• Can't post after logging to the forum for the first time... Try Again - If you can't post in the forum, sign out of both the membership site and the forum and log in again. Make sure your COG membership is active and your browser allow cookies. If you still can't post, contact the COG IT guy at IT@Concours.org.
  • IF YOU GET 404 ERROR: This may be due to using a link in a post from prior to the web migration. Content was brought over from the old forum as is, but the links may be in error. If the link contains "cog-online.org" it is an old link and will not work.

Black Hills Ride Planning July 9 2018 (New Date)

Rasmith

Member
Member
I have to submit my vacation planner, can't make Nationals and there are no dates for VBR but want to do a ride this summer.

One ride I have yet to do  is the Black Hills of South Dakota. So far there a few of us doing this and figured I would put it out for anyone else that wishes to join in.

The target week is July 9.

This won't be a structured ride. Currently we're working out details on what town we'll be staying in. Target location will be someplace with multiple accommodations. There's camping everywhere. Also someplace we can park the bikes at the end of the day then walk to dinner.

I'll post details as we work them out.


 
Vanocker Road heading south from Sturgis.

Alpine Inn in Hill City for a wonderful filet mignon, and a very frugal price.

We've stayed at Mystery Mountain just sw of Rapid City. Camping in the woods, cabins, RV or tent sites. Reasonable for the area and season. Good locale for bebopping around the Hills.

Have fun.

One note. Try to avoid getting much latter in July as the Hills will come alive with the sounds of a couple hundred thousand cruisers.

I always liked heading there just after Labor Day. Much better pricing for lodging/camping, the weather is a bit cooler,  and the crowds are gone.

I'm planning on the VBR as well. Sure would like to get a date. I've heard the venue is changing due to Spirit Mountain jacking their prices way up.

:beerchug:
 
Thanks for the tips Steve!

I'll most likely set up a conference call for all that are interested. I'm positive folks will want to go off in different directions. Thinking about a "HUB" location for sleep and food.

I'll do some research and wait to see who's interested. The trip is happening. The more the merrier
 
SteveJ. said:
One note. Try to avoid getting much latter in July as the Hills will come alive with the sounds of a couple hundred thousand cruisers.
:beerchug:

Steve's right about this, I've been twice around the 3rd week of July. The roads are littered with those things!

Custer State Park is also really nice & convenient to many things.

Cliff  :beerchug:
 
Might want to check Custer State Park. Heard they had a forest fire there a few weeks ago.

Hill City has good biker accommodations. Had a  COG national there a few years ago.
 
I was just in Custer Thursday. Looked bad in spots.

I checked out Hill City. It is centrally located but doesn't offer as much for Hotels and Restaurants as Deadwood.
 
Rasmith said:
I was just in Custer Thursday. Looked bad in spots.

I checked out Hill City. It is centrally located but doesn't offer as much for Hotels and Restaurants as Deadwood.

You may wanna check the summer rates for lodging in Deadwood. It can get brutal. But it is a way cool town.
 
SteveJ. said:
Rasmith said:
I was just in Custer Thursday. Looked bad in spots.

I checked out Hill City. It is centrally located but doesn't offer as much for Hotels and Restaurants as Deadwood.

You may wanna check the summer rates for lodging in Deadwood. It can get brutal. But it is a way cool town.

125 for 2 queens at Holiday in Right in the center of town. Not bad
 
Rasmith said:
SteveJ. said:
Rasmith said:
I was just in Custer Thursday. Looked bad in spots.

I checked out Hill City. It is centrally located but doesn't offer as much for Hotels and Restaurants as Deadwood.

You may wanna check the summer rates for lodging in Deadwood. It can get brutal. But it is a way cool town.

125 for 2 queens at Holiday in Right in the center of town. Not bad

Not bad. I thought it would be quite a bit higher. That's what I get for not starting brain before engaging fingers.

:beerchug:
 
Note the new Date in Subject Line..That's why we called it planning.  :great:

  From advice here and off the forum, the date has moved up a week. JULY 9 I wanted to at least get the date set in stone as quick as possible so folks could get the week submitted at work. (those that aint retarred).  The Strategy on the date is to get there after the 4th crowd and before the early arrivals for Sturgis. I'm trusting ya'lls judgement on this.


