BackBone Grande Visual Tour (1) - Nebraska Border to Buffalo Gap (miles 0-95)

It's a new dawn

It's a new day

It's a new life

For me

And I'm feeling good.

Anthony Newley & Leslie Brucesse (1964).

The BackBone Grande is my 420+ mile backroad bikepacking route across the State of South Dakota along the spine of the Black Hills and through the surrounding prairie. Inspired by my experience riding the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, I designed it to create that type of experience here in my back yard. Tracking rough roads that showcase the best of our scenery, history, culture, and wildlife, the BackBone Grande is a great ride on its own and as a shakedown for the GDMBR.  For a collection of my stories all about it, go the BackBone Grande Page.

For those more visual learners, I've selected images along the route from various scouting trips, the first through-ride, and other rides. Here is my first installment of the BackBone Grande Visual Tour, from the Nebraska border start to the town of Buffalo Gap (miles 0-95).

In the first 35 miles, the BackBone Grande pokes into the dust bin of a near ghost town and flies on county gravel roads into wide open, grass-covered rolling ranch land dotted with cattle, pronghorn, deer, and elk.

It then dives deeply into Buffalo Gap National Grassland on barely built and practically unmarked dirt two track. Over the next 45 miles, waves of grass cascade to the horizon in all directions as the "roads" wind through the exposed vastness of the open prairie. It's like nothing else on this or any other route around.

You feel like you're really out there. Because you are.

And you're feeling good.

Here's a photo gallery of the BackBone Grande route from the Nebraska border to the town of Buffalo Gap (miles 0-95). Also, here are links to prior blog posts about this section. Introducing the BackBone Grande - Buffalo Gap National Grassland; The First Through-Ride - Right Vibe Right Away; More Grassland!; Even More Grassland!; The Challenge of Buffalo Gap National Grassland.

State Highway 71 at the South Dakota/Nebraska border.

Less than 2 miles from the start lies the Ardmore Volunteer Fire Department rest area.
(image by Paul Brasby)

Riding east on County Road 5 out of the near ghost town of Ardmore.
(image by Paul Brasby)

Looking east on County Road 5 rolling through southern Fall River County.
If it's green out there, it's Spring.
(image by Paul Brasby)

Relatively small pockets of Buffalo Gap National Grassland dot the prairie along County Road 5.

Entering Buffalo Gap National Grassland on BLM Road 7026 from Wilcox Road.

Riding east on BLM Road 7026 in Buffalo Gap National Grassland. Spring 2023.
(image by Paul Brasby)

Opening (and then closing) another cattle gate on BLM Road 7026.

BLM Road 7026 is actually visible in fall after a summer of heat and cattle grazing.

Still riding east on BLM Road 7026, but about to turn due north. Don't miss it.
(image by Paul Brasby)

Pushing north on BLM Road 7026. No, this prairie is not flat and is not smooth.
(image by Paul Brasby)

"Riding" north on BLM Road 7026. It's much steeper and rougher here than it looks.
(image by Paul Brasby)

That's a lot of prairie. BLM Road 7026.
(image by Paul Brasby)

Finding some tracks on BLM Road 7026, with the Black Hills in the distant haze.
(image by Paul Brasby)

Riding north on BLM Road 7026, a glimpse of what eventually may be gravel.
(image by Paul Brasby)

More and more dirt two track further north on BLM Road 7026.
(image by Paul Brasby)

Water and dispersed camping at Limestone Butte Reservoir along BLM Road 7026.
(image by Paul Brasby)

After Limestone Butte Reservoir, BLM Road 7026 actually sports some gravel.
(image by Paul Brasby)

Back to driven-in two track over grass on BLM Road 7043.

About 15 miles of rough two track across otherwise trackless prairie on BLM Road 7045.
By the early fall, the spring green is long gone and the tracks are easier to follow.

The occasional cattle water tank may or may not contain water.

Looking back to the south when leaving Buffalo Gap National Grassland on BLM Road 7045.

Fall River County Road 6291 crossing the Cheyenne River en route to Buffalo Gap.

Buffalo Gap Trading Post welcomes the weary traveler.
(image by Paul Brasby)

Buffalo Gap Trading Post music venue.
(image by Paul Brasby)

Feeling Good, Nina Simone (1965).

Brain Storming With A Kindred Spirit

Dizzy

I'm so dizzy, my head is spinning

Like a whirlpool, it never ends.

Dizzy, Tommy Roe & Freddie Weller (1968)

Designing an appropriately challenging backcountry bicycle route is like any other creative effort. 

