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Tour Overview

TOUR LEVELS: Listed on each day and overall for tour 1. Easier:  usually means fewer than 25 miles per day and no major challenging or hilly sections. 2. Easier to Intermediate:  means about 25-40 miles per day or additional hills. 3. Intermediate:  means about 30-50 per day with some hills and/or challenges. 4. Intermediate to Advanced:  means up to about 40 miles per day or less than 40 miles and more challenging terrain. 5. Advanced:  usually means more than 40 miles per day, but mainly there is some very challenging terrain.

RESERVATIONS To reserve a place on a tour, or for additional information, call us at 1-800-257-2226, visit the tour page for that tour on our website www.DiscoveryBicycleTours.com, or email us at [email protected] . Reservations will be confirmed upon our receipt of your deposit and are subject to availability. As soon as we receive your deposit, we will confirm space is available and then email you confirmation materials with information about your trip. Included will be Trip Cancellation Insurance details, directions for traveling to your tour, a suggested packing list and other important information.

DEPOSITS AND FINAL PAYMENTS  Tour deposits (per person) are due upon receipt of your reservation and are $300 for shorter tours and $500 for our tours that are 6 days or longer. Final payments for most tours are due 60 days (for most domestic tours) or 90 days (for most international tours) prior to the start of your tour. Final payments for the Florida Keys tours, Chile's Lakes & Volcanoes tour, and the Bike & Barge tours are due 120 days prior to the start of you tour. Final payments for our Vietnam Adventure are due 150 days prior to the start of your tour. All deposits and final payments can be made by check or major credit card, and can be mailed in to PO Box 700, Woodstock, Vermont 05091 or made online or by calling us at 1-800-257-2226. All deposits are applied to the full tour price.

CANCELLATION & REFUND POLICIES

( See updates on our Cancellation Page )

TRIP CANCELLATION INSURANCE Please purchase Trip Cancellation Insurance since we are unable to make any exceptions to our cancellation policy – even for personal emergencies. Trip Cancellation Insurance covers the cost of your Discovery Bicycle tour and other travel expenses in case you cancel for any number of reasons. Compare prices and policies at  www.insuremytrip.com Please note that if you choose Generali Travel Insurance (formerly CSA Travel Insurance), which serves U.S. citizens, and use the code 20181015 or this link https://www.generalitravelinsurance.com/?partner=20181015#gaq , we do receive a referral commission from them. Canadian citizens will find Trip Cancellation Insurance at  www.travelguard.ca

SINGLE/SOLO TRAVELERS A limited number of guaranteed private rooms are available on most tours at an additional cost. This "Single Supplement" cost is indicated on each tour page. Single travelers willing to share a room pay the regular rate.

THE FIRST DAY Arrival times and check-in information are specific to each tour. Please look for details in your Confirmation Packet.

FINAL DAY DETAILS Our inns provide ample parking for most of our tours. The end time varies by tour. Please check your confirmation materials and make your departure plans accordingly.

PET ALLERGIES Some of our inns have family pets. Let us know if you have any relevant allergies.

CHILDREN Children are very welcome on most of our tours if they are at least 10 years old, are physically capable of participating in the tour, and are accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

BRINGING YOUR OWN BIKE Your bicycle should be in good shape and have gearing to manage hills (for most of our tours). Please have your bike thoroughly checked by a professional bike mechanic before you arrive.

FREE USE OF BIKES We are happy to provide you with a hybrid or road bike to use at no charge (except on our Adventure Tours, where you bring your own bike). Our bikes come equipped with a front handlebar bag or rear carrier, water bottle and flat pedals. Pedal cages and soft gel seat covers are available on request. We are also happy to put your own clipless pedals (pedals that attach to your biking shoes) and seat on your bike if you wish. Flat pedals are provided for e-bikes, for safety reasons. Specific details and the styles of bikes available in each location are indicated below. A limited number of e-bikes are also available at no charge at most locations (except New Zealand and Chile, where there is a $500 charge per person. E-bikes are not available for the Vietnam tour.). The make of bikes provided varies by location. SEE BIKE CHOICES.

