The Mickelson Trail
Nearly all of the trail follows the route of an abandoned railroad branch line constructed by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad in 1890-91 and last operated by the Burlington Northern Railroad in 1983. The route was converted into a hiking and biking trail through the Rails-To-Trails program and was given it's name in honor of former SD governor George Mickelson who spearheaded the project but tragically died in a plane crash in 1993. The trail is 109 miles long and runs from Deadwood to Edgemont. The trail is crushed stone and although there are hills and valleys, the trail is easy for all ages. The trail has over 100 railroad bridges and 4 tunnels and certain sections of the trail are gorgeous. There are fourteen trail heads to access the trails- see map below. Ride the whole trail in two to three days or do a section at a time. There is a fee of 4 dollars a day as of 2022 or a season pass is optional.
My husband and I rode this whole trail in 2 days (the travel blog below) and it was really hard. We decided over the next couple of years to do section by section and really enjoy it. When we have time we will post these sections below.
Sheep Canyon by Edgemont - Absolutely gorgeous.
One of the tunnels.
Near Custer, South Dakota.
Riding in the fall is beautiful.
Beginning of trail in Deadwood, South Dakota.
The occasional creature on the path.
Sheps Canyon
Different types of flowers along the way.
Cool houses of the past.
One of the nice rest areas along the way.
Beautiful scenery.
Fun for all ages.
Beginning of the trail in Edgemont, South Dakota
Can be walked or even rode by fat bikes sometimes in the winter.
Another cool bridge to go over.
Bridge going over 16/385 near Hill City.
One of the many bridges you cross south of Rochford.
A little history about the trail.
Nice easy signs letting you know how much further you need to go.
Kids love this section.
Gorgeous flowers everywhere in the summer.
On of the tunnels.
Deadwood Trailhead to Kirk Trailhead
Milepost 105.3 to milepost 108.8 or vice versa.
Burlington Northern Hill City Trailhead to Mountain Trailhead
Milepost 49.6 to milepost 60.1 or vice versa.
Harbach Park Trailhead to Mountain Trailhead
Milepost 44.5 to milepost 49.6.
Pringle Trailhead to Harbach Park Trailhead in Custer
Milepost 32.1 to milepost 44.5.
Minnekahta Trailhead to Pringle Trailhead
Milepost 16.2 to milepost 32.1.
Minnekahta Trailhead to Edgemont Trailhead
Milepost 0 to milepost 16.2 or vice versa.
