Riding in the hills??

[sportsman500ho]

I know I will sound stupid, but I have not ridden out in the hills, and I am not sure of what and where we can ride. I am planning to go out with some friends this summer and ride. None of us have ridden out there, and looking for some advice on where to ride and where to stay away from. Thanks for the help!

[sdslw]

One of my favorite places to ride is on the Centenial Trail from the Pilot Knob trail head up through Nemo to Dalton Lake.  There are a lot of side trails and logging roads in this area that you can use as well.  This is the only section of the Centenial Trail that ATVs are allowed on and you can find it on the US Forest Service map of the Black Hills.  The Pilot Knob trail head is just East about 1 mile from Trout Haven (on hwy 385).  Take Hwy 44 West from Rapid City to 385 and head North, you can't miss Trout Haven and the Sugar Shack.

Otherwise, right now most of the Hills is considered open unless posted otherwise.  Logging roads run everywhere out there.  Just don't make any new trails, that is how some areas are getting shutdown to ATVs.  Obviously no riding in Custer State Park, Wind Cave or the Black Elk Wilderness Area.  Some of the forest fire burn areas are also close to off road travel, which basically means you have to stay on numbered roads.

[toodeep]

I like the Centennial, you can rent a cabin right in Nemo and never have to load the atv. Take extra supplies though, last I heard the convenience store burned down. Mama's bar is pretty cool also, sit around the fire and drink. Last time we was there the sheriff came to the bar to warn us the POPO was traveling the road and then told us when it was safe to ride back to the cabin, some was not street legal and we stayed in a cabin outside of Nemo.

[Andy]

Man I love sheriffs like that. They try to make sure that people are safe and respect the law instead of trying to make you sneek around.

[toodeep]

Didn't hurt we went to school together either. 

[sportsman500ho]

Thanks for the input so far. Keep it coming. I can use everyones input on the matter. I want this trip to be a darn good ride! Thanks again everyone.

[kawasaki]

i was out there last summer over the 4th of july in the Galena area.  Its south east of Lead and the trails were great.  there was everthing from easy stuff to trails that u couldnt navigate.  there a couple campgrounds right there Wild Bills and the Fish N' Fry u can unload and go.  was there for 4 days and didnt ever run out of stuff to ride on.  plannin on going out again this summer on June 17-20th.

[ridered80]

Planning a trip to the Hills in July 3-11th. My wife and I are registered and licensed in SD, but the group we will have with us is from Iowa. I don't know much about the Hills but have been trying to do as much research as I can online. I hate to steal this guys thread but I'm hoping you can help me out and hopefully him at the same time. I just have a few questions for you guys!

Campgrounds- My understanding is Trout Haven Resort and Wild Bills Camp are ATV friendly. Is there anymore out there?
Laws- Can out-of-staters ride forest service roads and trails as long as there registered?
ATV Friendly- Can we ride into towns directly to gas stations and then back to the trails? I saw in the new Dirt Wheels magazine that Sturgis is #8 in the country for ATV friendly towns.
 
I see you can the Centennial trail for about 11 miles or so. Is there any other trails recommended?
I have been riding in Wisconsin, Colorado, and Minnesota for the last 10 years and they can spoil you with the amenities signs, trails, ATV towns, and what not.

I do understand that the best way to find all this out is to head out there for a weekend and try it myself, which I plan on doing. My only concern is that if it's really worth the trip out there? I see they host a big UTV Rally in the Hills, wish I woulda went out then.
I don't mind the forest service roads at all, they can be pretty fun. Is there mud, rocks, and climbs that can be reached legally?
Thanks guys for all your help and hopefully this will answer questions for others to at the same time!

[carpe diem]

Only been out there once riding and hope to make it more this summer.  Last summer we road to custer peak, rochford and stopped by mystichills campground for a refreshment.  They seemed very ATV friendly and had cabins and camp sites.    Rented a ride from a mad mountain atv's just down the road and it was what I needed to do to convince the family that an ATV would be a good edition.  Good luck and have fun!

http://www.mystichillscampground.com/

[redrzr]

Another good place to stay is at deerfield resort,they rent atvs and you can ride from the campground.The centenial trail is the only marked and designated trail for atvs,people used to ride the snowmobile trails but that has caused alot of problems for some in the past,thats why we need a map and marked trails so people know where to go without causing any problems.There are miles and miles of beautiful trails in the hills the problem is none are marked and its hard to know if you are supposed to be riding them or not.

[sdslw]

The reason you aren't suppose to ride the snowmobile trails in the summer are those trails cross some private land that the State of SD has permission for December - March.  I don't have the dates exactly, but the snowmobile trails are only open for a certain time frame, snow or not. 

You shouldn't have any problems riding any of the forest service roads as long as they are numbered and not marked as closed.

[ridered80]

Do we need to be licensed to ride forest service roads and trails?

[racingvillagekid]

is a forest service road a system road??? if so you may need a plate..thanks for making the 4 wheeler i have rode for ever useless now

[toodeep]

We had many that was not licensed and we road the back roads (and the highway, shh!!), nobody seemed to care at all but that had been a while ago.

[ridered80]

I did call the Black Hills Forestry Service in Custer. They did say that ALL ATV's need to be registered and licensed to ride all trails that are numbered including forestry roads.
But, you can ride logging roads and two-track roads because they are not marked.

I find this to be pretty gay considering that you need to ride many forestry roads just to access the logging and two track roads.
I do hope that the Black Hills get ATV/OHV only trails and have laws similar to Minnesota and Wisconsin which are 2 extremely ATV friendly states. I would be happy to pay for an out-of-state sticker that allows me to ride on the trails year long.