When I did my research in Deadwood, which I thought would be a better choice, I found the hotels in town do not offer parking except at a Parking garage blocks away which would be a pain hauling gear off the bike not to mention security. So with that in mind and to keep us centrally located in the hills, Hill City is looking to be our choice for accommodations be it Hotel, cabins or campground.

This could be the 1st of many annual Rides in the Black Hills!
 
I’m from Rapid City originally. You could stay just about anywhere, until it’s time for the Sturgis Rally. Then places to stay become very scarce, and traffic becomes horrible. Normally it takes 20-30 mins to go from Rapid City to Mount Rushmore. During the rally, it becomes a 3 hr ride! Ideally, plan to check out the Black Hills a week before. Vendors are setting up for the rally, but the crowds and traffic aren’t there yet. Good luck and have fun!
 
Was up in Rapid City again last week working. Did a little more scouting. Looks like Hill City is where we're parking the bikes.


1). Central Location
2). Lots of choices to stay
3). Don't have to park the bike a block away from Hotel
4). Variety of eating within walking distance

The group I'm riding with will be staying at the Holiday Inn Express in Hill City SD. We're departing KC on Sunday 7/8 and staying overnight somewhere the Sunday evening then arriving Monday 7/9. We'll most likely be there all week departing Friday morning 7/13.
 
Rasmith said:
Was up in Rapid City again last week working. Did a little more scouting. Looks like Hill City is where we're parking the bikes.


1). Central Location
2). Lots of choices to stay
3). Don't have to park the bike a block away from Hotel
4). Variety of eating within walking distance

The group I'm riding with will be staying at the Holiday Inn Express in Hill City SD. We're departing KC on Sunday 7/8 and staying overnight somewhere the Sunday evening then arriving Monday 7/9. We'll most likely be there all week departing Friday morning 7/13.

Any idea for a designated campground? Even half of the approx $200/night at that hotel is a bit steep for me and likely some others.
 
http://threeforkscampgroundsd.com/
Response was:


        Kristen Kilcoin <3forkscamp@gmail.com>
        Jan 14 at 12:51 PM

Message body
Our tent sites run between $20.00, and $25.00.  You should not have to make a reservation, as we almost always have open tent sites.

Thanks

Jessie

TFC

[/quote]

Any idea for a designated campground? Even half of the approx $200/night at that hotel is a bit steep for me and likely some others.
[/quote]
 
SteveJ. said:
Rasmith said:
Was up in Rapid City again last week working. Did a little more scouting. Looks like Hill City is where we're parking the bikes.


1). Central Location
2). Lots of choices to stay
3). Don't have to park the bike a block away from Hotel
4). Variety of eating within walking distance

The group I'm riding with will be staying at the Holiday Inn Express in Hill City SD. We're departing KC on Sunday 7/8 and staying overnight somewhere the Sunday evening then arriving Monday 7/9. We'll most likely be there all week departing Friday morning 7/13.

Any idea for a designated campground? Even half of the approx $200/night at that hotel is a bit steep for me and likely some others.

I'm not endorsing any hotels or campgrounds at this point. As I said earlier this is not structured in any way. It's just an unsanctioned ride that is definitely happening. If this catches on then I definitely see it being annual event where we can possibly work out a deal with local accommodations, hotel and campground. As it stands, I have not had a chance to look at any campgrounds closely because when I drove up there they were all closed. I will take a closer look when we're up there and possibly get some feedback from others that have camped up there. :great:

All the campgrounds I did see on my drive have gravel roads so we'll want to probably chose carefully. Here is another campground that is closer to town with a short driveway.
http://trailsideparkresort.com/
$59 per night full electric
$25 per night no electric
Says 6 max per site

Steve, you planning on attending then?
 
Steve, you planning on attending then?

Probably about 75/25 toward attending. I have a lot of irons in the fire this year and do not know how it will settle out. I'd like to for sure.
 
Rasmith said:
Was up in Rapid City again last week working. Did a little more scouting. Looks like Hill City is where we're parking the bikes.

Hey! That's where we had the COG national back in... 06? Stayed at the Best Western "Golden Spike". You can get just about anywhere in the Hills from there.

enhance


enhance


enhance


enhance


enhance


Just thought I'd help spark some interest. 

:)

Have a great time guys!
 
Jerry, yes it was. I rode my KLR out there with the thought of continuing my quest to finish the GDR. Someone finally talked some sense into me and I just did some off-roading around the area. Glad I did because the temps went through the roof that following week. I used so much Gold Bond powder on the way home I looked like Pig Pen with his little cloud of dust when I walked around. Didn't help, as I developed a blister that lasted for almost a month.

