking challenge, without being too much for most. When loaded for multi-day bikepacking, I prefer a bike with 2 inch or wider tires for this route.

For introductions, ride reports, images, maps, and other details of the routes that contain most of the roads on this BackBone Buffet route, here are links to the Black Hills BackBone & DoubleBackBone Page, the Black Hills BackBone Grande Page, and the Black Hills Bounty Page.

Not Today

The end is inevitable, Maverick. Your kind is headed for extinction.

Rear Admiral Chester "Hammer" Cain.

Maybe so, sir. But not today. 

Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell. 

Top Gun: Maverick (2022).

My rigid steel 2018 Jones 29+, built 2x11 for geared bikepacking.

E-bike this. E-bike that. E-bike whatever.

You do you. 

Not for me.

The current e-bike trend reminds me of racing mountain bikes in the 1990's, when you could outright buy better performance.

Front suspension, and then full suspension, developed at dizzying speeds in chaotic forms, fueling an arms race for the latest, greatest technological breakthrough. Buy the new, shiny gizmo and, if it didn't break, rocket past all your friends and boost your weekend warrior status. Talk about a performance enhancing drug.

Other innovations piled on, promising to make one even faster, smoother, more in control, and more cool.

My 1997 Specialized StumpJumper Pro (circa 2014, when finally sold).
Original frame & cranks, practically everything else replaced after breaking/wearing out.
Final mountain bike with any suspension.

After racing with lighter, better suspension for awhile, I decided not to be the same guy who simply bought technology to ride faster. Or easier. Or over more difficult terrain.

For example, I didn't want suspension to carry me over obstacles. I wanted to ride the best line. If that put an upper limit on speed or the difficulty of the trail, so be it.

So in 2003, I converted to fully rigid, and never turned back.

Yes, I rode slower, crashed more often, and walked more technical stretches than I would have on the latest, greatest suspension wunderbike. But I rode. The bike didn't carry me.

Whatever my level of performance, absolute or relative, I earned. I didn't buy.

My steel 1991 Specialized RockHopper, set up for commuting (circa 2020).
Repainted, rebadged, and re-configured several times, never suspended.

That's where I'm at with e-bikes. They're just not for me.

Now, I ride even slower and over less difficult terrain than a few years ago. I'll probably ride even slower next year. And walk my bike more.

No worries. If you're bikepacking with me, I'll catch up on the next pass, or over lunch, or at the campsite, or sometime the next day, or maybe the next week, or not.

No matter. I know that I'll get there. And that I'm powering my bike. 

E-bike for me?

Not today.

Not today. Maverick Top Gun (2022).

24 Hours In The Old Pueblo - 2025

Every gambler knows that the secret to survivin'

is knowin' what to throw away, and knowing what to keep.

Cause every hand's a winner, and every hand's a loser,

And the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep.

You got to know when to hold 'em. Know when to fold 'em.

Know when to walk away. Know when to run.

You never count your money, when you're sittin' at the table,

There'll be time enough for countin', when the dealing's done.

The Gambler, Don Schlitz (1978).

Sunset lap at the 2025 24 Hours In The Old Pueblo.
The cholla do not sleep.

After last year's rollicking race at the 24 Hours In The Old Pueblo, I had to go back. See, 24 Hours In The Old Pueblo - 2024 Race Report. 

So, I planned to ride solo again. To help justify the 20 hour one-way drive, I added a weekend with our daughter Cara in Denver, 3 days volunteering at the race, 3 days for the race itself, and another 6 days in Phoenix with a brother and a sister. That worked out to an 18 day road trip, taking a big bite out of a South Dakota February.

Overall? Great road trip. Rough race.

Sunrise at 24 Hour Town.

Let's deal with the race first. I came into race day with limited training, low energy, and little fire. For weeks, I had been fighting a lingering cold/flu/something that would not go away and left me in a continuous state of fatigue. I decided to start anyhow and work through it.

After four straight days of cold, overcast skies and unusually high winds in the desert, race day broke sunny and relatively calm. I felt pretty solid for the 500+ meter LeMans-style running start and throughout most of the first 16.7 mile lap. Not normal, but solid enough, I thought.

I pulled into base camp at practically the same time as last year, but this year found South Dakota Mines classmates Dave & Lori Litzen! They buzzed down from Phoenix for the weekend to check out this nutty 24 hour mountain bike race scene. Great to see you guys!

Back on the course, I faded early on the second lap. I simply had little strength, energy, or endurance. Managing my output, I stopped frequently to collect myself and finally limped into camp to prepare for the sunset/first night lap. This was going downhill rapidly.

