Tour routes at CFO

Jackson · Apr 24, 2007

I put together four routes that loop through the Black Hills. All of the routes start and end at Custer, SD.

You can just drag each map over to your desktop to save and print them.

(UPDATE: Sept. 18; Since some folks are going to ride the #3 route (Devils Tower, Northern Black Hills) the opposite direction, counterclockwise, I made a new route with this in mind, and deleted the original #3 route. The revised one is in a new post, #28, and it's called route #3c. I also modified it to now include some more excellent roads: Spearfish Canyon , Nemo Rd., and Sheridan Lake Rd. (SR-44).

(UPDATE: Sept. 11; I have revised the written directions so that they are much easier to follow. I have also created GPS files in the following formats: .gdb version 1, .gdb version 2, and .gpx

Send me a PM and I will send you a zipped file containing the directions and the GPS files. The written directions will be very useful for those with or without a GPS unit. They include turn by turn directions, tips about what to see, admission fees, gas stops, and suggestions obout where to eat. The zip file will not incude the .jpg's of the maps. They can be dragged directly off the messages, over to your desktop. From there you can print them.)

Here's some brief info:

1. Chadron-Crawford

Miles: 272

Time: 6-7 hours, plus stops

Highlights: Wind Cave Nat’l Park, Southern Black Hills

2. Mount Rushmore-Badlands

Miles: 244

Time: 5-6 hours, plus stops

Highlights: Mount Rushmore, Rapid City, Badlands National Park,

3c. Devils Tower-Nemo Rd (revised 9-18-2007; see post #28)

Miles: 286

Time: 6-7 hours, plus stops

Highlights: Nemo Rd, Devils Tower Nat’l Monument, Jewel Cave Nat’l Monument, Spearfish Canyon, Sheridan Lake Rd.

4. (deleted)

5. Mount Rushmore, Iron Mtn. Rd, Custer St. Pk., Wind Cave Nat. Park.

Miles: 90

Time: 2.0 – 2.5 hours, plus stops

Highlights: Mount Rushmore, Iron Mtn. Road, Custer St. Park, Wind Cave Nat. Park.

Here is the first one. #1, Chadron-Crawford

The other routes are in additional posts.

Jackson · Apr 24, 2007

(deleted by Jackson)

Jackson · Apr 25, 2007

(UPDATE: Sept. 18; Since some folks are going to ride the #3 route (Devils Tower, Northern Black Hills) the opposite direction, counterclockwise, I made a new route with this in mind, and deleted the original route. The revised one is in a new post down below, #28, and it's called route #3c. I also modified it to now include some more excellent roads: Spearfish Canyon , Nemo Rd., and Sheridan Lake Rd. (SR-44).

3. Devils Tower-Nemo Road (revised 9-18-2007; see post #28)

2. Mount Rushmore-Badlands

Miles: 244

Time: 5-6 hours, plus stops

Highlights: Mount Rushmore, Rapid City, Badlands National Park

Jackson · Apr 25, 2007

5. Mount Rushmore, Iron Mtn. Rd, Custer St. Pk., Wind Cave Nat. Park.

Miles: 90

Time: 2.0 – 2.5 hours, plus stops

Highlights: Mount Rushmore, Iron Mtn. Road, Custer St. Park, Wind Cave Nat. Park.

devanator · Apr 25, 2007

Jackson

Awesome job on route planning. Kilroy and Myself are coming early. I've seen a few of the roads you highlighted but a few others I can't wait to see.

devanator/Mike

wheatonFJR · Apr 25, 2007

Good job there Jackson! I won't be at CFO this year but certainly appreciate the work you did to lay those routes out. Kudos to you.

airboss · Apr 25, 2007

Most excellent choices, Jackson, I did alot of those roads last fall, it just doesn't get any better.

Jackson · Apr 25, 2007

You may have noticed, there are not many straight roads on those routes. Your wheels will only touch a slab a couple of times, and very briefly, except for the route to Badlands National Park.

I created the maps using Microsoft Streets and Trips, which is the best software I've seen for creating maps like this. It sells for about $36 on Amazon.com, but may be cheaper at your local big box store. I understand that the files created in S&T can be imported into GPS software and then transferred to a GPS. I have not tried this, but if anyone has more information, post it here.

I can email you the Streets & Trips files if you want, as well as the files for the routes to and from Custer, SD (in another thread)..

Kilroy · Apr 25, 2007

Nicely done, indeed. I can't wait!

rammer9460 · Apr 25, 2007

Very nice!

May I make one small sugjestion? On trip 5 go counter-clock-wise. I only say this because when you head up 16A (iron mt. road) from the south off of 36, every time you drive through a tunnel you end up looking at Mount Rushmore. If I remember right there's 3 of them.

Erik.

Jackson · Apr 25, 2007

rammer9460 said:
Very nice! May I make one small sugjestion? On trip 5 go counter-clock-wise. I only say this because when you head up 16A (iron mt. road) from the south off of 36, every time you drive through a tunnel you end up looking at Mount Rushmore. If I remember right there's 3 of them.

Erik.

That's a good point, Erik. Those tunnels are pointed right at Mount Rushmore like a rifle scope.

[update May 4, 2007]

I reversed the route.

Jackson · Aug 6, 2007

Within the next week or so I will re-create these routes (most of them anyway) in Mapsource and will email the files to anyone who wants them. Or I'll find a way to post them on the Internet where you can download them. So, as long as you have a copy of the Mapsourse software, a cable, and a GPS unit that can talk to Mapsource (such as most Garmin GPS units), you will be able to download the routes into your GPS unit.

In addition, at CFO, I'll have my computer and a GPS cable and will be able download the routes directly into some models of Garmin GPS units. No promises though, that my software and hardware will match yours.

