What's The Difference - BackBone, DoubleBackBone & BackBone Grande

Folks regularly ask about the differences between my Black Hills BackBone, DoubleBackBone, and BackBone Grande routes. Here's an overview that describes the genesis, formation, and development of these three routes and how they differ. 

My introduction of the Black Hills BackBone Grande route in 2023 prompted many questions about the differences from my older Black Hills BackBone and DoubleBackBone routes. Fair enough. 

BackBone & DoubleBackBone = designed for long gravel rides, but can bikepack it. 

The BackBone Grande = designed for multi-day bikepacking, but can continuous ride it.

Of course, there's much more to that story. The BackBone Grande draws from a deeper data base built from 10 additional years of back roads exploration in the Black Hills and the unforgettable experiences of multi-day and multi-week bikepacking rides across the Mountain West. It takes cyclists to more memorable places, both well-known and obscure, on a wider variety of challenging roads. It's a different beast.

If you're looking for USFS Low Standard Roads, the Black Hills are full of them.

The Black Hills are beautiful. Most any combination of roads winding through the Black Hills will be a beautiful ride. But there is a difference between better and best. The BackBone Grande covers what I consider to be the very best of our Black Hills and surrounding prairie in a cross-state bikepacking ride.

USFS Secondary Road 189 southbound down Flag Mountain.
The signature image of the Black Hills BackBone.

Back in 2014, I created the BackBone as a solo, self-supported, light and fast gravel ride. At 310 miles and 19,700 feet of elevation gain, it certainly pushes the limits of a long, continuous ride for most cyclists. But with straight forward navigation, 200 miles of Primary Roads, and 35 miles of pavement, the BackBone rides relatively fast. Low Standard Roads, the rough ones that really take it out of you and take you further out there, account for just 7 miles, or about 2%, of the BackBone.

In 2017, I then created the DoubleBackBone as an opportunity to ride the BackBone southbound and then return to North Dakota on mostly different roads. The DoubleBackBone runs generally to the West of the BackBone, so it's even more remote, with less re-supply opportunities and less cell coverage.

The overall road makeup of the DoubleBackBone is much the same as the BackBone. At 330 miles and 17,900 feet of elevation gain, it similarly rides relatively fast, with straight forward navigation, 238 miles of Primary Roads, and 38 miles of pavement. Low Standard Roads are less than 16 miles, or about 6%, of the DoubleBackBone.

Mostly on well developed gravel roads, the BackBone and DoubleBackBone are certainly suitable for loaded touring, if that's your jam. That's just not why they were created. 

USFS Low Standard Road 383 northbound to Gillette Canyon.
The signature image of the Black Hills DoubleBackBone.

After bikepacking throughout the Black Hills and across the Mountain West the past several years, I decided to design a new route specifically for a Great Divide type of bikepacking experience. For me, that means 50-100 mile days on a loaded mountain bike over back roads with significant climbing, more navigational challenges, more miles of rougher roads, more little known and even abandoned roads, a mix of re-supply and sleeping options, more natural and human-made sightseeing, both well known and obscure, and a few fun Zero Day opportunities. A much different experience.

The BackBone Grande is my take on that type of bikepacking route, featuring many miles of rougher roads with popular sights and little known gems along the way. This route will take you to many places the BackBone and DoubleBackBone do not. Those that have ridden the Great Divide or my Black Hills Bounty routes will catch a similar vibe on the BackBone Grande.

Like the Great Divide, it's not all back country. For a short break during this relatively remote bikepacking ride, I added some pavement across the college town of Spearfish to pass both bike shops, an assortment of restaurant and re-supply options, and lodging, including the popular city campground. Likewise, I skirted Custer to provide easy access to that popular tourist town with similar amenities. From Custer and from Hill City, I also added optional, off-route, mostly paved loops to Mount Rushmore, Sylvan Lake, Needles Highway, and Iron Mountain Road for a scenic, more conventional tourist day. No sense rushing a vacation. In 2024, I added the Mount Rushmore Alternative route from Custer to Hill City for those not wanting a Zero Day. I also added a short bypass of the notorious Trail #1 in Custer State Park. All of these maps are available as RideWithGPS files at my BackBone Grande Collection.

