Prairie Run
Mileage: 206 miles roundtrip – Full-Day ride
Points of Interest:
Bear Butte State Park
Geographic Center of the Nation
The Castles National Natural Landmark
Reva Gap
Slim Buttes
Custer National Forest
Fun Stops: Thunder on the Prairie Saloon (Newell)
Newell Rodeo Grounds – Bull Bash (Thursday)
No. 3 Saloon (Buffalo)
Reva Store (Reva)
This ride will transport you to a long ago time when the prairie stretched further than the eye could see and buf-falo roamed free. Start your ride by heading out of Sturgis and hitting Hwy. 79. You’ll pass Bear Butte State Park with its buffalo herd and hiking opportunities while on your way to the quaint town of Newell. 18 miles past Newell you’ll reach Castle Rock and take Hwy. 168 west to Hwy. 85. At the junction, take a short detour south and you’ll reach the Geographic Center of the US. If you don’t feel like being in the center of the nation, head north on 85 passing through Redig (don’t blink, you’ll miss it) up to Buffalo to get fueled up and grab a bite to eat. Don’t forget to watch for the Hwy. 20 intersection just before town, since you’ll want to head east on 20 to see the sights in the Custer National Forest, including the flowing springs at Reva Gap, The Castles natural landmark and Slim Buttes. Just before Reva, you’ll cruise south on Hwy 79 and just enjoy the wide open views, wildlife and serenity. You’ll end up back at Castle Rock and can mosey your way back down Hwy 34 to stop for a cold one at Strokers Sturgis.
