The Travelodge of Spearfish is Biker Friendly!

Spearfish and the Black Hills have it all. We are 20 miles from Sturgis, and just a mile from the beginning of the scenic drive through Spearfish Canyon! We are near Devil's Tower in Wyoming as well. Feel free to contact us for information about the Black Hills motorcycle scene and the Sturgis Rally held the first week in August (or visit here to get the forms and find out about pricing and policies at Rally time).

Spearfish makes a great base for Black Hills motorcycle rides. From Spearfish, you can ride west to Sundance, Wyoming and Devil's Tower near Hewlett. Ride east to Sturgis, Deadwood and Lead, or Rapid City. Ride south along the Spearfish Canyon to Keystone, Custer, Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse and Badlands National Park. Ride north to Belle Fourche, and up to the grasslands of North Dakota and eastern Montana.

Some of our customers' favorite bicycle and motorcycle rides from Spearfish.

Spearfish Canyon - By far the best and most picturesque ride out of Spearfish is the road up Spearfish Canyon, otherwise known as 14A. It starts right from the Spearfish Municipal Golf Course (directions from the hotel are here) and heads directly south winding its way through the canyon. The gradient is very gentle and you do not need excessive gearing, able to ride uphill at between 5 and 15mph depending on your ability. The gradient is varying between 2 and 5% and is a steady 3% for most of the ride up to Cheyenne Crossing. It has a fairly wide shoulder but fear not the motorists as they are obligated by the speed limit of 35mph. The speed limit is actually obeyed by most motorists as the canyon does not join any major communities and it is mostly the few hundred residents living in and around the canyon that make up the regular “commuters”. The others are tourists driving the canyon paying close attention to the curving road as well as the beautiful scenery out the windows. In fact, even during the height of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in the first week of August the “real bikers” pay close attention to cyclist and you will get a friendly wave from most of them…some have suggested that bikeriders just wear ear plugs to cut out the noise.

National Geographic Adventure Magazine says "The Black Hills rank among the best mountain biking in the country. Ride 109 miles and cross more than 100 converted railway bridges, or have a go at mountain bike raceway Dakota 50, a narrow route that drops 2000 feet (610 meters) in one 7 mile (11 kilometer) stretch; snow shoe among the pines in Black Hills National Forest; or visit the Grand Canyon's baby sister, Spearfish Canyon."

The ride is 5 miles to the first larger parking lot, located at the Bridal Veil waterfall. Next comes the old power plant, built in 1917 to supply power to the now closed Homestake Mine. The power plant is at mile marker 8. Then another 5 miles and the canyon widens significantly and you are in Savoy, a small clearing and crossroads consisting of the Spearfish Canyon Lodge on the West side of the road and the Latchstring restaurant on the East side. If you are hungry stop by the restaurant and enjoy their specialty of the Rainbow Trout or keep going south. At this point in the ride the canyon road is less steep and averages between 1 and 2% gradient. The canyon is wider at this point and you will see numerous houses on both sides of the road. Another 5 miles and you come up to a T intersection at Cheyenne Crossing. There is another restaurant and convenience store at that point. A good place to buy some refreshments. This is mile 18 of the canyon and at this point you have three choices:

Choice 1: You can turn left on Hwy 85 South and go up a steep gradient for about 2 miles and then down into the City of Lead and a little later Deadwood. Those roads are busier and cars drive faster, yet there is plenty of shoulder to ride on. From Deadwood you can either continue on Hwy 85 and take another uphill climb to Spearfish or continue on Hwy 14 into Sturgis with less climbing. In either case you will hit the service road along the southern side of Interstate 90 and you can go back to Spearfish on it.

Choice 2: You can turn right and take Hwy 85 South. The road undulates gently but it generally keeps climbing, cresting the O'Neal pass at mile marker 30 from the beginning of the ride. This would be a good point to turn around and come back the same way to Cheyenne Crossing and then Down the Canyon.

Choice 3: You can also turn back at any point along the ride, if you do it at Savoy your ride will be about 24 miles long, if you do it at Cheyenne Crossing it will be about 36 miles long.

Going down the canyon is the payback for all the hard work you have done going up. You can practically coast down gently with only a few pedal strokes or go all out hitting speeds of 30mph, the choice is entirely yours. It is at this point where you are not working as hard that you have more opportunity to look around and admire the scenery around you.

Probably one of the best times in a year to ride is in the fall when the assiduous trees change colors and reflect multiple shades of red, yellow and brown.  During the hot summer days the canyon ride will let you enjoy the shade of the trees if you do not ride between the hours of 11-4pm when the sun is almost directly overhead. Lastly during the windier spring and fall days you can enjoy the peaceful canyon without struggling against the wind. The canyon can be ridden late into October and starting in early May. Other months you may encounter some wet spots, some snow and sand leftover from the snowstorms and from road maintenance.

Old Belle Fourche Road...a step back in time.

The ride is short, only about ten miles there and back, but its charm will take you back to the pre-freeway days where old Chevy trucks rumbled down country roads and all farmers wore straw hats and waved at each other. Just imagine a meandering country lane as portrayed in one of Norman Rockwell's Americana images and the Old Belle Fourche Road will fit that image. If your origins are from Europe or have spent time riding through there, you will find similarity with country roads between villages and small towns, with large roadside trees and the solitude of the forgotten and bypassed country lanes.

The road is in decent shape with some cracked asphalt around and on the two bridges you will be crossing, just hold your bars a little tighter and you will be fine. The traffic is minimal as it has been largely rerouted to the busy Highway 85, the New Belle Fourche road, now enjoying its newly completed four lane status. The ride starts right from under the Interstate 90 overpass at Exit 8. Just head north and follow the road until it dead ends into  Highway 85, at that point I would advise simply turning around and coming back the same way.

The ride starts off flat as a pancake and heads directly north. You will probably be challenged by some Northwesterly winds as that seems the prevailing pattern as you ride along, passing some sparsely distributed farm and ranch driveways. Then, after a few miles you cross the first bridge and start heading East. A few “bumpy” hills that will take you out of your saddle and then you are heading down some hills and onto the second bridge. From then on look out ahead, after the old solitary oak tree is your turnaround point. Beyond lies the 21st century four lane Highway 85. You turn around and head back towards the calmer times and quiet roads. It is actually possible to hear your breathing, some farm noises and the rush of wind rushing past you as you ride the road, not the rush of the big trucks and the countless cars passing you at 80mph! Enjoy the ride, there are fewer and fewer country lanes left such as the Old Belle Fourche Road.