Lame Johnny Road westbound into the Black Hills.
The signature image of the Black Hills BackBone Grande.
(image by Kevin Fox)

At a touring pace of 60-70 miles per day, a bikepacker will ride 6-7 days to complete the 421 mile BackBone Grande, plus another day for an optional Mount Rushmore loop. Some will certainly ride it faster. Others may even attempt to through-ride it, although I don't recommend it. This is one to soak in. Besides, who wants to T-bone a large mammal at night while settled in aerobars and staring bleary-eyed at a power meter.

The BackBone Grande is a remote, rough road route for self-sufficient, experienced bikepackers capable of successfully riding through sparsely populated backcountry with spotty, if any, cell coverage. You're on your own out there. Enjoy it.

USFS Low Standard Road 530.1A.
A piece of the 58 miles of Low Standard Roads on the BackBone Grande.

Here is an approximate breakdown of the roads on the BackBone, DoubleBackBone, and BackBone Grande. Perhaps the most simple comparison of these routes is the total miles of Low Standard roads. BackBone = 7 miles. DoubleBackBone = 16 miles. BackBone Grande = 87 miles. Another comparison adds the Low Standard and Secondary roads. Backbone = 75 miles. DoubleBackBone = 44 miles. BackBone Grande = 167 miles. The Grande is a different beast.

For a description of Primary, Secondary, and Low Standard roads in the Black Hills, go to my post. The Good, The Bad & The Ugly.

BackBone - 310 miles/19,700 feet gain (BackBone Map)

65% - Primary (200 miles)

22% - Secondary (68 miles)

11% - Paved (35 miles)

2% - Low Standard (7 miles)

0% - Single Track (0 miles)

DoubleBackBone - 330 miles/17,900 feet gain (DoubleBackBone Map)

72% - Primary (238 miles)

11% - Secondary (38 miles)

11% - Paved (38 miles)

6% - Low Standard (16 miles)

0% - Single Track (0 miles)

BackBone Grande - 421 miles/23,800 feet gain (BackBone Grande Map)

49% - Primary (205 miles)

19% - Secondary (80 miles) 

11% - Paved (48 miles)

21% - Low Standard (87 miles)

< 1% - Single Track (1 mile)

For more information on each route and links to posts with images, ride reports, and stories, go to the Black Hills BackBone and DoubleBackBone Page and the BackBone Grande Page. Happy trails.

Black Hills BackBone Grande Page - 2025 Bump

My January 2023 post "Introducing A Bikepacking Route" generated more page views on this blog than any other, including my Great Divide Mountain Bike Route posts. Now, two years later, it still does. And folks from all over continue to discover this route and imagine riding it.

So, here's my annual post linking to the BackBone Grande Page, which describes the route in detail and links to posts sharing maps, images, logistics, and ride reports, including a series on the first through-ride by Paul Brasby and me in June 2023. Give that imagination a stir.

Streaming into the Black Hills from Custer State Park.
(image by Kevin Fox)

In 2014, I created a bicycle route that I called the Black Hills BackBone, which is a North-South cross-state ride of the State of the South Dakota on primarily gravel and dirt roads along the spine of the Black Hills. The Black Hills BackBone blog first published in 2015 to document the route and attempts to ride it. In 2017, I created the DoubleBackBone route as an opportunity to ride the BackBone route south and then turn north to return to the North Dakota border on mostly different roads. I designed these routes as solo, self-supported, continuous rides across the state, in the spirit of the original TransIowa, the Gut Check 212, and similar continuous cross-state races. See, Black Hills BackBone & DoubleBackBone Page.

Over the years since, I have ridden all those miles, and many more, in the Black Hills and surrounding prairie. I love exploring back roads unknown to me, creating interesting routes, and seeing routes created by others. If not riding, scouting, researching, or routing, I'm probably talking with someone about back country roads around here.

Traffic jam on Lame Johnny Road in Custer State Park.
(image by Paul Brasby)

I started bikepacking in earnest in 2019, rode the Cloud Peak 500 in the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming in 2020, and then rode the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route across the country in 2021. Those longer bikepacking rides are extensively covered on my blog throughout 2020-2022. See, Cloud Peak 500 Page; Great Divide Mountain Bike Route Page. Inspired by those rides, I created many multi-day bikepacking routes in the Black Hills, including five different one week trips for out-of-state friends, several 2-3 day trips, and many overnighters.

