[Flick]

If you have never been to the Black Hills of South Dakota...frankly I am not surprised. They don't tend to get a great deal of press, but then they are also not crowded. My family lives around the Spearfish area which is the northen Black Hills and also I think the most beautiful. There is a very nice city campground with a trout stream running right through the middle of it. There is also a state fish hatchery adjacent to the park with museums.

From Spearfish you are:
-15 minutes from famous Deadwood (you know the HBO series) that is a must see. You can see where Wild Bill was shot and his grave along with other famous gold rush settlers
-Minutes away from trailheads to the George S. Mickelson bike trail. this is 180 miles of world class biking trails through the hills (even tunnels). since it is all on former railroad beds there is never more than a 3% grade and all of them ar hard packed so you can take almost any bike except maybe a road bike up them.
-45 minutes from Mount Rushmore
-45 minutes from Crazy Horse
-Minutes from hiking trails some marked and some not (this is where hanging with a local like me ghelps you)
-12 minutes from Sturgis which is home to the world famous Sturgis Bike Rally. Each year the tiny little town swells from its meager population of 10,000 people to anywhere from 500,000 to 750,000. next year will be the 74th year of the rally. This spills onto Spearfish big time so we will not likely want to be there during the rally which typically the first week or two of August...beleive me we will see many Harley folks anyways as they all come to run the twisting raods of the hills.
-Trout fishing is everywhere so practice your flycasting
-45 minutes from Devils Tower (remember Speilberg's aliens landed there in the movie)

Dawn and I could plan many must see and do things for anyone who wants to meet there. We know many out of the way hole in the wall spots to go. So do some googling (is that a word?) and see what you think. Since we have four kids and fulltime jobs we will likely peg our week or so on the calendar in the next few months and let you all know. Here is the URL to the campground if you want to peruse that. I think they let folks who help man the fish hatchery and other things stay free so you fulltimers may want to give this a really good look.

http://www.spearfishparksandrec.com/camp...tions.html

[whatsnewell]

Todd, we will be coming through the Badlands area around April/May next year....at least that is our "written in Jello" plan, and would love to meet you and Dawn there.....maybe we can organize a mini rally in that area. I know this was discussed a couple of years ago, but never got done....maybe 2013 is the time. We love to bicycle and would love to explore those "Rails to Trails" bike paths you speak of. Let me know if April/May is too early in the season. I know "summer" is very short in the Dakotas....someone once jokingly told me there are only two seasons there......July and winter...

[prairieschooner]

May would be a bit early for us and not sure about the weather. Here I don't take the chains off the tractor until Father's Day and we usually get snow around Mother's Day.

[Flick]

It can still snow in the Hills in May. Typically it will not, but certainly some rain. I tell ya we love late June to end of July because the weather is typically dependable to be very pleasant or worse case hot. However, it always cools off at night very quickly and some of the hikes and such we do you want it warm because we are crossing streams that are freezing cold even in July.

Clarke if you come this direction then we may be able to have our own long weekend rally or maybe we can have you guys stop on your way through Sioux Falls for the night and we will get you two set with things to do in the Hills when we send you on if we are unable to go then.

[GuardraiNeb.]

Hi Todd: We will be in Spearfish for the Vette rally July 14th until the 24th. Will be staying at the Rafter Bar "J" 3 miles South of Hill City.
THANKS Ken

[valento]

We will be attending the FMCA 4-Wheeler event in the Black Hills Sep 23-27.  Their base camp is at the Elkhorn Ridge RV Resort in Spearfish.

Like you said there seems to be loads of activities and sites to see!

[pairodice]

'FMCA 4-Wheeler event in the Black Hills Sep 23-27'. THAT sounds like fun!!!