Hello,

I was excited to think there was going to be a bypass for Sturgis, to allow those staying at the eastern campgrounds to have a quicker access to and from the interstate.

I guess the residents didn't want that, which - good for them of course. Their taxes were to go up. I just know I was hoping for it, as I remember trying to get to the interstate through the hoardes. It will be sooooo busy this year...

Maybe the town of Buffalo Chip goes through. I don't know if thats a great idea...

Ah winter. And sickdays...

H

 

Yeah, I was hoping that road would pass, too. But, there are some back ways to get from the Interstate to The Chip without dealing with downtown at all!

 

The dirt road by the National Cemetery is hard pack and fine for a motorcycle. It cuts quite a bit of time off the trip to either the Chip or Glencoe.

 

A bypass road for a town of 6000 people?
Are you freaking kidding me?

If the crowds are a concern of yours then stay home.
Or do as my Wife and I do every year and go on the last week in July and enjoy the ride without the crowds.

 

I think that is what wife and I are going to do this year.

Went for the rally last year, so I can say I have been. LOL

Now, it is time to just slow down and enjoy more of what the area has outside of the rally.

 

You ought to be there when the other 700,000 are in town ... It sure is great for people watching though :>)

 

I lived in Rapid City for 12 years and have returned for 5 other Sturgis Rallys so I'm fully aware what the first week in August is like.

I've woken up at the Chip smelling of beer and urine too many times and now that I'm older I'm more about the riding than the craziness of Sturgis.

The last two weeks in July you have the Days of 76 Rodeo crowd in Deadwood along with the other 25K+ pre-Sturgis Rally goers.
Most of the vendors are setup and the prices for lodging are better than half of what they are during the Rally.

Given all that, what's best about going the last two weeks in July; the riding is fantastic!!!!!
During the Rally, the riding suffers due to all the crowds.

I certainly don't want to knock those who still like the atmosphere of Sturgis.
It's a lifetime experience that all motorcycle enthusiast should experience.

 

Me and my wife went to Sturgis two weeks before the rally two years ago. Were able to see all the sights and sounds of what the area had to offer. This year, we're going to brave the crowds and people watch and take in all the craziness.

 

This past year we arrived from the west of Sturgis on the Friday of opening weekend in our 30' RV hauling a trailer. ( No RV trailering comments please...let's focus). To avoid the inevitable downtown Sturgis traffic, we took a northern bypass. We exited I90 East at about Whitewood, then took Whitewood Valley Rd. north to Bighorn Rd. east. Then followed Bighorn Rd. east to 79. Then took 79 south to the Buffalo Chip. Whitewood Rd. & Bighorn Rd. were hardback, with a loose gravel surface, and some ruts for about 20 miles. 79 was paved. So, my bypass took about 45 minutes, covered our entire rig in dirt, and got me some new chips in my trailer. So, in retrospect, I should have planned to arrive in the Sturgis area in the early AM ( before 9:00AM) and taken Lazelle St. through down town Sturgis.

As far as during the rally. Even last year with less than 50% of the forecasted crowd for this year, getting out of the Chip to go West through Sturgis was a PITA!! Do it very early in the AM, or expect it to take hours! We left at 10:30 on Monday during the rally and it took about 1.5 hour to get from the Chip to the West of Sturgis.

Picture attached of Whitewood Rd. Oh yeah, my wife was freaking that we might not be able to make it up one of the hills due to low traction.

 

Absolutely. A map is a good thing to have. Junction to Douglass to Nellie Streets.