After completing the Great Divide in 2021 and learning of the current development of the Western Wildlands Route and the Great Plains Gravel Route, I took another look at my BackBone and DoubleBackBone. I still love those routes for their intended purpose, but they were not created for bikepacking. The Black Hills deserve such a route.

Here's my take on it. The Black Hills BackBone Grande.

Mickelson Trail tunnel in the Central Black Hills.
(image by Paul Brasby)

As a starting point, I consider bikepacking to be much more than simply blasting across the countryside to see how fast one can possibly cover a distance. Rather, for me, it's backpacking on a bike, taking the time and effort to absorb the local scenery, history, culture, and wildlife. See, e.g., How I Would Bikepack The GDMBR (2019). As such, to create the BackBone Grande, I first identified what I consider the very best of our Black Hills and surrounding prairie and then connected things with a mix of unique, remote back roads. Here are some highlights:

• Buffalo Gap National Grasslands, prairie with dispersed camping (miles 3-11; miles 32-77);
• Wind Cave National Park and Custer State Park with buffalo and wild burros (miles 102-124);
• Cathedral Spires views (miles 126-128);
• Mickelson Trail rails-to-trails path out of Custer, with views of Crazy Horse Memorial (miles 134-144);
• historic Gold Mountain Mine (mile 167);
• back on the Mickelson Trail for two hard rock tunnels (miles 174-178); 
• creek side Castle Peak Road (miles 180-191), passing USFS Castle Peak Campground (mile 187);
• Black Fox Road (miles 202-207), passing USFS Black Fox Campground (mile 202);
• northern portion of Spearfish Canyon and Roughlock Falls (mile 234);
• Belle Fouche National Wildlife Refuge (miles 293-295);
• the Geographic Center of the United States (mile 323);
• the historic stage coach stop of Harding (mile 355);
• Custer Gallatin National Forest near the North Dakota border (miles 396-411), especially Fuller Pass Road passing USFS Picnic Springs Campground (mile 402).

Abandoned road through Lost Canyon in the Northern Black Hills.
(image by Paul Brasby)

In general, the BackBone Grande is about 420 miles long and almost 24,000 feet of gain, with 90% on county gravel or Forest Service gravel/dirt roads. It's a fun mix of remote roads, similar to those on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, all suitable for experienced bikepackers on loaded bicycles having tires 2" wide or more. A bike designed for the Great Divide, such as the Salsa CutThroat or Fargo, would work well for many. Of course, I rode the route in 2023 on my Jones 29+ rigid mountain bike with 2.35 inch tires.

Full service towns with bike shops are Custer (mile 135) and Spearfish (mile 262). C-store/restaurant type re-supply opportunities are at Oelrichs (mile 46), Buffalo Gap (mile 95), Blue Bell (mile 124), Hill City (mile 162), Rochford (mile 195), Cheyenne Crossing (mile 227), Savoy (mile 233), St. Onge (mile 281), and Buffalo (mile 382).

For a Great Divide type Zero Day, I recommend Custer and/or Hill City for an off-day, off-route ride of a mostly paved loop featuring Mount Rushmore, Sylvan Lake, Needles Highway, and Iron Mountain Road (aka Pig Tail Highway). For a relaxing Zero Day in a college/mountain bike town, enjoy a day in Spearfish.

Fuller Pass Road through Custer Gallatin National Forest.
(image by Paul Brasby)

Fuller Pass Road through Custer Gallatin National Forest, just a few miles from North Dakota.

To create this route, I received valuable input from Lucas Haan of Black Hills Gravel and Paul Brasby of the Pony Express Bike-packing Adventure. To make this the very best it can be, Paul and I then rode the entire route in June of 2023, capturing images, taking notes, and making a few minor changes. In 2024, I also found an additional 30 miles of rugged two track through Buffalo Gap National Grasslands, bringing that section up to 45 memorable miles.

Barely marked roads in Buffalo Gap National Grasslands.

