GREAT CHOICE

Read this short section, you will be glad you did.

            Sturgisdeal.com is operated by a local family who lives and rides here in the Black Hills of South Dakota, so you will get the inside scoop on all the best rides, resturants, concert venues, campsites, and more. The Sturgis Rally is the biggest motorcycle rally in the world. Attendance veries from 300 thousand to 1 million riders per year, so having information from a local rider will save you lots of time and money. The Sturgis Rally is a blast. Use the free information on this site

 and you will have a much more relaxed time and take home some great memories.

            With so many people in one area at the same time, the location you choose to stay is very important, so we will talk about lodging/camping first.

LODGING / CAMPING

            The prices of motel rooms go up dramatically in the Sturgis area during the rally. They typically run from $250 to $300 or more. If this is not a problem then there are 3 towns around Sturgis that I would recommend. Belle Fourche, Spearfish, and Deadwood are all good choices. Each town is about 20 minutes from Sturgis and they are all big enough to have the things that you need: shopping, gas, food, etc... 

            Note: with motel prices like that, MOST PEOPLE CAMP!  There is a wide variety of campgrounds to choose from. The town of Sturgis has several campgrounds and many of them have concerts on site. Sleeping can be very difficult at these locations, and if you have to go through Sturgis to get back to your camp, that could add an extra two hours of stop and go traffic to your day. I recommend camping in one of the neiboring towns: Belle Fourche or Spearfish. It is quieter in these two towns and they are only about 20 minutes from Sturgis. There are also several campgrounds near Deadwood too, but getting back to them at night can be more dangerous on the winding Black Hills roads.

            Belle Fourche and Spearfish each have several campgrounds, but two of them really stand out: Wyatt’s Hideaway campground in Belle Fourche and the Spearfish city campground. They both have great shade and are located on rivers.

            The Spearfish city campground has over 100 rv sites and several tent sites. It is a beautiful location on Spearfish creek and the fish hatchery and city park are right there within walking distance.

            Wyatt’s Hideaway campground is located just outside of Belle Fourche on the Redwater river. They have the nicest washhouse I have ever seen at a campground. You’ve got to see this thing to believe it: private showers, sinks, laundry, etc... They are located just outside of the Black Hills, so when there is a burn ban in the hills, you can still have a campfire there as long as it is contained within one of their campfire rings. It is a tent campers paradise, but they also have 50 rv sites.

            Each of these campgrounds are excellent choices. They both have the friendly services that small western towns provide: gas, grocery, resturants, etc… Each campground has plenty of shade and rivers on site. They are also in great locations only 20 minutes from Sturgis; close enough, but just far enough away to be quieter and more family friendly (if you know what I mean).

CONCERTS / SHOWS

            There are two locations that bring in the biggest names during the rally: The Buffalo Chip, and Glenco. They have great open air concerts and buying a ticket also gives you the right to camp for the night, but as I stated above don’t expect to get any sleep. I have seen several shows at the Chip and have always had a good time. There are many other locations that have good shows as well. The Full Throttle Soloon  is right there in the same area as Glenco and the Chip. The Full Throttle is bringing in bigger names every year and I have never heard of any of these three locations ever selling out, so you could take your choice any night, buy your ticket, and see a show.

            Deadwood is also a good location to see a show during the rally. They will all be smaller venues, but that can be even better. I saw Delbert McClinton at the Saloon  #10 one night and that was very cool.

FOOD / RESTAURANTS

            Eating at any big event can be expensive, and when you are walking around checking out the bikes and people in downtown Sturgis you will pay a premium for food and drinks. Expect to pay $15 for a sandwich and $8 for a lemonaid on Main St.  There are plenty of  restaurants in Sturgis, so you don’t have to grab something from a vender, but everybody does, and they do serve good junk food. I usually get out of Sturgis for a meal.

            Deadwood has several casino’s that have good restaurants in them, but I prefer the places that are less traveled.

            Spearfish has an authentic Mexican restaurant called Guadalajara’s. It is family owned by a former professional soccer player. Great food and plenty of it.

            Belle Fourche has a couple of good spots that won’t disappoint. One is a sports bar & grill called the Stadium, and the other is probably one of the best greesey spoon cafe’s on earth called the Belle Inn.

            When your up riding in the Hills the store and grill at Cheyenne Crossing is good, and Lewie’s burgers & brews just outside of lead is great. Another spot that is pretty cool is the restaurant at Rochford, there is only one paved road to Rochford so you have to ride out on the same road, but it is worth it.

            When you go see Mt. Rushmore you will probably go through Rapid City. Rapid is the largest town in the area and probably has over a hundred restuarants. Two of them are really great.  The Golden Phenix is a fantastic Chinesse restaurant on west Main, and the Pirates Table is a great place on Sturgis road in Rapid City. All of the places I’ve mentioned are reasonably priced with great food.

RIDES IN THE BLACK HILLS

            Riding the Black Hills is why the Sturgis motorcycle rally is the largest in the world. In fact, the actual name of the event is the Black Hills Rally. The Black Hills are gorgeous, with lush forests mixed with exposed granite. Great winding roads and small towns are scattered throughout. There are some must see attractions such as Mt. Rushmore, Devil’s Tower, and Spearfish Canyon.  I recommend all three, but there are also some more obscure rides that are even more enjoyable when you consider the tranquility of less traffic.There is a map at the bottom of this section so you can track the rides I describe.

            Devil’s Tower loop: This ride is great. Everybody goes over to Devil’s Tower, but this way you can ride in 3 different states. Starting in Belle Fourche (20 minutes west of Sturgis) take hwy 212 west. This hwy is located on the north end of Belle. As you go west on 212 you are likely to see hundreds of pronghorn antelope (beautiful multicolored wild animals) on your way to Alzada, Montana. Then you take hwy 112 south. This will take you back into the hills on your way to Hulett, Wyoming.  Turn right on hwy 24 and go 9 miles to Devil’s Tower. Go back to Hulett on hwy 24 and folow this hwy east through the Wyoming Black Hills. This will lead you back to Belle Fourche. This is a great ride that few people take. This ride will take about 5 hours depending on how long your stops are.

            Western Hills loop: Starting at Spearfish, ride spearfish canyon south to Cheyenne Crossing. Everyone does that, but then everyone turns left and goes east to Lead and Deadwood. Instead turn right on hwy 85 and go west. This is a beautiful part of the Black Hills that few people ride.