MKO · Aug 8, 2007

Jackson said:
Within the next week or so I will re-create these routes (most of them anyway) in Mapsource and will email the files to anyone who wants them. Or I'll find a way to post them on the Internet where you can download them. So, as long as you have a copy of the Mapsourse software, a cable, and a GPS unit that can talk to Mapsource (such as most Garmin GPS units), you will be able to download the routes into your GPS unit.
In addition, at CFO, I'll have my computer and a GPS cable and will be able download the routes directly into some models of Garmin GPS units. No promises though, that my software and hardware will match yours.

I don't have MapSource, but I have City Navigator NT that came with the Garmin Zumo GPS. Can anyone save the routes in City Navigator and send them to me?

Thanks,

rammer9460 · Aug 15, 2007

Jackson,

I have a question. I know a person can drive Iron Mt. Road without paying a park enterance fee at Custer St. Park. Can one drive on Needles Hwy(87) too for free? Or does that require that I pay an enterance fee? Do you know how much the fee is? Is it good for mutiple days like a National Parks fee?

Also, there should be free Black Hills maps available. The maps were at most stores/gas stations during the Sturgis Rally last week. There are so many good roads to ride out there. This will be only my second non-rally time trip to the hills.

Can't wait to be there.

Erik

I think I just answered my own question. I looked up the Custer St. Park web site and found that 7 day temp passes were $12.00 per vehicle OR $5.00 per person...

Jackson · Aug 15, 2007

I know a person can drive Iron Mt. Road without paying a park enterance fee at Custer St. Park. Can one drive on Needles Hwy(87) too for free? Or does that require that I pay an enterance fee?

You can drive through the state park on 87 and 16a without paying the entrance fee. You will have to pay the fee to drive on the "Wildlife Loop".

Also, there should be free Black Hills maps available. The maps were at most stores/gas stations during the Sturgis Rally last week.

That's correct. Most all motels and many stores and restaurants will have free Black Hills maps available. I will also make some maps to pass out of some of the routes listed above.

And speaking of fees, there is a fee to park at Mount Rushmore. From their their web site::

The $8.00 parking fee is a special use fee and is valid for the entire calendar year and is the only fee within the park. This is not a Federal entrance fee, so National Park Passes, Golden Age, Access and Eagle Passports are not accepted.

The $8 fee applies to bikes too. Yep, it's a rip off. For a bike, what they give you when you pay the fee is a strap like you might wear on your wrist at a concert. They will put it on your bike, which is annoying. It does not stick to your bike, it just wraps around something, like your handlebar.

If you don't mind walking about 0.2 mile, there is a little paved pull-out just west of the headquarters area along the highway where you can park for free.

Jackson · Sep 11, 2007

I have revised the written directions so that they are much easier to follow. They should be very usable for those that don't have a GPS. The directions also have hints and tips about what to see, where to get gas, and where to eat. These directions are in .pdf format.

I have also created GPS files in the following formats:

.gdb version 1,

.gdb version 2, and

.gpx

Send me a PM with an email address and I will send you a zipped file containing the directions and the GPS files. The file is only 131 KB.

The zip file will not incude the .jpg's of the maps. They can be dragged directly off of the messages above, over to your desktop. From there you can print them.

If you don't have a GPS and only need the written directions, I can still send you the zipped file. You can then disregard the GPS files and just use the directions.

rickcorwn · Sep 11, 2007

Jackson said:
I have revised the written directions so that they are much easier to follow. They should be very usable for those that don't have a GPS. The directions also have hints and tips about what to see, where to get gas, and where to eat. These directions are in .pdf format.
I have also created GPS files in the following formats:

.gdb version 1,

.gdb version 2, and

.gpx

Send me a PM with an email address and I will send you a zipped file containing the directions and the GPS files. The file is only 131 KB.

The zip file will not incude the .jpg's of the maps. They can be dragged directly off of the messages above, over to your desktop. From there you can print them.

Jackson, what the difference between the V1 and V2 gdb files?? :blink:

BTW a big thanks for all you doing to make this a great weekend :yahoo: :yahoo:

Jackson · Sep 11, 2007

rickcorwn said:
Jackson said:

I have revised the written directions so that they are much easier to follow. They should be very usable for those that don't have a GPS. The directions also have hints and tips about what to see, where to get gas, and where to eat. These directions are in .pdf format.
I have also created GPS files in the following formats:

.gdb version 1,

.gdb version 2, and

.gpx

Send me a PM with an email address and I will send you a zipped file containing the directions and the GPS files. The file is only 131 KB.

The zip file will not incude the .jpg's of the maps. They can be dragged directly off of the messages above, over to your desktop. From there you can print them.

Click to expand...

Jackson, what the difference between the V1 and V2 gdb files?? :blink:

BTW a big thanks for all you doing to make this a great weekend :yahoo: :yahoo:

I don't know the difference, but I know some people have trouble loading routes of a certain file type onto their Garmins. I've had my Garmin GPS Map 378 for months, and only today figured out that the only way to import a route was to use a stinking .gpx file; and, the receiving GPS has to be set to routing "off road". :angry2: :yahoo: Of course, Garmin tech. support did not tell me about the file type when I sought their help.

Garmin Zumo's also use .gpx files.

My Mapsource program saves files as Version 2 as the default. That works on my Garmin Quest.

Use whatever works. You can't hurt anything by importing a file your GPS can't use. (I think! :blink: ) If it does not work, delete it and try another type.

I'd try them in this order:

.gdb V. 2

.gpx

.gdb V. 1

And, you're welcome.

xcsp · Sep 14, 2007

Any thought on what route anyone wants or plans to do on Saturday?

Tour routes at CFO

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