I have decide to go to Sturgis in 2014 and it will be my first time.
I have not checked availabilty yet but I think I would like to stay at The Broken spoke or Hog Heaven.

A non rider will tow my camper and I will ride, with posible additional riders and non riders joining.

We are not compleatly new to biker rallys having been to Algona and Conesville here in Iowa.

My main question is the best place to set up camp. So where would you camp if possible and why?

 

I dunno, but I will be going with a group of people. I will be riding up, everyone else is towing their bikes up. I am staying at lamphere ranch, super excited for this year. I have already been making a list of everywhere I wanna ride before the week is over. This is obviously my first time and I heard it is absolutely crazy.

 

I have went there for the past 11 years.

Some of the best riding is Spearfish Canyon, Vanoker (sp) Canyon, Needles Highway, Crazy Horse, Iron Mountain Road(Pigtail Bridges), Devils Tower Wyoming, the town of Deadwood, The Badlands, Mt. Rushmore and many other places to be discovered.

I stay at the Elkview Campgrounds. I do tent camping as it is a very large campgrounds so no reservations are needed but RV sites should be reserved.

Good amenities and folks there.

I only go for the riding , but I do go into town one evening to people watch and look at the bikes.

 

There is always room at the Buffalo Chip. Only problem there is you may have so much fun you will find it tough to leave and enjoy the rest of the rally.

 

There are a great many good campgrounds in the area ... One thing to consider is that if you're on the east side of town ( Buffalo Chip, Glenco ) you'll have to ( generally ) ride through town to get to all the great ride areas and timing is everything. If you leave a bit later in the morning it can take quite a bit of time to get through town even if you know all the shortcuts. I've been going there a long time and still stay on the east side 'cuz it's kind of like going home. I always run into riders that I only see at Sturgis and I enjoy their company. One last thing ... Be Sure your wife says it's ok for you to go!
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/off-t...is-2015-a.html

 

I prefer the west side also. Plan your trips to Full Throttle, traffic sucks in the afternoon & evening, seen a few bikes get REAL hot.

Depends what you're looking for in a campground.

Party, close to town, east side
Buffalo Chip
Glencoe

Quieter, shade, close to town, west side
Hog Heaven

By the night, cheaper, farther from town
Elk View - right on the interstate so it's not quiet, not much shade
The Spur

 

One thing to keep in mind is if you plan to stay at the Chip call in january you will get the best price,and this is also true for Glencoe most of the camp grounds have a cut rate if you book after the first of the year, but don't wait to long they go fast. If you are not going to go to any of the shows look at places out and away from town

 

We stayed at Elk View and it was nice there. Husband says he doesn't want to camp this time so I booked a motel in Spearfish for three days after the rally. We will probably camp a night or two on the way up or back. Hopefully it will work out and I won't have to cancel, it will be 13 years since we went last.

 

I rode my bike to Sturgis from NE Ohio this year. It was my first time to the rally--or any big rally for that matter, as I just started riding last year.

My advice to anyone who hasn't been there before is don't over-plan. Just pick a spot to stay and wing it. There is so much to see and do that you won't get it all in during the few days or week you stay in the area. I just threw a tent on my bike with a pack for clothing and essentials and stayed at a campground called Katmandu.

I think where you stay should be guided by the answer to this question -- Do you plan on spending more time riding or partying? There is no right or wrong answer and the two are not mututally exclusive. But picking the wrong spot will suck badly if you chose poorly based on your goals. This is the one critical question to answer, IMO. Everything else is trivial and you will have a good time.

 

Buddy and I stayed at a motel in spearfish. About a 20 min ride from Main Street to room. Away from all the hustle and bustle, yet close enough to party. Jauh watch riding drunk, po po is everywhere.