South Dakota Cycling - Mickelson Trail (4 of 11) - Flint Hill to Edgemont - (Ultra HD)

This is the fourth segment of the Mickelson Trail Summer Trek; riding from the area west of Flint Hill to the Edgemont Trailhead at the southernmost point on the trail.

The last 4.5 miles of this ride included a ferocious 30 mph headwind with 50 mph gusts (a large truck blew over over on the highway that day).  Therefore, if you want some additional realism, when you get 6.6 miles ( 10.7 km) into the ride, adjust your Kinomap effort up to 150%-200%!

The Mickelson Trail  in South Dakota is a 109 mile long "Hall of Fame" rail trail that stretches from the northern trailhead in Deadwood to Edgemont in the south, passing through the heart of the Black Hills, scenic valleys, old railroad tunnels and historic mining towns towns. Burlington Northern built the original rail line over 130 years ago to accommodate the miners who had rushed to the area to pan for gold. In 1983 the rail line was removed from service and work on what is today the Mickelson Trail was begun.

Each year, the State of South Dakota sponsors two editions of the 3-day "Mickelson Trail Trek", one in June at the beginning of summer and one in September at the beginning of fall - both based in Custer, South Dakota.