I stayed south out of town at the Crooked Creek Resort. Very nice and reasonable.

Someone sent me this pix after the Rally:
group%20prelim.jpg
 
Hey Folks

For me when I see a ride I'm curious who's signed up for it. There are folks I have met that I'd like to see again or riders I enjoyed riding with. So in that spirit I set up a calendar event with a sign up so we can all see who plans to attend.

Here is the link
https://cog.memberize.net/clubportal/EventDisplayNew.cfm?clubID=1328&pre=yes&EventID=249752&message=yes&post=1


I will post a Meet-up spot for the first night we plan on having dinner if anyone wants to join.

I plan on posting up a meet up place for dinner on Weds 7/11 so we can chat about rides and possible future Black Hills Rides.

This is going to be a super cool event!
 
I will be happy to ride out and meet you guys wherever but I will need to leave on Wednesday as I will need to be at Gathering on the Green on Thursday.
 
Here are restaurants that got great reviews.

*Alpine Inn-Hill City
*Desperados-Hill City
*Firehouse-Rapid City
Mac’s Grub-Hill City
Moonshine Gulch Saloon-Rochford
*Black Hills Burger and Bun- Custer
Janes Boardwalk Pizza-Keystone

I know it's only March but the trees are budding. That means it's ride planning time.
It's riding time when the leaves start!

I figured we'd have plan A and B choices Mon-Thur. We can communicate via FB if we need to change plans


 
Couple years ago we were in the Black Hills and stayed in Keystone. Really liked it. We went to the Grizzly Creek Restaurant for at least 3 meals and were not disappointed. I usually don’t like to go to the same restaurant twice but they didn’t disappoint.
 
cbx4evr said:
Couple years ago we were in the Black Hills and stayed in Keystone. Really liked it. We went to the Grizzly Creek Restaurant for at least 3 meals and were not disappointed. I usually don’t like to go to the same restaurant twice but they didn’t disappoint.
  :great: Thanks!
 
I have to say the pizza joint in Keystone was one of the best pizzas I have ever had and judging by my waistline I eat a lot of pizza.
 
Bob said:
Might want to check Custer State Park. Heard they had a forest fire there a few weeks ago.

Hill City has good biker accommodations. Had a  COG national there a few years ago.

Stayed there last year on way back from Washington and the NW Regional. Sorry to hear they had a fire, it was a very nice campground.
 
Folks have been asking me to put up some options for camping on this ride. There were a couple posted so I'll put them up again in one post.

All sites I've researched in Black hills are expensive when you compare to other locations.  Some allow more occupancy per site than others.
I tried to research this by proximity to Hill City proper.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Idf81pBGSWQ
Black Hills Trailside Park Resort
http://trailsideparkresort.com
This is just outside Hill City. they have a fire pit at each camp site.
Campsite, Deluxe, Full Hookups $59.00
Campsite, Tent, No Hookups $25.00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EZwSHO7078
A little further on the same road is Crooked Creek Campground 
http://www.crookedcreeksd.com
Creek Side Tenting 2018
2 people, $32.99per night, peak season--I do not think they have hook ups. Premium sites allow up to 6 tents. On the video, the sites look very nice and loads of shade.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvh-X2D9crY
Horse Thief is still a little further out. Horse Thief Campground & Resort
They have a General Store that offers a lot included liquid refreshments
http://www.crookedcreeksd.com/lodging/tent-campsites
Tent with electric (20amp/110): $37.50  Max 2 tents per site
Tent, no services:               $32.00

We'll be personally checking out these sites when we're up there and possibly a couple more for future rides.
 
Just added my name to the registration.

It's been a very slow beginning to my riding season.  Hoping to fix that by heading out on July 3 for points unknown (Yellowstone-ish, then see where the wind blows me), then will return via Black Hills area probably on the 10th or 11th.

Or, just maybe, Oregon calls too strongly and I just keep going.  We shall see  ;D
 
bikerhawk said:
Just added my name to the registration.

It's been a very slow beginning to my riding season.  Hoping to fix that by heading out on July 3 for points unknown (Yellowstone-ish, then see where the wind blows me), then will return via Black Hills area probably on the 10th or 11th.

