Over the course of many days of riding with me in 2020, cycling buddy Paul Brasby wondered aloud of a possible bikepacking tour of the Black Hills of South Dakota. We eventually developed the concept of a week long, mixed road tour on my favorite remote, rough roads in the Black Hills, designed around a rider like Paul on a bike like his Salsa CutThroat. In other words, a relatively short, remote, rough road tour for a seasoned bike packer on a loaded mountain bike. With a treasure trove of roads and sights from which to choose, I called the ride The Black Hills Bounty and set out to create it.
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| Of course, we kick this whole thing off with a USFS Low Standard Road. First road on Day 1 of Year 1 of the Black Hills Bounty. (image by Lane Bergen) |
For 2021, we eventually developed a plan to ride 5 days in the Central Black Hills, based out of the tourist town of Custer. Early that summer, a group of six friends rode throughout the Heart of the Hills, including a Bucket List ride up iconic Iron Mountain Road to Mount Rushmore and down Needles Highway. That bit of Bounty only fueled their desire for more.
So, for 2022, we rode for 5 days deep into the Southern Black Hills, pedaling South from Custer and then both East to the prairie's edge and West back into the hills. The route covered a similar mix of rough back roads, but more remote, requiring the next level of water, food, and shelter management. Not surprisingly, the experience sparked further interest in the Bounty, both from within and without the group.
In 2023, we embarked on a 6 day tour of the Northern Black Hills of South Dakota and the Bear Lodge Mountains of Wyoming, with a jaunt out to Devil's Tower National Monument. Once again, we hit about every type of Forest Service road and added a few twists, including a climb on grass-covered trails through a cross-country ski area. Every day, big views and bold autumn colors flood our senses.
For 2024, Paul decided to take on a chunk of the BackBone Grande, my bikepacking route that crosses the entire State of South Dakota on remote, rough roads smack through the best of the Black Hills and surrounding prairie. Our 7 day ride meandered from High Plains Homestead RV Camp, just south of the Nebraska border, to the town of Spearfish, via Buffalo Gap National Grasslands, Wind Cave National Park, Custer State Park along Needles Highway and Iron Mountain Road, Mt. Rushmore, and much, much more.
With the Black Hills Bounty rides stretching over several years, I created a Page that introduces and links every blog post by year. That Page is for all riders of the Black Hills Bounty, along with everyone else willing to stretch their comfort zone into new experiences in unfamiliar lands.
Hopefully, the Black Hills Bounty Page will be adding posts for years to come.
A. 2021 Black Hills Bounty
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| 2021 Black Hills Bounty. Paul Brasby, Lane Bergen, Craig Groseth, Mark Hoffman, Ben Cooper, Jeff Bloom. |
For the past three months, much of my riding has been scouting Black Hills back roads to create a 5 day bikepacking ride for Paul Brasby and a few friends.
I'm aiming for fun, memorable and appropriately challenging, but with all the unpredictable variables, you just don't know how it's all going to turn out.
And that may be the most fun of all.
It's coming together. The Black Hills Bounty. A 5 day rough road bikepacking tour that I'm creating for Nebraskan Paul Brasby and a few of his friends.
I started with a general outline of favorite roads, big views, and memorable highlights and then explored Low Standard roads to connect things. Over time, the Low Standard roads themselves became favorite roads, big views, and memorable highlights.
What fun, challenging routes lie waiting for you to create in your neck of the woods?
After months of scouting, routing, and touting, the Black Hills Bounty is finally here.
I created this 5 day back roads ride for cycling buddy Paul Brasby and his Salsa CutThroat bikepacking bike. He quickly rounds up a posse of friends from Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska to search for the abundance of treasure lying within.
"How'd the Mickelson Trail get here?"
Now there's a confidence-inspiring question from the local leading a 5 day rough road ride through barely populated back country with practically no cell coverage.
Does he know where he's going? Does he even know where he is?
Bucket list ride on Day 3 of the 2021 Black Hills Bounty.
Dropping all our bikepacking gear, we ride a classic paved loop of iconic Iron Mountain Road and Needles Highway, with a memorable lunch at Mount Rushmore.