One can create alone, but results sharpen with insight from the right other. Besides, back-and-forth brainstorming can be great fun.

This Calvin & Hobbes cartoon reminds me of many such sessions with cycling compatriot Lucas Haan, as one of us proffered a possible remote gravel road ride or a dirt bikepacking route. 

Regardless of where we started or ended, somewhere along the way bugs would be getting dizzy and barfing! And liking it!

Dizzy, Tommy Roe (1968).

BackBone DoubleGrande - Work In Progress

I got eight little fingers and only two thumbs

Will you leave me in peace while I get the job done

Can't you see I'm working

Oh, oh, I'm working on it

Oh, oh, I'm working on it

Working On It, Chris Rea (1989)

The BackBone Grande (blue line above) is complete.
The BackBone DoubleGrande (red line above) is deep in beta testing, but will look something like this.

I created my BackBone Grande route specifically for bikepacking the best rough roads across the State of South Dakota along the spine of the Black Hills and across the surrounding prairie. See, Introducing the BackBone Grande. By its very nature, it was a point-to-point route, like its inspiration, the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. See, Yes, Point-to-Point.

Almost immediately after publishing the BackBone Grande in January 2023, however, I began receiving requests for a return route, i.e., to create a loop from the finish at the North Dakota border to the start at the Nebraska border. But I just wanted to ride the route, not in bits and pieces over years, but as a through-ride accumulating miles, challenges, thoughts, and emotions as continuously presented. I needed a single, long through-ride to fully experience the BackBone Grande.

So, in June 2023, I rode the first through-ride of the BackBone Grande with bikepacking buddy Paul Brasby. See, BackBone Grande - The First Through-Ride. I loved it. Afterward, I tweaked a couple of stretches and later added more amazing tracks through Buffalo Gap National Grasslands. See, e.g., The Challenge of Buffalo Gap National Grasslands. Eventually, I created a Page compiling all my BackBone Grande posts to help others intrigued by the possibility of such an experience. BackBone Grande Page.

Everybody loves bikepacking through Devil's Tower National Monument!

With the BackBone Grande completed in every way, I finally started to visualize a return route, what I called the "DoubleBackBone." This return route would not be limited to the State of South Dakota, so I looked westward into a sliver of Montana and chunks of Wyoming. And I decided to amp up the logistical challenges by venturing more remote than the BackBone Grande. This would not be "more of the same," but a markedly different experience not for the uninitiated.

Into the Fall of 2023 and continuing still, I have been researching possible routes by scouring digital and paper maps, reviewing reports and images of prior rides by myself and others, and, most importantly, physically scouting possibilities by Jeep and by Jones. The bikepacking options out here are an outright embarrassment of riches.

Great spot for lunch in the Bear Lodge Mountains of Wyoming.
(image by Kevin Fox)

All that takes time. For example, just to drive highways to the North Dakota border is about 3 hours one-way from Rapid City. The Nebraska border start of the BackBone Grande is a solid 2 hours one-way. Areas further west and more remote take even longer.

But the real time sink is scouting as many roads and near-roads as possible to select and connect the very best for the intended route. In Black Hills National Forest, that may be a never-ending task, with virtually unlimited mapped and unmapped tracks spider-webbing the public lands of the Black Hills. Out in the prairie, with a high percentage of land privately owned, the options of public roads and paths shrink dramatically. But it all still takes time.

Back in the Northern Black Hills of South Dakota.

So, from the Fall of 2023, throughout 2024, and now into 2025, I have continued to piece together a BackBone DoubleGrande route. Sometimes, seemingly all roads that I follow lead to nothing particularly unique or even to dead-ends. Sometimes, scouting for other routes, like the new BackBone Buffet or the next Black Hills Bounty, leads me to roads and trails that I am compelled to include on the DoubleGrande. See, e.g., Red Bird Canyon. 

As shown in the map above, the BackBone DoubleGrande generally will wind from the North Dakota border at the end of the BackBone Grande to Camp Crook, cut across the southeastern corner of Montana, and climb into northeastern Wyoming at Devil's Tower National Monument. It then climbs further into the Bear Lodge Mountains, drops into Sundance, re-enters the Black Hills zig-zagging the Wyoming/South Dakota border, traverses the western reaches of the Black Hills, and descends into grasslands leading to the Nebraska border, connecting to the start of the BackBone Grande.

Red Bird Canyon in the Southern Black Hills.

