Everywhere my eyes wandered in the Black Hills of South Dakota looked like a big, glossy photo in a coffee table book. From chalky-sienna cliffs to robust pine forests, picturesque views are commonplace. The ATV riding was anything but. Our ATV riding group wanted to experience a South Dakota adventure, so we booked plane tickets and flew into the Rapid City airport one hot autumn afternoon. Before embarking upon our ATV ride, though, we contacted a local South Dakota ATV riding club, the Off-Road Riders, to guide us through the territory. The ATV trail system in this area is expansive and unmapped. So, with the promise of lunch, the good people of the Off-Road Riders Association took us for a ride.
Upon landing at the airport, we knew we had left big-city urban sprawl far behind. The airport stood alone amidst a backdrop of hazy sky and the Black Hills. We collected our gear from the luggage conveyor and loaded into a 15-passenger van. We drove from the airport through Rapid City, which is the most urbanized of the places we visited in South Dakota. It looks much like a town anywhere across the country, complete with strip malls and fast food restaurants. We then drove through Deadwood, a town with oodles of character. It boasts saloons with sawdust-covered floors, casinos and an “Old West” feel out on the cobblestone streets. Here we felt like gunslingers as we saloon-hopped and dined at Kevin Costner’s restaurant (yes, that Kevin Costner). Continue reading ‘A South Dakota Black Hills ATV Adventure Best Suited For the Adrenaline Junkie’ »