Just what to let everybody know, if you are coming to the Black Hills to ride, that there is NO official maps of any trails in the Black Hills (except in the Wyoming B.H., and these are mainly F.S. Roads). The maps that you may have received could possibly be snowmobile maps. Alot of the snowmobile trails run through private land during the winter. These trails are not open to ATV riding in the summer. Do NOT follow snowmobile trails.

The only trails open to OHV riding in the summer (as of yet) are established Forest Service Roads. You need to be street legal to ride F.S. roads in S.D. You need a Wyoming State Trails sticker to ride in Wyoming.

Please allow the snow to completely melt before riding. Do not ride on any trails or roads that still has snow or running water. Lets be respectful. We need to show that we are stewards of the land.

The B.H. travel management plan is close to complition.....after it is finallized we will have designated trails and an official map where riding is allowed.

 

With over a foot of snow in the last week and already wet conditions from the winter snows, most parts of the Black Hills are either still snow covered or are very wet with soft conditions. Mud bogging is not allow in the Black Hills under the new Travel Management Plan......if cought.....you will be prosecuted.

Please stay on developed roads if you just have to ride. DO NOT venture off gravel roads into meadows or undeveloped grassy areas. Alot of the Black Hills are very sensative areas.

Be mindful of the people who live and ride in the area. Your stupidity shows on the riders who have fought to preserve your right to ride.

Better Yet.... please wait to ride till the area is dryer. Just give it a couple more weeks, I promise Summer will be here!

 

I took my family out to the Black Hills last summer in mid/late July. The trail riding was awesome. On the several days that we were there, we hardly saw anyone on the trails. We stayed at the Deerfield Lake resort Deerfield Lake Resort and stayed at one of their cabins. We could directly ride in and out of the resort which was a major plus. I hope that SD realizes what kind of resource they have and don't make it too difficult for ATV/UTV riders.

 

vettman1
Glad you had a good time. I accutally think the new travel management plan will be a big plus. The B.H. will now have designated and well marked trails for every type of OHV. It will just take a couple years to get everything up and running. Anything new takes awhile to get the hic-ups worked out.

 

So are you saying wait a couple of years before coming back? I was thinking about doing that this year.

 

No.....come anytime, glad to have you.
Just be wish to where you are riding. Like I said earlier.....there is no offical map published as of yet. There is alot of private land within the National Forest, so don't think that just because you are riding in the Hills that you are on public land. Just be respectful of where your treading. My suggestion is to stay on developed forest service roads and just don't go wondering off thru the brush.

 

well i hope it gets better for next week the group i ride with has been coming out for 4 years around this time this time of year and this is the worst year for weather i have seen it out there so i hope the week we are there we get to ride a little. but there is lots of things to do out there if it is raining so it will still be fun either way. Is there some trails around the keystone area thats were we will be staying this year and tryn to get some info on that area. thanks for any info.

 

Not too familar with the "southern" hills portion. But if your atv is street legal, you can ride any paved or unpaved (forest service) road in the Black Hills on the south dakota side. If you have a Wyoming trails sticker you can ride any of the F.S. roads on the Wyoming side.

 

How does one get one that it "street legal"? We can't do that in Iowa.

All of these changes make me nervous. I may go to CO this year and see how this settles out.

 

Vettman
That is the problem we see you guys will have coming from states that don't allow licencing of atv's for highway use. Until the F.S. implements the trail sticker program, your only option at this time is to rent an atv out here from someone that has street legal machines. In the Wyoming B.H.'s and around Wyoming you only need the Wyoming trail sticker, but, if the particular county you are riding in; if that county has not enrolled there county roads (within the forest boundaries) in the Wyoming trails program.....you must be street legal to ride on those county roads. Alot of the western Wyoming counties have done this and you will not have any problems. But the Wyoming county of Crook, which is the county that surrounds the Wyoming side of the B.H.'s has not enrolled their county roads yet in the Wyoming trails program. Our local club and the F.S. is trying hard to convience the county fathers to do this. But we are hitting hard resistance from local law enforcement over the insurance and liabilty of non licenced atv's riding county roads. We are hoping we can come to some kind of middle ground.

All this is why I was saying "Be mindful of where you are riding".
I know this is very confusing and this is why we are trying to get everyone on a level playing field, so whether you are licenced or not you have the right to ride.
However in S.D. they are going to have to change some legal jarg'en in the state legislator to allow unlicened atv on alot of the roads within the F.S. boundaries. A S.D. law states that no unlicenced vehicles can operate on the roads designated for licenced vehicles.
I know this doesn't give you much options. When the travel management plan takes effect, we are hoping these problems will finally get worked out for you unlicenced riders.