As of now, the BackBone DoubleGrande totals 446.5 miles/27,373' elevation gain. For reference, the BackBone Grande totals 421.3 miles/23,875' elevation gain. Ride those two routes as one, big, bad loop of 867.8 miles/51,248' elevation gain.

Once completed, that will be one Grande way to experience the greater Black Hills area.

But there's still work to be done. ETA of published route - January 2026.

Working On It, Chris Rea (1989).

Memorial Day 2025

If tomorrow all the things were gone, I'd worked for all my life

And I had to start again, with just my children and my wife

I'd thank my luck stars, to be living here today

Cause the flag still stands for freedom, and they can't take that away.

And I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free

And I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me

And I'd gladly stand up next to you, and defend her still today

Cause there aint no doubt I love this land, God bless the USA

God Bless the USA, Lee Greenwood (1984)

God Bless The U.S.A. (Rock Version)

Lee Greenwood & Drew Jacobs (2024).

Memorial Day is a time to take stock of the present, reflect on the past, and renew our commitment to the future of America.

Today, as in the past, there are problems that must be solved and challenges that must be met. We can tackle them with our full strength and creativity only because we are free to work them out in our own way. We owe this freedom of choice and action to those men and women in uniform who have served this nation and its interests in time of need. In particular, we are forever indebted to those who have given their lives that we might be free.

I don't have to tell you how fragile this precious gift of freedom is. Every time we hear, watch, or read the news, we are reminded that liberty is a rare commodity in this world.

This Memorial Day of 1983, we honor those brave Americans who died in the service of their country. I think an ancient scholar put it well when he wrote:  "Let us now praise famous men . .  All these were honored in their generation, and were the glory of their times. Their bodies are buried in peace; but their name liveth for evermore." As a tribute to their sacrifice, let us renew our resolve to remain strong enough to deter aggression, wise enough to preserve and protect our freedom, and thoughtful enough to promote lasting peace throughout the world.

President Ronald W. Reagan, May 26, 1983.

The Way, The Truth, & The Life

"I stand this morning with a difficult message. I believe we are in a crisis. The distance between what is said and what is known to be true has become an abyss. Of all the things at risk, the loss of an objective reality is perhaps the most dangerous. The death of truth is the ultimate victory of evil. When truth leaves us, when we let it slip away, when it is ripped from our hands, we become vulnerable to the appetite of whatever monster screams the loudest." 

Senator Mon Mothma, Star Wars Andor, Season 2, Episode 9 (2025).

Yes, this is from a speech in a fictional movie. A science fiction movie, at that.

But the message resonates today, following years of "expert" or "consensus" or "authoritative" narratives that plainly have not aligned with what we actually see and hear and experience. Narratives that conflict with what used to be known as common sense.

Amongst all the noise of the world, I believe this to be true.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16.

I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me. John 14:6.

God bless you.

Black Hills BackBone Grande - Invitation & Offer

The BackBone Grande is a unique 400 mile bikepacking route across the State of South Dakota along the spine of the Black Hills. I designed this route specifically for a Great Divide type of bikepacking experience that showcases the best of our Black Hills and surrounding prairie. For a series of posts introducing this route, including a digital map, and a series of posts of the first through-ride go to Black Hills Grande Page.

If you have any questions, ask. If you're thinking of venturing out here, let me know. I'm happy to help.

Here's an offer. Ride the BackBone Grande, any or all of it, and send me a picture and story. I'll send you a BackBone Grande sticker.

As others have noted, it doesn't say "Black Hills," or anything about bikepacking, or even cycling.

Nope. If you know, you know.

Here's the sticker.

Here's the sticker in the wild.

Even in a crowd, the BackBone Grande sticker stands out.

BackBone Buffet Update v.2 - New Single Track

I won't cry for the past

For I've re-found my freedom at last

I won't shy from the strife

What doesn't kill me will fill me with life. 

Moving On, Rod Argent (2015).

Heading up Hell Canyon in search of another abandoned road connector for the BackBone Buffet.

As much as I love my various BackBone routes, I'm always looking to improve them.

Earlier this month, I announced a change to the BackBone Buffet route that replaced some relatively conventional miles with an abandoned road that connects to a rough Low Standard Road that climbs abruptly to a lookout tower. I consider it a major character add, both for the route and the rider. See, BackBone Buffet - It Gets Better.

Scouting that day led me to explore other roads in that area around Jewell Cave National Monument, which is southwest of Rapid City almost to Wyoming. I seem to find something new and fun every time I get back in those remote canyons and hills, many of which are still recovering from the 2000 Jasper fire that burned over 83,000 acres. See, e.g., Red Bird Canyon.