Immersed in the barely tracked Buffalo Gap National Grasslands.
(image by Paul Brasby)

Here's the link to the BackBone Grande route on RideWithGPS. BackBone Grande. Here's the link to the Mount Rushmore loop from Custer. BackBone Grande - Mt. Rushmore (Custer). Here's the link to the Mount Rushmore loop from Hill City. BackBone Grande - Mt. Rushmore (Hill City).

Note that the "Paved" surfaces data provided by RideWithGPS is wildly inaccurate, as it always is out here. The main route is about 90% county gravel or U.S. Forest Service gravel/dirt roads.

The Black Hills BackBone Grande.

Optional off-route Mount Rushmore loop from Custer.
(46 miles/5,350 feet of gain)

Optional off-route Mount Rushmore loop from Hill City.
(44 miles/4,900 feet of gain)

The Black Hills BackBone Grande. 

A great ride on its own, and a great shake out ride for something bigger, like the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route.

BackBone Grande Page - 2024 Bump

The Black Hills BackBone Grande. A bikepacking route across the State of South Dakota along the spine of the Black Hills. Designed specifically for bikepacking to showcase the best of our Black Hills. 

Here's a link to the BackBone Grande Page, which describes the route in detail and links a series of posts sharing maps, images, logistics, and ride reports. 

Streaming into the Black Hills from Custer State Park.
(image by Kevin Fox)

In 2014, I created a bicycle route that I called the Black Hills BackBone, which is a North-South cross-state ride of the State of the South Dakota on primarily gravel and dirt roads along the spine of the Black Hills. The Black Hills BackBone blog first published in 2015 to document the route and attempts to ride it. In 2017, I created the DoubleBackBone route as an opportunity to ride the BackBone route south and then turn north to return to the North Dakota border on mostly different roads. I designed these routes as solo, self-supported, continuous rides across the state, in the spirit of the original TransIowa, the Gut Check 212, and similar continuous cross-state races. See, Black Hills BackBone & DoubleBackBone Page.

Over the years since, I have ridden all those miles, and many more, in the Black Hills and surrounding prairie. I love exploring back roads unknown to me, creating interesting routes, and seeing routes created by others. If not riding, scouting, researching, or routing, I'm probably talking with someone about back country roads around here.

Traffic jam on Lame Johnny Road in Custer State Park.
(image by Paul Brasby)

I started bikepacking in earnest in 2019, rode the Cloud Peak 500 in the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming in 2020, and then rode the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route across the country in 2021. Those longer bikepacking rides are extensively covered on my blog throughout 2020-2022. See, Cloud Peak 500 Reports & Logistics Page; Great Divide Mountain Bike Route Page. Inspired by those rides, I created many multi-day bikepacking routes in the Black Hills, including four different one week trips for out-of-state friends, several 2-3 day trips, and more overnighters.

After completing the Great Divide in 2021 and learning of the current development of the Western Wildlands Route and the Great Plains Gravel Route, I took another look at my BackBone and DoubleBackBone. I still love those routes for their intended purpose, but they were not created for bikepacking. The Black Hills deserve such a route.

Here's my take on it. The Black Hills BackBone Grande.

Mickelson Trail tunnel in the Central Black Hills.
(image by Paul Brasby)

As a starting point, I consider bikepacking to be much more than simply blasting across the countryside to see how fast one can possibly cover a distance. Rather, for me, it's backpacking on a bike, taking the time and effort to absorb the local scenery, history, culture, and wildlife. See, e.g., How I Would Bikepack The GDMBR (2019). As such, to create the BackBone Grande, I first identified what I consider the very best of our Black Hills and surrounding prairie and then connected things with a mix of unique, remote back roads. Here are some highlights:

• Buffalo Gap National Grasslands, prairie with dispersed camping (miles 3-11; miles 33-44);
• Wind Cave National Park and Custer State Park with buffalo and wild burros (miles 80-102);
• Cathedral Spires views (miles 106-108);
• Mickelson Trail rails-to-trails path out of Custer, with views of Crazy Horse Memorial (miles 114-124);
• historic Gold Mountain Mine (mile 146);
• back on the Mickelson Trail for two hard rock tunnels (miles 153-157); 
• creek side Castle Peak Road (miles 159-170), passing USFS Castle Peak Campground (mile 167);
• Black Fox Road (miles 181-186), passing USFS Black Fox Campground (mile 181);
• Roughlock Falls (mile 213);
• Belle Fouche National Wildlife Refuge (miles 272-275);
• the Geographic Center of the United States (mile 302);
• the historic stage coach stop of Harding (mile 334);
• Custer Gallatin National Forest near the North Dakota border (miles 381-396), especially Fuller Pass Road passing USFS Picnic Springs Campground (mile 387).