HELMETS Helmets are required and are made available to you at no charge. We encourage you to bring your own.

REFERENCES We would be pleased to give you reference referrals to connect with past guests, upon request.

SMALL TOURS/TOUR CANCELLATIONS It sometimes happens that there are too few participants for us to feasibly run a tour. In that event, your deposit or payments may be transferable to a future tour. Be sure to check with our office as to the status of your tour before making any non-refundable travel payments. Please also know that as a courtesy to our guests, we will run a tour with as few as four participants, and if you are unwilling to be part of a small group, you need to advise us at least 90 days prior to the start of your tour (120 days prior to the start of the Florida Keys tour, the Chile tour and the Bike & Barge tours; 150 days prior to the Vietnam Adventure tour).

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Mailing Address: PO Box 700, Woodstock, VT 05091 Address: 2520 W. Woodstock Rd., Woodstock, VT 05091 (800) 257-2226 | [email protected]

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Mickelson Trail Bike Tour

.st0{fill:#0db14b;} badv_abilitylevel_icons beginner, daily distance, 15-30 miles, included activities, cycling (bikes included), hiking, mammoth site, crazy horse, mt. rushmore, wind cave, included meals, all breakfasts. one lunch and one dinner on your own..

Excellent guides, delicious food (lunches and restaurants), beautiful scenery, fascinating side trips, great lodging. I absolutely was enamored with the heartland of America.

James and Renee Kelly were wonderful tour guides on our biking adventure in South Dakota. They did everything and made sure we were always happy.

One of the greatest trips I've ever taken. This was truly the trip of a lifetime and I cannot wait for the next one.

The guides, scenery, accommodations, meals, and van support were all we could ask for.

The guides' knowledge and expertise greatly enhanced our enjoyment of this beautiful landscape.

The George S. Mickelson Trail is one of the premier rail-trails in the West, rich with boom-and-bust gold mining history, American history, and the sublime scenery of the Black Hills. Bike to Mt. Rushmore. Explore Deadwood, onetime home of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane, and Crazy Horse Memorial. Visit one of the world’s largest caves and the country’s biggest mammoth dig. Ride the whole of the Mickelson – along with a few fascinating side trips – on this 6-day bike tour. While the trail is not paved, the surface is compacted and the route is perfect for those who prefer as little traffic as possible, eminently do-able routes, and terrific scenery. This tour packs a lot of wallop for the buck!

National Parks on this tour: Mt Rushmore National Memorial | Wind Cave National Park

Mickelson Trail Bikes: To optimize comfort and performance on the unpaved Mickelson Trail, our standard bike options for this tour are flat-bar e-bikes, or flat-bar road bikes with wider tires. Our drop-bar bikes have narrower tires (28-32 mm), so we recommend having gravel experience if you would like to ride a drop-bar bike on this tour. The Mickelson trail surface is mostly hard-packed and smooth crushed lime and gravel with some shorter sections of hard-packed dirt with some rocky bumps.

This tour is operated under special use permit/s with the Mt Rushmore National Memorial, Wind Cave National Park, and South Dakota State Parks. Bicycle Adventures is an equal opportunity provider.

Ride the Mickelson Trail from the start point in Edgemont to Pringle.

– Lunch – Dinner

Red Rock River Resort

33 miles (or less)

+2026 ft / -606 ft (or less)

Meet in Rapid City in the morning. Shuttle to the start of the Mickelson Trail in Edgemont – a town created by the railroads in the 1890s as a connection point for their extension into the Black Hills. After a quick bike fitting we ride the first leg of the trail to the tiny town of Pringle (pop. 112). Return to the Red Rock River Resort in Hot Springs tonight, with time for a soak before walking to a privately hosted al fresco dinner at Silk Road.

