Begin at the Termesphere Clock Tower on the corner of Main and Hudson streets in downtown Spearfish. The course starts out with a roll through town on the bike path and then up to Tinton Trail for 22 miles of singletrack to the Rod & Gun Campground. Ride some gravel to Savoy and then climb Annie Creek to Terry Peak Ski Lodge. Take gravel and singletrack into Lead, SD, then the new Homestake Trail to Deadwood. Ride the Mickelson Trail to the Dumont Trailhead then to Custer Peak. Roll through Mystic Hills Hideaway on your journey to Sturgis, SD.
Ride out to Bear Butte Lake for the start of the Centennial Trail. Ride this trail for the next 75 miles and pass Dalton, Pactola and Sheridan Lakes. Ride some of the Storm Mountain and Foster Gulch trails before the town of Keystone. Roll by Mount Rushmore National Memorial on blacktop and then ride the famous Pigtail Highway.
Turn onto Iron Creek Trail (#15) and enter Custer State Park. Watch out for buffalo while in the park. Ride or walk around them if they are in your path. Your chance of meeting buffalo on track is almost a certainty. Enjoy 26 creek crossings laced with poison ivy while in the park. Pass by Center, Stockade, Legion and Sylvan Lakes before the climb up gravel to view Crazy Horse Memorial. Roll into Hill City on the Mickelson Trail and up China Gulch and down into Silver City (no services). Ride the Deerfield Trail (#40) up to Deerfield Lake crossing Rapid and Slate Creeks 34 times. Keep your feet dry by using the log beam crossings. (Two of the beams are currently washed down stream.)
Leave Deerfield Lake and climb to the Crooks Tower area, the high point of the course, then down to Eagle Cliff Cross Country Ski Trails. Ride a section of Little Spearfish Trail before climbing to Cement Ridge in Wyoming! Ride the Old Baldy Trail into Iron Creek Lake and follow the famous Dakota Five-O bike route back to Spearfish.
Load the GPX track into your GPS unit and keep it zoomed in on the navigation for the recommended way to follow this challenging course. Plan on walking a bit on this 440 mile 50,000 vertical course. Enjoy!
View and interact with this map on Google Maps
GPX Download
Note: This is an updated GPX file as of August 22, 2017
Water Sources
This is just a guideline for water resupply points. Some creeks may be dry and some spigots may be turned off. Also, you may find other water sources on route but not on this list. (Updated September 12, 2017)
| Mile | Location | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | Rod and Gun Campground | spigot / creek along road |
| 25 | Spearfish Canyon Lodge | bathroom sinks / snacks |
| 32.5 | Barefoot Lodge | outside spigot / small store |
| 37 | Lead, SD | all services |
| 44 | Pluma, SD - Mickelson TH | water and bathroom |
| 51 | Englewood TH | water pump, toilet |
| 57 | Dumont TH | water pump, toilet |
| 66 | Mystic Hills Hideaway (mystichillshideaway.com) | food, water, etc. |
| 92 | Sturgis | all services |
| 98 | Bear Butte Lake Campground | spigot |
| 110 | Alkali Creek TH | spigot / creek |
| 128 | Elk Creek | normally dry / no water |
| 133 | Dalton Lake | spigot might be off (bad water in 2015) / lake and/or creek - filter |
| 140 | Nemo | spigot by Guest Ranch. Two stores / restaurant? |
| 153 | Randy Ericksen's house on Trail 89 where Trail 40 starts | spigot with hose on outside of house |
| 156 | Rapid Creek (below Pactola dam) | filter water from creek |
| 167 | Sheridan Lake | lake water - filter after the dam |
| 186 | Rockerville (0.5 miles off-course) | Gas Light Restaurant (Summer: 11am-9pm; Fall: M-Th 4pm-9pm, F-S 11am-9pm) (thegaslightrestaurant.com) |
| 196 | Battle Creek | filter water from creek |
| 201 | Keystone | all services |
| 206 | Horsethief Campground | closed, but course goes through campground, by the lake |
| 210 | Mt. Rushmore | store / restaurant / bathrooms (pay to enter) |
| 219 | Iron Creek | filter |
| 229 | Center Lake Campground | spigots |
| 236 | State Game Lodge / campground | restaurant / spigots in campground |
| 250 | Horse Camp | spigot by bathrooms (no camping without horse) |
| 259 | creek (end of Custer State Park) | normally dry |
| 279 | Stockade Lake | spigots in campground |
| 281 | Legion Lake | spigot in campground, store / restaurant across road from campground - check hours |
| 296 | Sylvan Lake Campground | spigot in campground |
| 297 | Sylvan Lake Store | food, bathrooms, etc. - check hours |
| 313 | Hill City | all services |
| 328 | Silver City | spigot by Community Center (building with red roof - 1/4 mile off-route) |
| 350.5 | Mt. Meadows Resort | store / restaurant - check hours |
| 351 | Deerfield Lake | filter lake water |
| 392 | Little Spearfish Creek after Timon Campground | filter stream water |
| 418 | Iron Creek Lake campground | spigots have been on - if off, filter lake water |
| 440 | Crow Peak Brewing | The end! |