Sale Barn Road outside of St. Onge.
(image by Craig Groseth)

In general, the BackBone Grande is about 400 miles long, with 23,500 feet of gain and 90% on county gravel or Forest Service gravel/dirt roads. It's a fun mix of remote roads, similar to those on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, all suitable for experienced bikepackers on loaded bicycles having tires 2" wide or more. A bike designed for the Great Divide, such as the Salsa CutThroat or Fargo, would work well for many. Of course, I rode the route in 2023 on my Jones 29+ rigid mountain bike with 2.35 tires.

Full service towns with bike shops are Custer (mile 114) and Spearfish (mile 241). C-store/restaurant type re-supply opportunities are at Oelrichs (mile 48), Buffalo Gap (mile 74), Blue Bell (mile 102), Hill City (mile 141), Rochford (mile 174), Cheyenne Crossing (mile 206), Savoy (mile 212), St. Onge (mile 260), and Buffalo (mile 361).

For a Great Divide type Zero Day, I recommend Custer and/or Hill City for an off-day, off-route ride of a mostly paved loop featuring Mount Rushmore, Sylvan Lake, Needles Highway, and Iron Mountain Road (aka Pig Tail Highway). For a relaxing Zero Day in a college/mountain bike town, enjoy a day in Spearfish.

Fuller Pass Road through Custer Gallatin National Forest, just a few miles from North Dakota.

To create this route, I received valuable input from Lucas Haan of Black Hills Gravel and Paul Brasby of the Pony Express Bike-packing Adventure. To make this the very best it can be, Paul and I then rode the entire route in June of 2023, capturing images, taking notes, and making a few minor changes. It's ready.

Here's the link to the BackBone Grande route on RideWithGPS. BackBone Grande. Here's the link to the Mount Rushmore loop from Custer. BackBone Grande - Mt. Rushmore (Custer). Here's the link to the Mount Rushmore loop from Hill City. BackBone Grande - Mt. Rushmore (Hill City).

Note that the "Paved" surfaces data provided by RideWithGPS is wildly inaccurate, as it always is out here. The main route is about 90% county gravel or U.S. Forest Service gravel/dirt roads.

The Black Hills BackBone Grande.

Optional off-route Mount Rushmore loop from Custer.
(46 miles/5,350 feet of gain)

Optional off-route Mount Rushmore loop from Hill City.
(44 miles/4,900 feet of gain)

The Black Hills BackBone Grande. 

A great ride on its own, and a great shake out ride for something bigger, like the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route.

BackBone Grande - To The Start & From the Finish

A logistical issue inherent with a cross-state cycling route is getting to the start and from the finish. Make that state South Dakota and that route on back country gravel/dirt roads and both are sure to be well removed from anything resembling a population center.

Well, the southern terminus of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route is Antelope Wells, New Mexico, a closed U.S. Border Station 45 miles away from the nearest town of Hachita (population 49). Self-sufficient bikepackers on the Great Divide figure it out. I'm sure that anyone embarking on a ride of the BackBone Grande will, too.

Nonetheless, since South Dakota is largely unknown to many, here are some specifics of the start and finish of the BackBone Grande to kick start things. Introducing the BackBone Grande.

There's prairie to cross, both North and South of the Black Hills, on the BackBone Grande.

1. Drop Off at the Start & Pick Up at the Finish

A simple approach requires another to drop you off at the start and pick you up at the finish. The RideWithGPS file should direct your driver to both the start and the finish, which are accessible via paved roads and all-weather gravel roads. Yes, both will be a bit of a drive from the nearest coffee shop or pub.