Mammoths, Wind Cave National Park, and more cycling on the Mickelson Trail!

– Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner

Legion Lake Lodge

+1141 ft / -987 ft

Our first stop is in Hot Springs at The Mammoth Site, an active paleontological dig where we pay a visit to the fossils of 61 woolly mammoths from the Ice Age. From there, we are off to Wind Cave, one of the longest and most complex caves in the world. The Lakota (Sioux), who live in the region, spoke of a hole that blew air, a place they consider sacred as the site where they first emerged from the underworld. In 1881, brothers Tom and Jesse Bingham heard wind rushing out from a 10-inch hole in the ground. According to the story, when Tom looked into the hole, the “wind” (exiting cave air) blew his hat off of his head. A mining company purchased the land but when it turned up no valuable mineral deposits the project turned to tourism. This was the first cave in the world to be designated a national park. We ride through the Park – this is the first place we should see bison! – and have a chance to check out the Visitor’s Center and the Bingham’s original cave opening; there is not time to do the cave tour . Continue on the Mickelson Trail from Pringle to Legion Lake Lodge for the night.

Ride to Crazy Horse Memorial before heading to Hill City.

Sylvan Lake Lodge

+677 ft / -986 ft

This morning, ride the car-free trail to Crazy Horse Memorial, the world’s largest mountain carving. Lakota leader Crazy Horse led a war party to victory against Federal Government troops at the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876. This fascinating memorial has been under construction since 1948 and receives no government funding. It’s so large that if Mt. Rushmore could be moved, it would fit inside Crazy Horse’s shoulder! Ride onward to Hill City. Hop in the van for the transfer up the hill to Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Sylvan Lake Lodge – Custer State Park’s ‘Crown Jewel’ and our home for the next two nights.

Hike Black Elk Peak this morning. Visit Mt. Rushmore this afternoon.

– Breakfast

Hike: 7.5 miles; +1,384 ft / -1,380 ft

Hike Black Elk Peak this morning. At 7,242 feet, Black Elk Peak is the highest point in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Standing sentinel over the Black Hills, Black Elk Peak is topped by a stone fire tower that provides a magnificent view of the surrounding landscape. This afternoon, explore Mt. Rushmore National Memorial. Gaze in awe at the 60-foot sculptures of four United States presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. Lunch and dinner are on your own today.

Ride from Hill City to the gold-rush-era town of Rochford and head on to Deadwood.

Holiday Inn Express Gold Dust

22 miles (or 49 miles)

+1365 ft / -1079 ft (or +2,724 ft / -3,150 ft)

Ride from Hill City, the first settlement established in conjunction with the discovery of Black Hills gold in French Creek, to tiny Rochford (pop. 26), home to the Montezuma Mine, the Moonshine Gulch Saloon and the ‘Small of America.’ After lunch, you have a difficult choice! You can keep riding and finish the entire trail end-to-end, or take the van onward to Deadwood for more time to explore the onetime home of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane. Stay at the Holiday Inn Express Gold Dust in Deadwood tonight.

Ride the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway.

– Breakfast – Lunch

+255 ft / -1,911 ft

Enjoy a leisurely ride through Spearfish Canyon this morning. Older than the Grand Canyon, the spectacular 1000-foot walls and limestone palisades of this creek-carved gorge offer some of the most breathtaking scenery in the Black Hills. Finish riding at the city park in Spearfish where we’ll celebrate the completion of the tour with lunch before returning to Rapid City in the afternoon.

*Bicycle Adventures operates under special use permits while on Federal Lands managed by the National Forest Service (USDA), National Parks and Bureau of Land Management. In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) To file a complaint of discrimination: write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Availability

Tour guides.

Anna Richmond

Johanna Weintrager

Katherine Araujo

Camille Meyer-Arendt

General manager / tour guide.

Kurt McCanles

James Kelly

Shantel Thilman

Nolan Jensen

Pedal Assist E-Bike $200 surcharge applies

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