I'm planning to ride through Sturgis, Rushmore, Devil's Tower, etc. when I return from my Alaska trip in July. Are any of the Sturgis landmarks like FTS open that early?

Any insight appreciated.

 

I sat at FTS during the 4th of July having a cold one. Basically all that was there is one bartender and a few of us drining a cold one. Not really a lot going on, but you can still find some ways to relax.

 

i've been to sturgis once. it was during the off season, probably a month before the rally. i thought it was awesome. but then again, i'm not a big crowd person. the cvma held our national convention there 2 years ago, so it was basically sharing the area with 400 of your closest friends, versus 200,000! there was little to no traffic, and the scenery was awesome! i would recommend it.

 

Check out Deadwod.

 

Thanks for the info. I'm not looking for crowds either.I just want to see the sites.

 

If you consider FTS a "landmark", you really need to see what else is there. After Rushmore, Needles Hwy, Spearfish Canyon, Devils Tower and the Badlands, FTS and the manmade "attractions" don't even qualify for a dot on the map. :-)

 

I agree.

Ride the canyons and enjoy the scenery, then take in the bar scene in the evening. Check out Deadwood. It has more to offer than Sturgis.

 

Are rooms cheaper in the area when the rally is not on?

 

Rooms are way cheaper when its not Rally time. You can probably get a room for a third of Rally prices; that was my experience.

 

Points taken. "Scenery" was a semantics error on my part. I'll be riding east from Seattle, so I'll hit all the scenery I can. As the trip gets closer, I'll be looking for route suggestions and whatnot.