It's so easy to take for granted familiar things. As much as I love these paved roads, I admit that I had not ridden them for several years. Now, I'll always remember the sheer joy of my out-of-state friends riding these roads for the first time.
Roster changes and a big audible revamp the end of Day 4 of the Black Hills Bounty.
But nothing thwarts our much anticipated introduction to free roaming buffalo in Custer State Park and Wind Cave National Park.
Of course, we also miss a turn, ride into a Dead End, and eek through a barely-track. All in a day's ride on the 2021 Black Hills Bounty.
I always envisioned the Black Hills Bounty as an outline for a week of back country riding and camping with friends. So, when Paul Brasby invited a gaggle of cyclists from all over, I admit to being a bit apprehensive. I did not want to manage an event.
It turned out great, because the guys that rode it were great. I'll ride again with any of them anytime.
B. 2022 Black Hills Bounty
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| 2022 Black Hills Bounty. Jon Naaf, Craig Groseth, Kevin Focx, Lane Bergen, Jeff Bloom. |
1. Connecting
As the land transitions from thick forests to grassland in the SouthWestern part of the Black Hills, Forest Service land gives way to private ranches and the number of public roads drops. With fewer options, piecing together a multi-day bikepacking trip over mixed terrain becomes more challenging.
Not surprisingly, I hit a snag. I really need a way over a ridge where no map shows one. Nothing to do but get out there.
The Black Hills Bounty is a 5 day bikepacking ride of back roads I created for some out-of-state friends. It's rapidly approaching, but I've received very few questions from this group.
These are experienced endurance cyclists. I'm sure they're just ready to ride.
Or maybe they're like the Top Gun pilots playing Dog Fight Football before their improbable mission.
3. Take Five
After last year's Black Hills Bounty, Paul Brasby & Friends ask for more.
OK. The Black Hills offer a treasure trove of back roads, but that was my Best Hits album. How to create another 5 day bikepacking trip for a growing number of out-of-state friends?
I go back to Custer and look southwest into an amazing network of back roads rarely ridden by others. Time for Bikepacking 202 on the 2022 Black Hills Bounty.
After months of scouting, routing, and touting, the 2022 Black Hills Bounty arrives.
Last year I created a 5 day back road ride for cycling buddy Paul Brasby and his Salsa CutThroat bikepacking bike. This year Paul cannot join, as he gobbled up vacation time riding the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route through Colorado and into New Mexico. Neither can others who rode last year.
But some can return for an encore and some newcomers want to check it out. So, friends from Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, and South Dakota assemble in Custer for the 2022 Black Hills Bounty. Here we go.
Day 1 of the 2022 Black Hills Bounty kicks off with Baker's Bakery for breakfast and The South Dakota Outdoors Store to replace some runaway gear.
But the first day nearly ends early when Kevin's front tire blows completely off the rim while cruising 20+ mph down Lame Johnny Road. Somehow, he stays upright, puts things back together, and soldiers on.
It all started with a Big Bang. BANG!
Day 2 of the 2022 Black Hills Bounty all starts innocently enough.
Halfway in, however, our Secondary road transforms into the Lowest of Low Standard, the sun bakes like a State Fair fried pickle, and water dissipates from bodies, bikes, and streams. Then, the unfathomable.
And the Bounty teeters on Mutiny.
Active Recovery is the mantra for Day 3 of the 2022 Black Hills Bounty.
After yesterday's near mutiny, we caucus to consider today's ride. This was to be a recovery ride, almost a rest day, from a planned dispersed campsite higher up.
To now get to that site and the moderate gravel, however, means some rough climbing for several miles. Not today. Today we're riding free and easy.
Back on track on Day 4 of the 2022 Black Hills Bounty.
Even though a cold front blasts in and threatens rain, the stubborn sun lifts layers and spirits. We spin up hard scrabble canyons and along sprawling ranches to re-enter the forest. An abandoned Low Standard Road connects us to a natural spring and a sweet, secluded dispersed campsite. Sharing the evening over dinner caps a very good day.
That's Black Hills Bounty.
Brisk winds push a cold front into our path and threaten driving rain. Our dispersed campsite deep in the forest offers several ways back to the town of Custer, all of which require many miles of rough USFS Low Standard Roads. The cold and wind are here in force. Maybe we'll make it to pavement before the big rains hit.