Sunset at a 24 hour race is always magical, as it was this year. But about halfway around that lap, pitch darkness extinguished all light, and then my race. I know my normal tired at this stage and this was not it. This was a larger problem manifesting as overwhelming fatigue, growing chills, shooting stomach pain, bloating, cramps, and headache. On the final climb, I could barely pedal. The last miles took an eternity.

Eventually back at camp, I immediately changed into dry, warmer clothes for the upcoming cold night laps and searched for something hot to eat to settle things down and shake those chills. Nothing sounded good. Nothing tasted good. So, I drank some fluids, including my normal Hammer Recoverite and some hot broth. OK. Better. Maybe. But this stomach is a mess. Everything is.

Basically the same base camp as last year.

Meanwhile, temperatures plummeted. Angry winds awakened. Chills deepened. Stomach pain intensified.

I retreated into my Jeep. Racing thoughts vainly sought a path through this.

Realistically, I knew that I was in no condition to get back out there. Not now. Not for awhile. 

OK. I'll re-assess in 20 minutes. Sigh. OK. Maybe awhile longer. Another 20 minutes. Heavier sigh. SMH. OK, another hour.

Still not anywhere near OK. 

I knew that digging too deeply to finish an endurance event can result in months to fully recover. I knew that, in the past, I have lost at least two or three summers that way. Is this the time to dig that deep?

Ultimately, I decided no. This was not that time.

So, I rode 3 laps in about 8 hours, with 2 long breaks. Call it my own 8 Hours In The Old Pueblo.

And I lived to ride another day, much sooner.

SD Mines classmates Dave & Lori Litzen checking out the scene.
I'm still smiling after the first lap.

Other than a rough race, I enjoyed a great road trip. I first visited daughter Cara in Denver for a weekend and then drove some scenic back roads to camp at the race venue at Willow Springs Ranch, north of Tucson. I volunteered at early packet pickup on Tuesday, helped with venue setup on Wednesday, and volunteered at the venue check-in on Thursday. On Friday, I met my growing assortment of neighbors and enjoyed the vendor and sponsor booths. The race ran Saturday noon to Sunday noon, shortly after of which most all of the 4,000-some people left the venue.

On Monday, I drove to Phoenix for 5 days with my brother Cyler and his family, including two days on ranch land he's developing in the hills outside Prescott. Friday evening and Saturday I spent with my sister Candy, who took a break from remodeling projects to demonstrate her prowess on a recently installed putting green. I capped it all off with a Colorado Rockies spring training game on Sunday afternoon, the highlight of which was watching kids run around the bases afterward.

Overall, a great road trip, sandwiched around a rough race.

Next year? Maybe.

Solo? Maybe. Anyone interested in a team relay?

Elite endurance athletes Colin & Kristen Schindler (formerly of Spearfish, SD) stopped by with encouragement.

Neighbor Susie with her 5 person family team from Montana.
They enjoyed a 20 hour drive, too.

Joyous Jesus (red cap) raced solo, with his dad and brother as crew.
His first ever mountain bike race.

Solo racer Ben from Colorado with his fiancee.
Ben works for the City of Breckenridge and manages the Firecracker 50 race.

Neighbor Tony raced solo, with his wife crewing. 

Solo racer Ben from Colorado pushed for the podium.

Solo racer Dustin from Alaska was out racing. This is part of his crew.
They flew from Alaska, shipped all their gear, and rented a U-Haul in Arizona as a camper.

Bonus image of kids running the bases after a Colorado Rockies spring training game.

Bonus image of Arizona State Highway 77 that eventually drops into Tucson.

The Gambler, Kenny Rogers (1978).

Heart Of The Hills - 90 Mile Overnighter

Castle Peak Road (USFS Low Standard 181).

The Heart Of The Hills Overnighter.

A 90 mile rough road overnight bikepacking loop starting and ending in Hill City.

Nothing like an Overnighter to get started.

Mickelson Trail tunnel.
(image by Paul Brasby)

From charming Hill City, The Heart of the Hills Overnighter explores about 80 miles of rough, remote USFS back roads and almost 10 miles of rails-to-trails Mickelson Trail for a two day tour showcasing the best of the Central Black Hills of South Dakota.

This forested, hilly loop passes a restored, abandoned gold mine, crosses over a trestle, eeks through old railroad tunnels, follows trout-filled streams, sidesteps to the iconic Moonshine Gulch Saloon, climbs along a beaver damned creek to an abandoned stone lookout, and meanders up and down back roads through prime elk country back to Hill City. An experiential Black Hills feast.