2. Ride to Connect at the Nearest Town

One can ride to the start and from the finish to connect with your driver at the nearest town. The southern terminus of the BackBone Grande lies about 30 miles south of Edgemont (population 725) and about 34 miles southwest of Hot Springs (population 3,400). The northern terminus lies about 43 miles north of Buffalo (population 350). Your driver can access all three of these towns on paved highways.

3. Ride Directly from/to Rapid City

One can ride directly from Rapid City to the start or to Rapid City from the finish, presumably for a flight or other public transportation elsewhere. That's about 90 miles from the Southern terminus and 150 miles from the Northern terminus.

4. Ride Back to the Start on the Grande Route

Every year, some adventuresome folks yo-yo the 2,500 mile Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. That is, they ride the entire route one direction and turn around to ride it all the way back. Why not the 400 mile BackBone Grande? That actually sounds like a great ride.

5. A Different Return Route for One Big Bad Loop 

I'm working on a unique route that starts at the Northern terminus of the BackBone Grande and loops southward back to the Southern terminus. As currently envisioned, this BackBone "Double Grande" would be a much different experience from the Grande. More rough roads. More remote. More distance between re-supplies. More dispersed camping. More self-sufficient. Likely a swing through parts of Montana and Wyoming. This will take some time to do right. Perhaps next year I'll be ready to publish it. Of course, in the meantime, you can always create your own return route.

6. Support/Shuttle Vehicle Shadow

The entire BackBone Grande route cannot be driven by motor vehicle. However, the sections that are not accessible to motor vehicles are relatively short. With a little planning and communication, a support/shuttle vehicle should be able to meet cyclists off and on every day, if that's your jam. In other words, you can bring your shuttle to the finish with you.

7. Open to Imagination

Possibilities are limited only by your imagination. Say a friend wants to join for an overnighter, but not more. Leave a shuttle vehicle at the start and that friend can ride back to retrieve it on Day 2 while you continue on the route. That process could also be employed in reverse from the finish.

The prairie takes no prisoners.

The start and finish of the BackBone Grande are only about 250 driving miles apart, with Rapid City roughly 2 hours from the southern terminus and roughly 3 hours from the northern. 

"No problemo," says the experienced bike packer.

Introducing A Bikepacking Route - The BackBone Grande

The Black Hills BackBone Grande. A bikepacking route across the State of South Dakota along the spine of the Black Hills. Designed specifically for bikepacking to showcase the best of our Black Hills. 

Streaming into the Black Hills from Custer State Park.
(image by Kevin Fox)

In 2014, I created a bicycle route that I called the Black Hills BackBone, which is a North-South cross-state ride of the State of the South Dakota on primarily gravel and dirt roads along the spine of the Black Hills. The Black Hills BackBone blog first published in 2015 to document the route and attempts to ride it. In 2017, I created the DoubleBackBone route as an opportunity to ride the BackBone route south and then turn north to return to the North Dakota border on mostly different roads. I designed these routes as solo, self-supported, continuous rides across the state, in the spirit of the original TransIowa, the Gut Check 212, and similar continuous cross-state races. See, Black Hills BackBone & DoubleBackBone Page.

Over the years since, I have ridden all those miles, and many more, in the Black Hills and surrounding prairie. I love exploring back roads unknown to me, creating interesting routes, and seeing routes created by others. If not riding, scouting, researching, or routing, I'm probably talking with someone about back country roads around here.

Traffic jam on Lame Johnny Road in Custer State Park.
(image by Paul Brasby)

I started bikepacking in earnest in 2019, rode the Cloud Peak 500 in the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming in 2020, and then rode the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route across the country in 2021. Those longer bikepacking rides are extensively covered on my blog throughout 2020-2022. See, Cloud Peak 500 Reports & Logistics Page; Great Divide Mountain Bike Route Page. Inspired by all those rides, I created many multi-day bikepacking routes in the Black Hills, including four different one week trips for out-of-state friends, several 2-3 day trips, and more overnighters.

After completing the Great Divide in 2021 and learning of the current development of the Western Wildlands Route and the Great Plains Gravel Route, I took another look at my BackBone and DoubleBackBone. I still love those routes for their intended purpose, but they were not created for bikepacking. The Black Hills deserve such a route.

