Any advice on scenic roads or places to stop (or avoid)?

I plan to start the day on Sage Creek Road along the western side of the Badlands and continue south at Scenic.

Thanks, Bill.

A couple of questions.

1)  The entire length of Sage Creek is 4" gravel or only sections?

2)  Sage Creek Road ends in a canyon or is that the sheep road you're talking about? 

I am hoping to use this road to travel south. 


here's the planned start of my route:


https://goo.gl/maps/ShXqLEyuK152

Thanks, Bill.

A couple of questions.

1)  The entire length of Sage Creek is 4" gravel or only sections?

2)  Sage Creek Road ends in a canyon or is that the sheep road you're talking about? 

I am hoping to use this road to travel south. 


here's the planned start of my route:


https://goo.gl/maps/ShXqLEyuK152

Don't take Mike's advice. He's insane and has no real world understanding of how fast you're supposed to be able to travel on gravel roads. 

Both times I've been there, it's been mostly gravelly hard pack w/ some slippy sections mostly where you'd expect them on a gravel road.  It's insanely wide for most of it though.  It's in the turns that the gravel can pack up a bit and not always where you'd expect it.  It's very easy riding, don't get me wrong.  Just be aware that it suffers the same fate as most gravel roads just on a much grander scale.  And when you've been trotting along at 60 OMGs , I mean MPH, you'll think you've slowed way down for the turn.  You might be right. 

Just a bit south of Scenic on whatever that road is, (Bombing Range Road later turns into Bigfoot Trail) Sheep Mountain Road will be on the right.  43.724496, -102.528646  It's just a quick out and back but it's kind of spectacular and will scratch your offroad itch a bit more than sage creek did.  However, if you're feeling really frisky, I was studying the map of that area and I saw that if you turn right immediately after you head south from Scenic onto Indian Creek Road and take that till it drops into the canyon at this point 43.778067, -102.669395 then bear left, it seems that you can do some more off roading and head south via a tad more engaging route.  The map says that road ends but if you zoom in and switch to satellite view, you'll see that it does in fact continue south all the way to this point 43.637680, -102.596513 where you would turn left and come back out on the same road you left in Scenic.  I don't know why it's not on the map, but it looks like it would be quite an adventure.  Seems like that would be the road that goes through the valley that you will be overlooking from Sheep Mountain at the overlook before it becomes a 4wd road.  Not sure how much you'll be hurting for time, but it looks like it would be a good place to explore.    Pay attention to Indian Reservation stuff tho.  I don't know how all that works. 

Thanks for the additional information.  Bill, thanks for the coordinates.  Blackhills, I'm not able to find what you're talking about on a map. 


This was my planned route,

https://goo.gl/maps/B34FuwaaLET2


but I'm cosidering changing it to this.



https://goo.gl/maps/sCAg5MCZAgz

It's probably not on most maps, and it's even hard to see on google earth.  I think either one of your routes is good.

Yes, teasing is always the best route. Never give specifics. 

Actually, he did give some specifics. West on 44, cross the Cheyenne River and take the first left.

Good stuff, thanks.  I had no idea what "cross the Cheyenne" meant until now.

Haha, yea.  If we tell people that we are racist.  It's a long story, 95% of time you will be fine and there are a lot of great people, but there are a few. 

Let me know when you will be near by and I can meet you anywhere uou want.  I also have a spare bed and garage if u need either.   
By the way I think the one in his home environment pays the tab. 

White lay is another routing option:
http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/latest/critics-cite-violence-in-town-near-indian-reservation/article_2911f8dc-9871-5f4f-a96f-ec24f273a0c4.html

Whatever you do, don't go through red shirt.  Nothing good has ever come from anything red shirt related.

I think I can skip out of work the afternoon of the 22nd. I can meet up with you somewhere along the way for lunch, supper, whatever...

I was in full Tron gear with lid on pumping gas.  They had no idea what I looked like.  But, they did notice one hand in my tankbag at all times.   That gave them pause.