It's a New Year! I'm dreaming up a ride or two. Hope you are, too!
To spark imaginations and maybe help with some planning, every January I publish a series of posts that highlight my bikepacking Pages on this blog: the original Black Hills BackBone & Double BackBone, the relatively new, more rugged BackBone Grande, the surprisingly resilient Cloud Peak 500, and the always popular Great Divide Mountain Bike Route.
Those Pages describe each route in detail and link to series of posts sharing maps, images, logistics, and ride reports. Just the thing to help you get started, and maybe even get out there. Posts bumping individual Pages start next week, although you can go to those Pages anytime.
For 2025, I'm going back for Year 5 of the Black Hills Bounty. Other than that, I'm not sure.
But I'll be out there somewhere, drawing on that big white sheet of paper.
Looking forward to following along with your adventures. All best wishes for a great year!
ReplyDeleteLooking for bike packing routes for an early May trip and curious if you thought any of your routes would be rideable at that time? Coming from Northwest Montana so I understand the fickle nature of Spring that time of year. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteNorthwest Montana! Our winters are much milder and drier. I'm sure you'd be ready for anything you ride into here.
DeleteEarly May in Western South Dakota will be wet. Regular rain, for sure, and likely new snow, especially at the higher elevations of the Northern Black Hills (say, between Spearfish and O'Neil Pass). An occasional day, or even short sequence of days, may be stellar, dry riding days. But it's highly unlikely for a week to pass without substantial precipitation. Be prepared for cold rain.
Another issue is old snow. Note that most of the county gravel roads out in the prairie are rideable practically year-round. Many of the Primary USFS roads in the Black Hills are rideable with significant snow, due to vehicle traffic. However, the Secondary and Low Standard Roads receive much less traffic, are not plowed, are more protected, and are much more challenging in snow. Whether any of my routes are rideable in early May, especially in the Northern Black Hills, will depend on the winter/spring weather and the individual rider.
Of my cross-state routes, the original Black Hills BackBone would offer the highest probability of riding in early May, due to its higher percentage of USFS Primary Roads, especially in the Northern Black Hills.
In 2019, a Colorado group attempted the BackBone over Memorial Day and drove into a spring snowfall of over a foot in Spearfish and more at higher elevations. They rode what they could of the BackBone and we helped provide some alternatives. They apparently liked it enough to return every year since. Here's a link to my post at the time. https://blackhillsbackbone.blogspot.com/2019/07/new-friends-ride-backbone.html
Others have combined portions of the BackBone route with the rails-to-trails Mickelson Trail, which is generally rideable throughout the year.
For bikepacking, I prefer the rougher BackBone Grande. But early May may be too early to ride some of the more interesting back "roads." I'd probably put on my wheel set with 3" tires and be prepared to bypass sections that may be impassable, such as Low Standard Roads, MUV trails, and abandoned paths.
I'm glad to help with any logistics. You can contact me further at onthecrosstrail@yahoo.com.
Thank you for your detailed reply! Sounds like May is probably not the best option. I'll find time in my schedule for a trip late summer or early fall.
ReplyDeleteFor a destination vacation trip promising the best weather in the Black Hills, I suggest mid to late September. That's usually when out-of-state friends ride our annual Black Hills Bounty. But June, July, August, and early September are still very nice. In late June of 2023, Paul Brasby and I rode the first through-ride of the BackBone Grande and worked through some rain early. But all workable.
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