About 40 miles into the 90 mile loop awaits idyllic USFS Black Fox primitive campground, a sweet spot to spend the evening. Of course, one may choose to disperse camp throughout much of the Black Hills National Forest. In particular, one may wish to gradually climb another 12 miles past Black Fox to camp atop Flag Mountain by the lookout tower. 

Black Fox Camp Road (USFS Secondary 233).

This is a gravel and dirt road route, with about a mile of mellow single track, covering about 90 miles and 7,400 feet of elevation gain over 2 days. Several sections can be rocky, rutted, loose, and/or muddy, such as Horse Creek Road, Castle Peak Road, the spur up Flag Mountain, Williams Draw Road, and a few unnamed connectors. Stretches of this route have earned their way onto parts of the Black Hills BackBone, the Black Hills Bounty, the DED Dirt Ride, several Black Hills Gravel Series rides, and even the BackBone Grande. If you only have two days, here's a choice taste of bikepacking the Black Hills.

When loaded for an Overnighter on this route, I prefer a bike with 2 inch or wider tires. When riding it loaded on soft roads in late May a few years ago, I comfortably rode my Jones 29+ with 2.35 inch Bontrager XR2 tires. On the other hand, I have comfortably ridden this entire route on my single speed Black Mountain MonsterCross with 40 mm tires, but that was a single day ride. Loaded, I'd go wider.

The lookout atop Flag Mountain.

Surface water to filter is widely available along the route. Potable water is available at the Mystic Trailhead of the Mickelson Trail (mile 16.5 of Day 1), at the Moonshine Gulch Saloon, the Rochford Small of America, and the Mickelson Trailhead in Rochford (mile 32.5 of Day 1), and at the USFS White Tail Campground (mile 19.2 of Day 2). The Moonshine Gulch Saloon also offers bar food and drinks, while the Rochford Mall sells light snacks.

Located an easy 26 miles from Rapid City, Hill City is a thriving tourist town of about 1,000 residents. It offers a variety of shops and art galleries, motels and campgrounds, and restaurants and bars. Hill City is also minutes away from Mt. Rushmore National Monument, Crazy Horse Memorial, and the granite towers of Cathedral Spires along Needles Highway. The Heart of the Hills is an ideal place to launch a Black Hills adventure.

Turning off Williams Draw Road (USFS Secondary 691) onto USFS Low Standard Road 301.1R.

For an alternative experience with shorter riding days, one could make a 3 day/2 night trip by riding 26 miles to camp at USFS Castle Peak Campground on Day 1, ride 33 miles to camp at USFS White Tail Campground on Day 2, and ride 31 miles to finish on Day 3. Of course, one could also go the other way, ditch the camping altogether, and ride the entire 90 miles loop in a single day.

This route is publicly available on RideWithGPS at Heart Of The Hills Overnight. 

Great Divide Mountain Bike Route Page - 2025 Bump

Spent the last year Rocky Mountain way,

Couldn't get much higher,

Out to pasture, think it's safe to say,

Time to open fire.

Rocky Mountain Way, Joey Vitale, Joe Walsh, Ken Passarelli & Rocke Grave (1973).

Out there, on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route.
(image by Paul Brasby)

In late summer 2021, I rode the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route self-supported from the Canadian border at Roosville, Montana to the Mexican border at Antelope Wells, New Mexico. It was an amazing, unforgettable experience. I'll always cherish that overwhelming feeling of pure joy and utter disbelief at the finish. That is why to dream audaciously, set goals boldly, and work relentlessly to achieve. 

After riding 7 weeks on the Great Divide, I spent the next 7 months writing about it. Over the Fall and Winter of 2021, and well into the Spring of 2022, I published 50 blog posts about my experience. Stories of individual happenings or days flowed easily, but expressing the overall experience proved difficult. I know that I still have not adequately covered it. 

Nonetheless, to this day, I still see traffic on many of these posts. Now, with the New Year, I know that folks are preparing for their own ride of the Great Divide this summer and are looking for information and encouragement. So, I'm bumping a post from 2022 when I made those Great Divide posts easier to find by creating a separate Page just for them.

On the right side of the main Black Hills BackBone blog, look for the section called "Pages." There is one called "Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (2021)." On that Page, you will find links to my Great Divide blog posts on a variety of subjects, including preparations, gear lists, packing, bike set-up, logistics, navigation, food, encounters with others, adaptations, and the all important mental aspect. Photographs adorn each post. There's even a slide show with one representative image for each day and an entire Gallery of amazing Paul Brasby images. 