Day 5 of the 2022 Black Hills Bounty. Our final day. No easy way home.
C. 2023 Black Hills Bounty
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| 2023 Black Hills Bounty. Jeff Bloom, Peggy Waite-Bradley, Kevin Fox, Jon Naaf, Ben Cooper, Jeff Caldwell, Paul Brasby, Craig Groseth |
I haven't been writing, but I have been riding. And taking pictures and notes. Scouting new back roads, especially for the next Black Hills Bounty.
Autumn is such a great time to be out there. Here's a couple of pictures in the Northern Black Hills. More to come. But I'm in no hurry.
The Black Hills Bounty is my name for a week long bikepacking ride inspired by cycling buddy Paul Brasby and created for a growing posse of bikepacking friends.
For its third year, we'll explore the Northern Black Hills and Bear Lodge Mountains. The best part for me, other than riding with those guys and gals, is scouting out roads and stitching together routes. There's nothing like the search for Black Hills Bounty.
The Black Hills Bounty is an annual week long bikepacking tour of the Black Hills of South Dakota that I create for some out-of-state friends. As our 2023 ride approaches, I yet again have received very few questions from this group.
These experienced endurance cyclists are like the Top Gun pilots playing Dog Fight Football instead of training before their improbable mission.
I Aint Worried. The Official Theme Song for the Black Hills Bounty.
4. Gear List
Here's my Gear List for the 2023 Black Hills Bounty, a 6 day bikepacking tour of the Northern Black Hills of South Dakota and Bear Lodge Mountains of Wyoming, with a jaunt into the prairie for a night at Devil's Tower National Monument.
This Gear List is not much different from prior rides, but a new trip means a fresh look.
Here's how I packed all that gear for the 2023 Black Hills Bounty.
A unique ride with slightly different gear means a fresh look on how to pack it all.
Friends from three states gather at a remote U.S. Forest Service campground for the Black Hills Bounty, our annual rough road bikepacking tour of the Black Hills.
This year we will ride for 6 days throughout the Northern Black Hills of South Dakota and the Bear Lodge Mountains of Wyoming, with a jaunt out to Devil's Tower National Monument.
But that's tomorrow. Tonight we re-connect around a campfire, as we prepare for take-off. Featured here are the riders and their bikes.
Day 1 of the 2023 Black Hills Bounty dives deep into the Northern Black Hills on a mix of Forest Service back roads that eventually descend into the haunted mining camp of Galena.
We scramble out of that spirited valley up a series of rocky steeps to reach a ridge line with big views of Bear Butte and the surrounding prairie. Second breakfast fuels a mid-day push to Deadwood for a proper lunch. Dispersed camping awaits a few more hours up the trail.
Day 2 of the 2023 Black Hills Bounty warms up on some solid gravel and a bit of pavement, before rolling over Secondary Roads and, of course, some signature Low Standard Roads.
We then squeeze through a gate to enter the Eagle Cliff Ski Area, an agglomeration of abandoned two-tracks converted in the 1980's into a cross-country ski area. We navigate overgrown trails, apparently managed in warmer months only by grazing cattle, that steadily climb to a Low Standard Road along a ridge line. As the sun recedes, we negotiate our way down a rock-infested, cliff-lined canyon that eventually bottoms out at camp.
Here's the story of another challenging day of back road bikepacking, as told by our collection of pictures.
After a challenging first two days, Active Recovery is the mantra for Day 3 of the 2023 Black Hills Bounty.
We handle a chilly morning with hot coffee and breakfast at the Latch String Restaurant in Savoy and let the sun wake up a bit. Then we meander back to Roubaix Lake on pavement, good gravel, and Mickelson Trail before finally finding some dirty two track that delightfully drops us to camp.
After all, even on a recovery day, this is the Black Hills Bounty. Here's our Day 3, told in pictures.
Day 4 of the 2023 Black Hills Bounty starts in the Bear Lodge Mountains of Wyoming with a grind up Warren Peak to greet Ranger Dave at the USFS Lookout Tower.
