Denver --> Sturgis in mid-June - Advice?

[Ace_Taco]

I'm planning a 3-day trip with my wife, dog and 2 young (11 & 8) boys from Denver to Sturgis S.D. in a few weeks. The idea I pitched was to do some fun camping and explore South Dakota. While this is a great idea, the other reality is that I have front and rear bumpers to pick up from C4 Fabrication and it's a great excuse to save money having them shipped.

The trip drive is clocked at 6.5 hours straight through, so we'll have plenty of time to get there and hang out and see the sights and then we can load up bumpers and drive back on Monday.

I haven't made this drive before or camped along the way so any route/camping/general advice would be much appreciated.

 

[Daniel Etter]

Plenty of stuff to do here in western SD! I'll pm you some info on trails and things to do!

 

[Ace_Taco]

Thanks Daniel!

 

[Jeepney]

When are your dates? We plan to be starting our trail ride on the 15th from Sturgis (Camp 5 Trailhead) down to Mt Rushmore. We're doing easy trails for the most part, crossing

I will be with my family and hopefully another rig with his family. We'll be dispersed camping as well.

would be great to hook up, even for just the trail ride. I prefer to not fly solo but sometimes that's how it goes with this family-centric adventures. Below shows the trail route. @Daniel Etter Feel free to critique. That shapshot is from gaiagps.com but i can share the trail using mymaps as well.

 

[Ace_Taco]

We're driving from CO on the either the 14th or 15th - haven't decided yet. It would be fun to hook up and take on some family friendly trails. I'll get my plan together a bit better and keep you posted.

 

[Daniel Etter]

When are your dates? We plan to be starting our trail ride on the 15th from Sturgis (Camp 5 Trailhead) down to Mt Rushmore. We're doing easy trails for the most part, crossing

I will be with my family and hopefully another rig with his family. We'll be dispersed camping as well.

would be great to hook up, even for just the trail ride. I prefer to not fly solo but sometimes that's how it goes with this family-centric adventures. Below shows the trail route. @Daniel Etter Feel free to critique. That shapshot is from gaiagps.com but i can share the trail using mymaps as well.

View attachment 25105

I'll check out your route on my computer a little later so I can reference the trails a little better than on my phone lol. We could definitely organize a meet up at a restaurant or something and possibly hit a few simple trails/scenic areas along your route if you guys want!

 

[Jeepney]

Didn't realize i can share the link directly, here you go.

https://www.gaiagps.com/public/Tn2d87LlkKEr9O7Z97iyL2bJ

 

[Daniel Etter]

Didn't realize i can share the link directly, here you go.

https://www.gaiagps.com/public/Tn2d87LlkKEr9O7Z97iyL2bJ

Your route looks really good! The only spot you might have issues with is trail 8042, which is a rock crawling section (rated 8). One travel direction it is rated moderate, the other it is extreme. I can't recall or find which is which but I'll let you know when I find out. Here is a pic of the section, which is up near Deadwood.

 

[Jeepney]

Sweet. @Ace_Taco sorry for the thread jack, feel free to use the route.

@Daniel Etter I'll PM you once we get things get solid. Would be great if we can do a meet up along the trail if your time allows. As mentioned in my other thread, i will be on a Jeep Wrangler and a buddy (who can't decide if he's going) is on a Land Cruiser 200 -- stock and brand new to him -- if that gives you an idea.

 

[Ace_Taco]

Not a problem - not really a hijack either since I'll certainly be using some of those routes at some point while we're there.
...now I just have to hear back from the fab company to make sure my bumpers will be ready for pick-up...

 

[Daniel Etter]

Not a problem - not really a hijack either since I'll certainly be using some of those routes at some point while we're there.
...now I just have to hear back from the fab company to make sure my bumpers will be ready for pick-up...

C4 typically responds back to emails within 24 hours if you haven't tried that route. It's hard to get a hold of them by phone due to their recent increase in sales through group buys, so they are fabricating nonstop and don't have time to answer the phone immediately.