If you plan to ride the Great Divide, or you just want to read along with my ride, it's a place to start.

Rocky Mountain Way, Joe Walsh (1973).

Rocky Mountain Way, Joe Walsh (live at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium 1976)

Cloud Peak 500 Page - 2025 Bump

The Cloud Peak 500. A unique ride through the Old West. And another great shake out ride for the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route.

In late 2019, compadre Lucas Haan alerted me to the Cloud Peak 500 bikepacking route in the Big Horn Mountains of Central Wyoming. I immediately recognized its potential as a primo shake out ride as part of my long running preparations to ride the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. The Cloud Peak 500 offered about 20 percent of the distance and elevation gain of the Great Divide on a seemingly similar variety of remote roads and terrain, with occasional small towns for re-supply. As a bonus, the Big Horns are but a few hours from Rapid City. I marked it as a priority ride for 2020. 

Meanwhile, cycling friend Paul Brasby of North Platte, Nebraska caught wind of my Cloud Peak 500 plans. As a long time successful road racer, Paul was an enthusiastic gravel racer and bikepacker with both eyes fixed on riding the Great Divide. He also concluded that the Cloud Peak 500 looked to be an ideal ride to prepare for that, as well as a great ride on its own. We decided to start together and see how it goes. 

Dropping off Dude's Downhill on the Cloud Peak 500.
(photo by Paul Brasby)

Over seven long, hot days in August 2020, we rode the Cloud Peak 500 route, which was my longest, hardest, and overall biggest ride of that year. Although I stopped short of 500 miles, Paul rode on, through a gauntlet of challenges, to become the first, and still only, official finisher of the Cloud Peak 500 bikepacking race.

I then wrote a series of blog posts about our experience, primarily as a scrapbook for me and any friends that might enjoy it, but also as a resource for others who may be intrigued. Those Daily Ride reports describe our experience and the Logistics reports reveal much to help plan such a ride. 

Eventually, I compiled all those blog posts onto a single Page called Cloud Peak 500 Page (2020) that appears within a column of Pages on the right side of the Black Hills BackBone blog. If you're looking for a shake out ride to prepare for the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, or just looking for a unique 500 mile bikepacking adventure in Central Wyoming, take a look at the Cloud Peak 500.

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly - 2025 Bump

The way back to town is only 70 miles. If you save your breath, I feel a man like you can manage it.

Blondie encouraging Tuco, The Good, The Bad & The Ugly (1966). 

The United States Forest Service (USFS) categorizes the roads within its boundaries as "Primary Routes," "Secondary Routes," or "Low Standard Routes." That's it. Just three categories for the staggering variety of roads in our national forests.

Well, it's a start. Here's a USFS graphic introducing each category of Forest Service roads.

As an introduction to understanding these categories of roads in the Black Hills National Forest, here are some of my general observations, with representative photographs. Whatever the USFS calls them and however I describe them, every road in the Black Hills will deliver a variety of riding conditions and challenges that change over time. Your eyes on the road and tires on the ground are the best way to know these roads.

Note that the USFS manages extensive logging operations in selected parts of the Black Hills. In large part, that's why most of these roads exist. Yield to all traffic out there, but especially the big logging trucks. And be thankful to be able to ride on the seemingly unlimited roads resulting from their work.

The Good (USFS Primary Route)

The most developed non-paved road in the USFS system is the Primary Route, which is designed, built, and maintained for year around, regular travel by standard passenger cars. In the Black Hills, the surface of these roads typically is moderately graveled, hard packed local dirt and limestone that drains water well, and generally does not instantly clog, at least not like Iowa top soil, Nebraska talc, or Oklahoma clay. Some roads are treated with Magnesium Chloride, which hardens and stabilizes the surface.

Primary Routes generally are wide enough for opposing motorized traffic to pass easily. If enough gravel exists to form tracks, there would be three or even four. Often a small shoulder will accumulate a bit more gravel that has been pushed off to the side. Relatively high speed vehicle traffic may create washboards and pockets of loose gravel in spots, especially around curves and corners.

My ride of choice for Primary Routes is my Alchemy Ronin Titanium gravel bike or my Black Mountain Cycles Monster Cross bike, set up with 40 mm Schwalbe G-One tires. Even when loaded for multi-day bikepacking, these gravel bikes provide plenty of support and control to comfortably ride all day on these roads. Relatively speaking, Primary Routes are fast.

On USFS maps and signage, a Primary Route is designated by brown sign with a two or three digit number enclosed in a rounded corner, isosceles trapezoid having the longer parallel side on top, as shown below for Boles Canyon Road (117). 

