Rafter J-Bar / Custer / Rushmore

[MudChucker]

I'd like to hear from those with experience in the area. Without too much forethought I went ahead and booked 10 days at Rushmore, staying at Rafter J campground. It just dawned on me that we are there August 1 to 10,which coincides with Sturgis bike rally.

Traveling with wife and 13 year old daughter, how much of an impact will the Ralley have on our visit to the area?

[rbtglove]

You will pass the Corn Palace very interesting place different every year, has RV parking, worth a couple hours, Also Badlands, can drive through, and Wall Drug kind of a tourist rap but has RV parking and worth a stop.

[MudChucker]

Hey gang... we've been on the road for a few weeks now, will be leaving from Fargo ND this thursday morning. Im looking for some things to do while en route. Traveling with a 12 year old who shoots guns and paints her nails, she likes piano, guitar, hotrods and diesel trucks and shopping.

this is the route we intend to take.

[soren]

If you check the traffic counts and attendance stats, you will find that the week before the rally and rally week are the when it's busiest. Traffic builds for the week before, peaks mid-week at the rally, and tapers off by the last day. Monday morning after the rally things are back to typical summer traffic. Have a great trip, there is a ton of fun stuff to do, and ten days will go fast.

[fj12ryder]

CharlesinGA wrote:
With some 400,000+ in attendance at the rally, odds are, you will not be able to enjoy slow scenic rides thru the hills, and the crowds at various venues in the area such as Rushmore will be heavy.

Charles

Considering most of the bikes are Harley/cruiser bikes, the only rides through the area will be slow. 🙂

It's a nice area, but I'd avoid Bike Week like the plague. Rode my motorcycles up through there lots of times, but never during Bike Week or even anywhere near that time.

[monkey44]

Custer is awesome !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Take any side road you can -wildlife you find is worth it.

[JoeH]

MudChucker wrote:
Thanks again for the input. We decided to push our reservation up a week so we arrive on thr 8th and stay for 10 days. I understand that there will still be a lot of bikes and what not but Im thinking it will still be a fun experience.

Stock up, yes we will load up at our overnight en route in Fargo ND, we'll dry camp at Sam's or Wally's and load up before we go.

It'll be fun... we used to go to the rally every other year, but got involved with other things so the last time we were there was in 2012. Definitely take a trip into Sturgis to soak in some of the atmosphere.... I'd suggest on the 9th or 10th. A lot of people will be packing up and leaving the morning of the 11th and the roads will be much less busy and quieter for the rest of your stay. We are tentatively planning to be out in that area sometime around the 15th. We will see how things shake out .

[Horsedoc]

Custer State Park is celebrating the 100th anniversary of their founding this year. Google it, but I believe it is in July. They are having a get-together for all former employees and volunteers

[MudChucker]

Thanks again for the input. We decided to push our reservation up a week so we arrive on thr 8th and stay for 10 days. I understand that there will still be a lot of bikes and what not but Im thinking it will still be a fun experience.

Stock up, yes we will load up at our overnight en route in Fargo ND, we'll dry camp at Sam's or Wally's and load up before we go.

[navigator2346]

Don't worry about the crowds, go and have fun. Sturgis isn't as bad as it was in the old days. It is much calmer and well policed. Make sure you do a day trip into Sturgis while there. The animals don't go hide during the rally, a buffalo will go where it wants and when it wants. If you have reservations, you are good to go but I would stock up on staples before you hit camp as the prices do go up for the week

[GTO66]

Next year would be the year to avoid if your not a biker as it's the 80 year for the rally. The 75 was huge and the 76 was way down.

[BarabooBob]

I have been in the Black Hills during bike week a couple of times. The traffic will be heavy and the prices do go up. The price increase will include fuel, camping sites, groceries, and restaurants. The increase has not stopped me from going to the area. Be aware that some bikers don't like stop signs when they travel in large groups, they will block other traffic so that they can all go through together.
I would definitely stay away from Sturgis at all times unless you want your teenage daughter to see the "shady side of life." A lot of public intoxication, getting flashed by the "ladies." and large groups of "bikers" that due to their numbers, they consider only themselves and have no respect for others.
When you go to other attractions, you will seen them, but in general, they behave like teenage boys.

[gkainz]

When I lived in Custer, we (and many others) used to make sure we took our vacations out of state ... WAY out of state during the 3 weeks of the rally ... yeah - it's officially only 1 week, but a week of pre- and post- rally crowd is huge.

I see you've decided to switch to Yellowstone instead, but honestly, I see Yellowstone's "normal" summer congestion on par with the Black Hills Bike week(s), so, to me, it's a tossup.

[ksbowman]

The other negative is some of the businesses adjust their prices during bike week and get a premium for their products. Sad that they do this but, we were warned by locals to get what supplies we needed the week before if possible.

[MudChucker]

Thanks for the input folks. Sadly the dates are difficult to change so I think we'll head over to Yellowstone that week instead.

Cheers.