Black Hills Bicycle Adventure! ✨ Mickelson Trail, Needles Highway, Iron Mtn Pigtails & Mt. Rushmore

Quite possibly THE BEST BIKE RIDE OF MY LIFE! An 80 mile loop (I took a shortcut) that takes you on The Mickleson Trail through Hill City and out to The Needles Highway past Sylvan Lake. Ride THROUGH THE ROCKS before descending to Remington Camp fire road and horse trail (complete with stream crossings) to cut up to the Iron Mountain Road. After a killer climb to the top, you're rewarded with a tremendous view of Mount Rushmore in the distance before going on THE GREATEST MOUNTAIN DESCENT OF ALL TIME through the famous Pigtail Bridges (seriously a thrilling and amazing road). From there, you have a short, but obnoxious climb up to Mount Rushmore where you can refill your waterbottles and get a really good look at things, for free, without having to dismount! Then, you make your way back to the trail head via Pig Pine Trail, a 0.5 mile shortcut that is a bit of a hike-a-bike, but super fun! That spits you out on Old Hill City Hwy which is a welcome reprieve from the tourist traffic. This will take you back to The Mickelson Trail where you climb over Red Fern peak and descend through the tunnels and over the Tressles back to Rochford. It's 80 tough miles of adventure and totally worth the effort!

THE ROUTE: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44355567