Black Hills BDR-X Brings BDR To South Dakota

[advrider]

Backcountry Discovery Routes has released the latest of their BDR-X loops, this one covering the Black Hills of South Dakota. Appropriately, the route and short film were shown for the first time at Get On! ADV Fest in Sturgis, South Dakota, as well as a YouTube live stream.

The Black Hills are best known for the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and the amazing paved roads around the area. I attended in 2019, rode, and wrote about many of these roads. What I didn’t know about is how wonderful dirt riding is here, as well. The Black Hills National Forest offers countless miles of gravel roads and challenging trails. In the absence of an existing South Dakota BDR, the crew teamed up with Bill Hearne, creator of the Dakota Adventure Loop, A long-time resident of Spearfish, in the heart of the Black Hills, he knows this area extremely well.

Officially, the Black Hills BDR-X starts and ends in Keystone, on the eastern side of the Black Hills National Forest. The route is split into three sections, taking a counter-clockwise loop throughout the forest. Section 1 gets right into the dirt meandering through pine forests, which gives you a taste of what this route is all about. Back on the pavement, it takes you across the Pactola Dam on US 385, which is a fun series of S-turns with great views across the Pactola Reservoir it created.

The Pactola Reservoir. Photo: Justin Hughes

Back on dirt, conditions vary between well-maintained gravel roads to some tricky two-track. It passes through the town of Nemo, and then through the old mining towns of Lead and Deadwood, classic old-west towns that maintain a great deal of that flavor. None other than Wild Bill Hickok was shot dead in Deadwood. The route then takes a quick spin up to the Mt. Roosevelt Friendship Tower for some amazing views before descending into Spearfish. This is where Section 1 ends, and is a great place to spend a night and gas up.

Section 2 begins with a ride down Spearfish Canyon, an amazing scenic stretch of twisty pavement. Look for the waterfalls along the way, particularly Bridal Veil Falls. Back on the dirt, you may recognize the ride through the canyon from the end of the movie Dances With Wolves. The route detours briefly into Wyoming and the Cement Ridge lookout tower. It gets a bit more challenging from there, with a rocky downhill and rough two-track into some of the more remote areas on the route, including the ghost town of Mystic. The final stretch is easier forest service roads into Hill City.

Section 3 is the longest at 153 miles, and starts with an option to take a difficult rocky, narrow track up Bear Mountain, or to bypass it. More fast gravel and two-track take you to Wind Cave National Park, and then to Custer State Park. You’ll need to buy a $20 pass to experience the Custer Wildlife Loop where you’ll ride among bison, burros, and bighorn sheep. (Don’t pet the fluffy cows.) The rest of the route is pavement, but don’t worry, you won’t be bored. You’ll ride the famous Needles Highway between towering rock formations, see Mount Rushmore, and then ride the super twisty Iron Mountain Road before returning to Keystone.

Being a loop, you’re free to begin and end anywhere you want. Spearfish is right off I-90, so if you’re coming from far away, you may find it easiest to begin from there in Section 2. There are many more touristy places, scenic views, and restaurants in the Black Hills BDR-X than other routes in more remote areas. There’s so much to see here that you might want to plan more than three days to ride the three sections. Personally, after experiencing some of these roads during Get On! ADV Fest, I want to park my moto-glamping rig in the Black Hills National Forest for an extended stay and go exploring. For those who have a limited time to take in what the area has to offer, I can say from experience that the Black Hills BDR-X shows you most of the highlights on a fun route with a few challenges, but nothing too difficult except the climb to Bear Mountain, which you can easily bypass and take the easy way up.

It’s also interesting to note that during the live stream, they made repeated references to how this is the only BDR-X without an accompanying full BDR yet. If a future South Dakota BDR is anything like this, it ought to be one of the best BDRs yet.

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