South Dakota

A collection of 21 posts

Destinations

Wall, SD: The Town By the Badlands

Hitting a wall with a motorcycle rarely has a good outcome. Unless it’s Wall, SD, in which case you’re in for a great time riding in a unique prairie environment. Wall was platted in 1907 and officially established in 1908 as a stop along the expanding Chicago and

Classic Roads Premium Content

Needles Highway—The Governor’s Road

The Needles Highway covers the northern portion of SR 87 in southwestern South Dakota. This road is famous for offering some of the best riding and scenery in the state’s Black Hills region. Officially, the Needles Highway carves through the mountains for 14 miles. Its length, however, depends on

Destinations

Wild West’s Illegal Den of Sin—Deadwood, SD

Many old Wild West towns had a—shall we say—seedy reputation. But you’d be hard-pressed to find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy as Deadwood, SD. The city’s outlaw status began immediately with its founding in the mid-1870s. Deadwood was an illegal town.

Roundtrip Tour Premium Content

The Boys of Summer, Part 3: Illinois to Washington

Although baseball is a beloved pastime on the East Coast, the age-old American sport is merely an echo that travels gently toward the Pacific Ocean. There are no obstructions along its path, so it might resonate with the people trapped in the noise. After Wrigley and Guaranteed Rate fields

May/Jun '24

South Dakota: Black Hills BDR-Xtended

Flashback to grade school photos of Mount Rushmore in my history book, and I was infatuated instantly. It’s a striking monument, carved from dense granite into an elegant display of our nation’s leaders. Even as a kid with no understanding of how this marvel came to be, I

Destinations

The Home of the World’s Largest Motorcycle Rally - Sturgis, South Dakota

What motorcyclist doesn’t know about Sturgis? But in case you’ve never heard of the place, you’re really missing out. After all, the town is home to the largest motorcycle rally in the world. But let’s take a step back for a moment. The rally looms so

Travel Guide

Explore 8 of the Most Otherworldly Landscapes in the US

If you're a motorcycle enthusiast looking for a journey that feels like it's straight out of a sci-fi movie, you're in for a treat. Across the U.S., there are destinations that boast distinctive flora and fauna, unique geological features, and other outlandish

Accommodations

10 Motorcycle-Friendly Hotels You Should Stay at in the US

A comfortable place to stay can be one of the highlights of a motorcycle tour. But not every hotel accommodates us riders equally well. In RoadRUNNER’s ever-evolving efforts to give moto enthusiasts the best leg up on travel, we’ve compiled this list of our favorite motorcycle-friendly

Mar/Apr '23 Premium Content

ZenMoto Part 1: Minnesota to Montana

It takes about an hour before I leave behind the exurbs of Minneapolis, MN. The riding is easy—lots of straight roads and not a lot of traffic or navigating. There is space in my head to scroll through the 50 million things that one thinks about on the first

Jul/Aug '16

City Escape: Rapid City, South Dakota

The Black Hills of South Dakota are one of the most impressive and interesting riding venues in the U.S. Dramatic scenery, iconic national sites, a plethora of roadside attractions, and beguiling byways are big draws. The best time to go is early or late summer. Length Approximately 227 miles

Mar/Apr '15 Premium Content

Wyoming and South Dakota: Where Indians Roam Again

Given only rough guidelines and a new touring motorcycle, I set off to explore Wyoming on two wheels following the Sturgis Rally in August. My goal: bring home a “living with proof” report on what Indian Motorcycle calls the best of their best, the Roadmaster. Impeccably suited to fit on

May/Jun '14 Premium Content

Deadwood, South Dakota Shamrock Tour®: The Black Hills and Beyond

“My hat is off to South Dakota Treasures … Go to South Dakota, but drive there. It is so near to us all and yet I never knew, nor had ever heard much about its southwestern treasure house ….” — Frank Lloyd Wright Motoring west across the Great Plains, we see the dark

Nov/Dec '13 Premium Content

The Lewis & Clark Trail: Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, and North Dakota

It’s July 4, 1804, and the Corps of Discovery is celebrating Independence Day on the Missouri River near present-day Atchison, KS. Their location is close to the starting point of Part 2 of our journey. Before they can build their winter quarters in modern-day North Dakota, the

Jul/Aug '13 Premium Content

Las Vegas, NV, to Sturgis, SD: Off the Cloud in the Wild West

Modern life is grand—always on the go, always connected to the “Cloud,” always tweeting, pinning, liking, sharing, and then recharging so that we can do it all again. It is, admittedly, overwhelming sometimes—even for The Digital Rider. In the midst of these thoughts, an email arrives. It’s

May/Jun '12 Premium Content

Park City, Utah to Rapid City, South Dakota: Sturgis or Bust!

Shortly after the Civil War, my great-grandfather and his younger brother headed west across this great country, following the first transcontinental railroad during its construction. They built their first gun shop in Laramie, WY, which was a territory then, and eked out a modest living from this vast and

Sep/Oct '11 Premium Content

Wyoming, Colorado, South Dakota and Nebraska

What a scary welcome. The captain warned us that there would be some turbulence as we crossed the barrier of the Rocky Mountains from the west, but the effect of the thunderstorm is still intimidating. The plane is shaking and rattling in every joint. It feels like we’re sitting

May/Jun '11 Premium Content

North and South Dakota

During the summer and fall of 1804, Lewis and Clark with the Corps of Discovery covered much of the same ground that Linda and I had planned for this tour. Their favorite byway was the Missouri River. Ours would primarily be SR 1804 and SR 1806, which accompany the river

Jul/Aug '10 Premium Content

Nebraska Outlaw Trail

What motorcyclist doesn't feel a kinship with America's cowboys? Our bikes have saddles, not seats. We use saddlebags for storage, not a trunk. And, of course, we wear boots, not shoes when we ride. So, when the opportunity arose to tour Nebraska's romantic Outlaw

Nov/Dec '08 Premium Content

Reader Ride: Westward Bound

For years, I had wanted a motorcycle and for one reason or another had never attained one. But after I returned from an all expenses paid trip to the other side of the world, courtesy of Uncle Sam, the motorcycle fund was sizable enough and my wanderlust was brewing. When

Jan/Feb '08 Premium Content

Shamrock Tour® - Sturgis and Deadwood, South Dakota

The biker hordes have yet to arrive for the annual Black Hills Motor Classic Rally in Sturgis, South Dakota. I have this majestic and surreal landscape mostly to myself for the next several days to explore. Buttes, bison grazing on rolling grasslands, the infamous town of Deadwood, South Dakota, historic

Nov/Dec '07 Premium Content

From Bismarck to Pierre

Arriving in the city of Bismarck after driving through the grasslands of North Dakota for a couple of days is a slight shock to the system. And though it only has a population of 55,000, Bismarck's big streets and noisy traffic are as far removed from the