Original BackBone Buffet section from Hell Canyon Trail (green icon) to Bear Spring Creek.
About 3.5 miles of paved U.S. Highway 16 and 3.5 miles of USFS Low Standard Road 681.

Same route as directly above, but shown in Google Terrain view.

One road I love to ride in that area is USFS Low Standard Road 681, which meanders off U.S. Highway 16 before turning onto USFS Low Standard Road 284.2L to enter a small canyon along Bear Spring Creek. To access those USFS roads, the BackBone Buffet follows U.S. 16 near Hell Canyon Trailhead for about 3.5 paved miles (see map above).

Of course, I wondered if I could find a more fun way to enter that small canyon without riding those 3.5 miles of pavement and then 3.5 miles of USFS developed road. Unfortunately, my maps show no such road, perhaps due to the rugged terrain and limited timber. I don't know. Maybe there's a way. I sure would like to avoid that pavement. 

Time for another road trip.

Possible 4.3 mile single track cut-through from Hell Canyon Trailhead to Bear Spring Creek.

Same route as directly above, but shown in Google Terrain view.

At the Hell Canyon Trailhead, I saw signs noting non-motorized use on the marked trail loop. However, that day featured wind driven rain at 37 degrees, so I chose not to ride or hike up the muddy single track. Save it for another day.

Back home, I found the Hell Canyon Trail from satellite images on RideWithGPS. Almost a mile from the Trailhead, the popular hiking trail angles northwest while a small canyon opens eastward. It looks like some kind of trail may wind along the bottom of that easterly canyon. The apparent trail appears and disappears on the satellite images, likely due to vegetation cover, but looks that it may eventually connect with USFS 681 after about 3.5 more miles. Maybe.

USFS hard copy maps show hints of an abandoned road from USFS 681 into that canyon, but do not clearly show it connecting through to Hell Canyon Trail. But it sure looks possible.

So, I created a RideWithGPS map for that trail/abandoned road to show what it would look like, if a trail indeed flows along the bottom of that canyon (see map above). If passable and rideable, it would link U.S. 16 at the Hell Canyon Trailhead to USFS 681 via 4.3 miles/529' gain of single track/abandoned road. It would also eliminate 7.5 miles/1,100' gain of pavement/more developed road.

This trail may be hard to follow when the ground cover turns green.

As soon as the final spring snows had a reasonable chance of clearing, I hustled back to Hell Canyon Trailhead. Several hikers there enthusiastically described the popular loop trail that climbs up and out of Hell Canyon, but none knew anything about a little trail snaking east into a side canyon.

Now thoroughly intrigued, I started up the main trail as one would hike the popular loop counter-clockwise. Less than a mile later, I spot a break in the surrounding hills and the looks of a small canyon to the east. A hint of single track veers off toward the unknown, right past bold signs emphatically directing one to continue northwest on the main trail. This must be it.

One of the final rock walls on the north side, as the south side mellows.

Yes. This is it. After a short stretch through a meadow, the trail winds atop the surface of what appears to be a long since abandoned "road" of some sort. The old road bed is discernible, here and there, but mostly has weathered back into the hillside. Birch trees of all sizes fill the gaps. Only the makings of a rarely traveled trail remain. 

The trail climbs gradually and steadily, as the canyon walls close in. Tree downfall occasionally blocks the way, but I find hiked-in work arounds, sometimes chainsawed cut-throughs, and other times neither. None are difficult to overcome.

The trail twists and turns with the floor of the canyon, crossing dry drainages that must have carried significant water at some time. Around every corner, an ever changing kaleidoscope of rock walls burst from the earth and reach for the sky. My spirit lifts, with each passing moment.

I've found yet another hidden jewel in the treasure trove of the Black Hills.

USFS Low Standard Road 284.2L, at the end of the unmarked, unnumbered little trail.
More small canyons lie ahead along Bear Spring Creek.

About 3.5 miles from the main trail and 4.5 miles from the Trailhead, the little sketch trail runs smack into the intersection of USFS Low Standard Road 681 and USFS Low Standard Road 284.2L That's on the original BackBone Buffet route, right where I hoped to reconnect to enter the next small canyon. See, BackBone Buffet - RideWithGPS Map.

Single track connector complete.

Once again, the Black Hills deliver.

And the BackBone Buffet moves a bit more remote.

Moving On, The Zombies (2015).