Stepping Outdoors With Craig

Hey bike riders if you are looking for a new destination trail to ride. Check out the George Mickelson Trail in the Black Hills of South Dakota. This 109 mile trail runs along old railroad grade between Deadwood and Edgemont. Now this is not a trail to ride with your road bike, since it is not paved. However the packed gravel will accommodate most tires, provided they are not too thin.

It is recommended that your ride from North to South if you want to take advantage of more of the downhill stretches. However, you will not be getting a free pass on the uphills, there still enough of them.  We felt the most scenic portion of the trail was in between Deadwood and Mystic, however Sheeps Canyon down near Edgemont is not to be missed either.

Some riders do the trail in one day, many in two days, however we took 3 mornings to ride it. This left our afternoons and evenings to explore other great places like Mount Rushmore. The most miles we rode in one day was 42 and the least was 32. The trail also runs through 4 tunnels and over 100 bridges,  Enjoy!

Wow what a great time this past Saturday for the Great River Energy Ride on the Mesabi Trail. More than 700 bikers were out enjoying a great day on the trail. And a big tip of the helmet to all the volunteers and organizers who make this ride even possible. This was the first bike tour I have been on but I was very impressed with how smooth everything went. This year the ride started in three places, Giants Ridge, Virginia, and Buhl, and ended in Bennett Park in Hibbing. Several members of my family and several friends all rode for the first time, and we plan to be back again next year. Hope to see you out on the trail, and until then keep pedaling!