Or, just maybe, Oregon calls too strongly and I just keep going.  We shall see  ;D
Or...Cali is nice and cool in the altitudes. I'll be here for another month. Near Tahoe now, slowly working south toward Yosemite. But OR also does not suck. Have fun.

BTW, fixing to get my third rear tire mounted this week though the first one only had about 1500 left on it when I started the trip.

Have fun wherever you go!

Later.
 
bikerhawk said:
Just added my name to the registration.

It's been a very slow beginning to my riding season.  Hoping to fix that by heading out on July 3 for points unknown (Yellowstone-ish, then see where the wind blows me), then will return via Black Hills area probably on the 10th or 11th.

Or, just maybe, Oregon calls too strongly and I just keep going.  We shall see  ;D

Sounds great Tom. Hope to see you and Lisa there! Give me a ring or text when your plans are solid.
I'm stoked to ride this part of the country. First time on 2-wheels there
 
Jeff Kerkow said:
So where and what time and day are we meeting for dinner ?

Alpine Inn-Hill City Monday 7-9. 6PM. should give everyone time to freshen up if needed.

We'll discuss the rest of the week with the group then as far as what and where.

Here's a list of places that got good reviews


*Alpine Inn-Hill City
*Desperados-Hill City
*Firehouse-Rapid City
Mac’s Grub-Hill City
Moonshine Gulch Saloon-Rochford
*Black Hills Burger and Bun- Custer
Janes Boardwalk Pizza-Keystone
 
Just about a week away folks!

Hopefully folks on the way to the Green will stop in to ride a day or two with us
 
Weather looks to be shaping up nicely. It's been a while since zI have visited George and rest of the boys carved in the mountain. I also really would like to see Devil's Tower. It makes for such cool photos.
 
Greetings from Lander, Wyoming! I didn't get out until yesterday, but made up for it with a strong 675 miles and a fantastic camping spot at 8300 feet between Cheyenne & Laramie. You know how nice it was to be cold last night??

A bit rougher day so far today, but it's getting better. Heading toward Jackson today, then plans are still coming together. I definitely plan to be at the Monday dinner meeting on Hill City.
 
bikerhawk said:
Greetings from Lander, Wyoming! I didn't get out until yesterday, but made up for it with a strong 675 miles and a fantastic camping spot at 8300 feet between Cheyenne & Laramie. You know how nice it was to be cold last night??

A bit rougher day so far today, but it's getting better. Heading toward Jackson today, then plans are still coming together. I definitely plan to be at the Monday dinner meeting on Hill City.


Sounds good Tom.
I'll text and Post on COG FB if anything changes as far as venue or time
 
I just signed up. I'll be riding out with Jeff Kerkow on Monday and heading back on Thursday. We have a family wedding on Saturday. Another relative that doesn't check the COG event schedule before setting up silly little things like weddings.

Sorry about the late notice. I've been fighting the crud for a few days. Maybe spending time on the sacred ground of the Black Hills will heal all my woes. If that doesn't help, I'm sure the steak at the Alpine Inn will do the trick.

See you Monday!
 
From Rick
Event cancelled. Just got notification Moms cancer took an aggressive turn for the worse. She's not expected to make it through the day. We're in Kearney NE turning around to KC so I can catch a flight.

We will reschedule this for a later date.
 
Rick, I'm so sorry. My thoughts to you & your family.

Jeff, are you already out there? I'm in Sheridan, Wyoming, heading that way today. Or I could punt & head to Colorado.
 
I'm now broken down on I-25 southbound between Buffalo & Casper, WY. Suspected gearbox or driveshaft failure. Trying to get something out here in BF Wyoming to get towed in, probably all the way to Casper.
 
Bikerhaw is delivered home and I am headed north. So yes Joane and I will be at Soldiers Grove Thursday to help Kim with the beverages.
 
I'm so sorry, Rick. Glad you made it back there in time. There will be time later to ride. All my best to your family.
 
Rick,
I also send my condolences to you and your family. I lost my Mom 16 months ago and I was out of town at the time. It's good to hear you did make it back in time.
 
Guys, thanks for the kind words.


We're going to try to spin this up again.
For those retired and want to double up on a ride, we're planning this for the week after The Spider Ride.

Same Place, different date. Hopefully third time's a Charm.

Week of September 17

We'll be staying at the Holiday Inn Hill City. Leaving KC Sunday 9-16, overnighting either in Kearney or North Platte NE. Arriving in Hill City 9-17.

I'll post up in the Calendar as well
 
Top