A new Badlands bike trail? Maybe
The Mickelson Trail, the 109-mile hiking and biking trail through the Black Hills, offers bicyclists some of the nation’s most scenic riding. Meanwhile the Centennial Trail takes backpackers through 111 miles of rugged Black Hills back country.
And someday there might be another big big recreation trail, this one running from downtown Rapid City to the heart of the South Dakota Badlands.
Jerry Cole, head of the Rapid City Parks & Recreation Department, talked about the possibilities of the Badlands trail during a recent meeting with the Rapid City Airport Board. He wants the city of Rapid City to take the first step, extending the city trail system east to the airport.
He said the 9-mile trail would be good for Rapid Valley bicycle commuters, students and biking tourists. And it could kick-start a 100-mile Badlands trail project that has been talked about for years.
South Dakota acquired the Milwaukee Road line between Rapid City and Mitchell in the 1980s when the Milwaukee went bankrupt. The section from Rapid City to Kadoka, S.D., is in a semi-abandoned state known as “rail banking.” Track and ties are gone, but bridges are still in place. And the state retains the right-of-way for future use as a rail line or a recreation trail.
Track remains on the ground between Rapid City and the airport, in part because actor Kevin Costner wanted to use it for his Dunrail passenger trains to Deadwood. That project jumped the tracks a few years ago.
These days, the old line to the airport is barely visible, a couple of forsaken ribbons poking out from weeds and tall grass. However, nearly all of the bridges are in good shape. It wouldn’t take a lot to turn it into a trail.
The larger trail project depends on a lot of things, mainly money. A group called the West River Trails Coalition is working on that.
If they succeed, outdoor enthusiasts will be treated to some of South Dakota’s greatest high plains landscapes. The old line winds along Rapid Creek, crosses the Cheyenne River over an old steel bridge and climbs out onto the flat expanse of the Badlands.
Cole noted that western South Dakota could someday boast three 100-mile recreation trails. Not many regions can make that claim.
I hope you all take a look at the Rails to Trails here in Virginia and the New River Valley. We have done that in Virginia and not only is our Rails to Trails for hikers and cyclist but equistrians come from all over the state to ride on our Rails To Trails… Google Shot Tower Rails to Trails in Southwest Virginia. I was born in Rapid City and have lived here in Virginia for the last 20 years and it would be awesome if the trails went from Rapid City to Wall Drug. Good Luck!
Christina Rensch Lee – Salem Virginia
Just think, by the time you pedal all the way to Wall, you won’t have to feel guilty about snarfing down a bunch of Wall Drug doughnuts — which, by the way, are the best. They put Krispy Kreme to shame.
Having ridden from Rapid City to Wall as part of a cross-country bike ride, a trail would be wonderful!! I rode on an old U.S. highway (12? 14?) part of the way and on the shoulder of the interstate for maybe 14 miles (yes, that’s allowed). Long-distance trails like these bring in more tourism dollars too.