Here's my take on it. The Black Hills BackBone Grande.

Mickelson Trail tunnel in the Central Black Hills.
(image by Paul Brasby)

As a starting point, I consider bikepacking to be much more than simply blasting across the countryside to see how fast one can possibly cover a distance. Rather, for me, it's backpacking on a bike, taking the time and effort to absorb the local scenery, history, culture, and wildlife. See, e.g., How I Would Bikepack The GDMBR (2019). As such, to create the BackBone Grande, I first identified what I consider the very best of our Black Hills and surrounding prairie and then connected things with a mix of unique, remote back roads. Here are a few highlights:

• Buffalo Gap National Grasslands, prairie with dispersed camping (miles 3-11; miles 33-44);
• Wind Cave National Park and Custer State Park for buffalo and wild burros (miles 80-102);
• Cathedral Spires views (miles 106-108);
• Mickelson Trail rails-to-trails path out of Custer, views of Crazy Horse Memorial (miles 112-117);
• historic Gold Mountain Mine (mile 142);
• back on the Mickelson Trail for two hard rock tunnels (miles 150-152); 
• creek side Castle Peak Road (miles 155-165), passing USFS Castle Peak Campground (mile 162);
• Black Fox Road (miles 175-180), passing USFS Black Fox Campground (mile 175);
• Roughlock Falls (mile 206);
• Belle Fouche National Wildlife Refuge (miles 267-270);
• the Geographic Center of the United States (mile 297);
• the historic stage coach stop of Harding (mile 329);
• Custer Gallatin National Forest near the North Dakota border (miles 375-390), especially Fuller Pass Road passing USFS Picnic Springs Campground (mile 383).

Sale Barn Road outside of St. Onge.
(image by Craig Groseth)

In general, the BackBone Grande is about 400 miles long, with 23,500 feet of gain and 90% on county gravel or Forest Servie gravel/dirt roads. It's a fun mix of remote roads, similar to those on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, all suitable for experienced bikepackers on loaded bicycles having tires 2" wide or more. A bike designed for the Great Divide, such as the Salsa CutThroat or Fargo, would work well for many. Of course, I'll be riding my Jones 29+ rigid mountain bike with 2.35-2.60 tires.

Full service towns with bike shops are at Custer (mile 102) and Spearfish (mile 223). C-store/restaurant type re-supply opportunities are at Oelrichs (mile 34), Buffalo Gap (mile 63), Rochford (mile 159), Cheyenne Crossing (mile 191), Savoy (mile 196), St. Onge (mile 235), and Buffalo (mile 336).

For a Great Divide type Zero Day, I recommend Custer and/or Hill City for an off-day, off-route ride of a mostly paved loop featuring Mount Rushmore, Sylvan Lake, Needles Highway, and Iron Mountain Road (aka Pig Tail Highway). For a relaxing Zero Day in a college/mountain bike town, enjoy a day in Spearfish.

Fuller Pass Road through Custer Gallatin National Forest, just a few miles from North Dakota.

So far, I have received input on this route from Lucas Haan of Black Hills Gravel and Paul Brasby of the Pony Express Bikepacking Adventure. To make this the very best it can be, I welcome input from everyone. I plan to through-ride the entire the route in 2023 and may well change some things. For now, this is the BackBone Grande.

Here's the link to the BackBone Grande route on RideWithGPS. BackBone Grande. Here's the link to the Mount Rushmore loop from Custer. BackBone Grande - Mt. Rushmore (Custer). Here's the link to the Mount Rushmore loop from Hill City. BackBone Grande - Mt. Rushmore (Hill City).

Note that the "Paved" surfaces data provided by RideWithGPS is wildly inaccurate, as it always is out here. The main route is about 90% county gravel or U.S. Forest Service gravel/dirt roads.

The Black Hills BackBone Grande.

Optional off-route Mount Rushmore loop from Custer.
(46 miles/5,350 feet of gain)

Optional off-route Mount Rushmore loop from Hill City.
(44 miles/4,900 feet of gain)

The Black Hills BackBone Grande. A great ride on its own, and a great shake out ride for something bigger, like the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route.

As if I need another reason to bikepack the Black Hills.