We descend on rough Low Standard Roads and MVU Trails, with ruts, rocks, mud and even a creek crossing. A final pitch reaches an exposed ridge line for lunch with big views, maybe the best all week. Whoop-filled, mudhole-pocketed Low Standard Roads drop us to good county gravel and some pavement to Devil's Tower National Monument for the evening.
Here's our story of a rollicking Day 4, as told by a collection of our pictures.
To return to the Bear Lodge Mountains from Devil's Tower National Monument, our route goes nowhere but up for much of Day 5 of the 2023 Black Hills Bounty.
Hmmn. I wonder whether to tell them.
Here's our story of a climbing Day 5, as told by a collection of our pictures.
Day 6 of the 2023 Black Hills Bounty.
Our last day, which typically is pretty short. And always a bittersweet end to our adventure/vacation.
Here's our story of a relaxing Day 6, with finishing pictures of each rider and bike.
D. 2024 Black Hills Bounty
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| 2024 Black Hills Bounty. Craig Groseth, Paul Brasby, Luke Gerstein, Jeff Caldwell, D.B. Cooper. |
The Black Hills Bounty is an annual week long bikepacking tour that I create for some out-of-state friends. Every year, these experienced cyclists ask very few questions beforehand. They just show up and crush it.
They're like the Top Gun pilots playing Dog Fight Football before an improbable mission.
They Aint Worried.
Friends from three states gather for the Black Hills Bounty, our annual rough road bikepacking tour of the Black Hills of South Dakota.
This year, we'll ride for 7 days along the BackBone Grande route, with a wrinkle on Day 4 to wind down Needles Highway, climb Iron Mountain Road, and enjoy lunch at Mount Rushmore.
But all that lies ahead. Now, we re-connect over dinner in an Old West saloon at the High Plains Homestead. And eagerly anticipate the morn.
Day 1 of the 2024 Black Hills Bounty ventured into the seemingly endless ocean of grass in Buffalo Gap National Grasslands.
Never easy, these rough two-track prairie trails offered no water, no shade, and no respite from the unrelenting sun. Our day collapsed in the withering heat.
This is no country for young men.
Never easy, these rough two-track prairie trails offered no water, no shade, and no respite from the unrelenting sun. Our day collapsed in the withering heat.
This is no country for young men.
Day 2 of the 2024 Black Hills Bounty. UNCLE!
To continue riding the BackBone Grande route meant returning to the oven called Buffalo Gap National Grasslands for another 95 degree day. The crew gave that prospect a hard NO.
So, we went straight to our planned Day 3 and rode from Buffalo Gap into the cooler, more protected Black Hills. Of course, even that simple solution required an audible.
Day 3 of the 2024 Black Hills Bounty.
It's been a rough start.
Easy does it.
Day 4 of the 2024 Black Hills Bounty.
Sylvan Lake, Needles Highway, Iron Creek Trail, Iron Mountain Road, Mt. Rushmore.
The joy of a touring cyclist. We're back!
Sylvan Lake, Needles Highway, Iron Creek Trail, Iron Mountain Road, Mt. Rushmore.
The joy of a touring cyclist. We're back!
Day 5 of the 2024 Black Hills Bounty.
After a rough start, we're back to fully loaded bikepacking on the BackBone Grande.
At last.
Day 6 of the 2024 Black Hills Bounty.
Forest gravel roads wind through cliff-lined canyons to connect a series of Low Standard Roads, eventually dissipating into a grassy meadow. Tracking the remnants of an abandoned two-track, we land in Lost Canyon for a memorable final night.
This is the way.
Day 7 of the 2024 Black Hills Bounty.
A wake-up for a short descent from Lost Canyon to Spearfish.
Going home.
A wake-up for a short descent from Lost Canyon to Spearfish.
Going home.
Enjoyed the posts. Hope to join the group next time.
ReplyDeleteIs there a GPX file for the 2023 version?
ReplyDeleteHere's a link to my RideWithGPS collection of publicly available files for the 6 days of the 2023 Black Hills Bounty as planned. I should probably post this separately. Thanks for your interest. Let me know if you have any questions. https://ridewithgps.com/collections/59497?privacy_code=BaWnawQE87eia6fy
ReplyDelete