The following photographs are representative of USFS Primary Routes in the Black Hills.

The Bad (USFS Secondary Route)

The next level of developed, non-paved roads in the USFS system is the Secondary Route, which is maintained for high clearance vehicles. In the Black Hills, USFS Secondary Routes typically are similar in composition to Primary Routes, that is, hard packed dirt and limestone that handles water well and does not overly clog. However, the surface may be even less graveled, or just occasionally graveled, or not graveled at all. Almost certainly, it will not be treated with Magnesium Chloride. Foremost, that means Secondary Routes are more susceptible to mud when wet and ruts when dry.

Due to less maintenance, Secondary Routes also sport occasional loose dirt, exposed surface rock, pot holes, standing water, and fallen timber, while presenting sharper turns, steeper gradients, and shorter sight lines. Also, Secondary Routes typically are two tracks wide, often with little to no shoulder. If a motorized vehicle approaches, I typically pull off the road to allow it to pass. For logging trucks, I definitely leave the road.

All that being said, many Secondary Routes in the Black Hills are passable in dry conditions in passenger cars, if attentive to occasional obstacles and clearance issues. For example, In 2017, I confirmed new cue sheets for the slightly modified Black Hills BackBone route driving my 2006 Chevrolet HHR, hardly a high clearance vehicle. Over the 310 mile route, with many miles of Secondary Routes, I maneuvered around a few high-center issues and only had to skirt one fallen tree blocking the road. These roads can be fast, so stay alert.

My ride of choice for most Black Hills Secondary Routes is still one of my gravel bikes with 40 mm tires. These roads may be rougher and mountain bike type gearing may be helpful in spots, but most of these roads are developed enough for me on a gravel bike. On the other hand, if loaded for a multi-day ride with significant miles of Secondary Routes, I may well opt for my Jones 29+ mountain bike with bigger tires.

On USFS maps and signage, a Secondary Route is designated by a three or four digit number enclosed in a brown, rounded corner rectangular sign, as shown below for Williams Draw Road (691).

The following photographs show three USFS Secondary Routes in the Black Hills.

The Ugly (USFS Low Standard Route)

The third level of developed, non-paved road in the USFS system is the Low Standard Route, which is unimproved and not maintained for automobiles. The Forest Service recommends travel by vehicles with both high clearance and four wheel drive. I would add driver experience and prudence.

Design, construction, and maintenance of Low Standard Routes are all over the map, even along a single numbered road. Some sections may be soft dirt, while others are rock gardens. If wet, standing water and mud can be a real issue, leaving deep ruts when dry. Maybe a load of chunky rock was dumped to stabilize a low spot, or maybe not and there's a stream to ford. They are rough, sometimes little more than a bull dozed logging trail. For me, this is mountain bike territory, for tires and gears, even unloaded, for anything more than a short connector.

Many, many, many Low Standard Routes are dead-end spurs that were built to get to a spot for logging. Maybe some spurs later connect to something else and haven't made it on a map, or maybe not. I often refer to the USFS Motorized Vehicle Use Maps, which are updated every year and prove to be pretty accurate. However you navigate, count on no cell coverage and no passing traffic of any kind. You are on your own.

If you like this kind of riding, the Black Hills offer a lifetime of miles to explore.

On USFS signage, a Low Standard Route is designated with a three-digit number vertically imprinted on short, 4 inch wide, brown carbonite post. On USFS maps, it's just a plain three-digit number. The designation of any road emanating from that Low Standard Route adds a decimal and another number. For example, in the Black Hills, USFS 278.1 runs off of USFS 278. Then, any roads running off of USFS 278.1 get letters, the first being USFS 278.1A, then 278.1B, and so on. It can be confusing in the field and USFS map navigation is an entirely separate subject. Just know that any carbonite USFS road sign with a three-digit number, or with decimal numbers, or with letters, identifies a Low Standard Route.

Shown below is a sign for Low Standard Route 242, and then one for Low Standard Route 325.1D.

The following photographs show a sampling of USFS Low Standard Routes in the Black Hills. I captured all of these images while out riding, with the sole exception of the last photograph, which Lucas Haan provided as an example of a deposit of chunky gravel. I included more photographs of Low Standard Routes because of their great variety.

To wrap this up, here's a fun rendition of Ennio Morricone's 1966 composition of music for the movie "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly," performed by the Danish National Symphony Orchestra in 2018.

The Good, The Bad And The Ugly, Danish National Symphony Orchestra (2018)