BackBone Buffet - Dive In

I'm diving in, I'm going deep, in over my head I want to be

Caught in the rush, lost in the flow, in over my head I want to go

The river's deep, the river's wide, the river's water is alive

So, sink or swim, I'm diving in (I'm diving in, I'm diving in, I'm diving in)

Dive, Steven Curtis Chapman (2011)

USFS Secondary Road 376 through Red Bird Canyon

The Black Hills BackBone Buffet.

A 200 mile rough road bikepacking loop out of Hill City.

When it's time to dive a little deeper into the Black Hills.

Getting out there on Gillette Canyon Road (USFS Secondary Road 296).

The BackBone Buffet 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 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 up Hell Canyon on Double Grande roads and trails and onto another part of the BackBone (overlook view of Crazy Horse Memorial) to 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 (average 50 miles/4,000' gain):  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 (average 40 miles/3,200' gain, 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, 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 Hill City to start the Buffet and then from Hill City back to Rapid City afterward.

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 100 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 some surface water, as well as a spring at McKenna Springs (mile 122) and Water Draw Springs (mile 134). So, it should be a nice bikepacking challenge, without being too much for most. When loaded for multi-day bikepacking, I prefer a mountain bike with 2.2 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.

Dive, Steven Curtis Chapman (2011)