It might be a little too snowy for most of us to think about mountain biking, but the grand poobahs at the South Dakota Department of Tourism are already thinking about donning their brain buckets and dodging death cookies.*

The Mickelson Trail Trek is a three-day ride along the 114-mile-long Mickelson Trail – known locally as The Big Mick – a rails-to-trails project that bisects the length of the Black Hills. Starting in Edgemont and ending in Deadwood, the trail crosses more than 100 old trestle bridges and passes through four tunnels. Other vestiges of the old railroad, from crumbling water towers to track switches, are scattered along the route. And since the old trains didn’t climb more than a 5% grade, you don’t have to be a veteran biker to ride the trail.

The annual Trail Trek has been going on for several years now – organizers counted 545 riders this past September – but the 2008 ride just got a nod from South Dakota Tourism big wigs, who picked the trek as the outdoor component for their 2008 Great Events promo. As a result, the Mickelson Trail Trek will be heavily promoted in the coming months in South Dakota ads across the country.

If you can’t wait until September 19-21 – or the thought of competing with several hundred hardened bikers has you scared silly – then consider hitting the trail this spring. Black Hills Central Reservations has a couple vacation packages that include lodging and bike rentals. You can make it a multi-day affair, camping out or staying in inns along the trail, or you can pick a section and ride it in a day. Most daytrippers opt to start at the Dumont trailhead, the highest point, and then coast down one side or the other. Just make sure you’ve got someone willing to meet you in a car at the bottom, or you’ll have a particularly frustrating huff back up the hill.

*I sound awesome, don’t I? Yeah, not really. I had to use a mountain biking dictionary. I’m that cool.