WOW Amazing stuff! Love the commentary and clear video. We moved to an area south of the hills and have discovered some of the trails but none of the ones in this video. Can't wait to explore them in '24! Thanks 👍
Love the videos of the Black Hills. I think it is so cool that you guys ride and camp where ever the trail take you. We plan to retire out there. We purchased a building lot south of Pactola Reservoir and it has direct access to atv trails. thanks for your videos. Stay safe.!!
Awesome! And thanks for the kind words. We lived near Custer for a while. As a kid my family always camped at Pactola on vacation. Great place to retire. When you do let us know we’ll drop by for a beer wink 😉 🍻
Cool! Always good to have some precipitation out there. We’ll be passing through in July as we head further west. Might spend a day to fish if the creeks look good :)
Great video. I’ve been to the Black Hills over 20 times since 1992 for the Sturgis Black Hills Rally and now mostly ride the gravel and trails on dual sports and adv bikes. I did Custer Peak on a KTM 1190 and it was dicey on 2 wheels. My plans now are for taking grandkids out and doing those rides on our XP4.
Very cool! It’s always been one of our favorite spots. Custer Peak had some big rocks in some places, I’d image it could be hairy at times on a bike. Thanks for watching and the kind words - glad you enjoyed and have fun with the grandkids!!
Custer peak is amazing however if you want a truly amazing trail that will also challenge you check out camp 5! its not for the feint at heart and requires some skill to traverse some bigger rocks, but my god is it a fun trail and the views down in the creek bed with towering cliffs all around is just unbelievable. its not overly long but does take a while to get through due to the heavy amount of rocks you have to go over. I go twice a year to the black hills and I have yet to find a trail quite as good as camp 5. If you're shy about scratching your machine or bottoming out then you wont like this trail as it requires a bit of abuse to get through ;) but that's what they are made for. I also love driving through spearfish canyon. incredible view, lots of places to stop, and a few amazing walking trails and water features everywhere for the family to enjoy. the best part is your phones don't work in the canyon! also keep in mind most trails have a 64 in max machine width restriction on them so if you have a wide machine you'll need to do some planning.
Thanks for the info! I remember we looked at the Camp 5 trails but just didn’t work out into our plan. We’re definitely not shy about getting our machine scratched up! We’re pretty tough on it! Really appreciate the heads up. Next time we’re out there, we’ll definitely check them out. Our machine is 64” on paper but now with aftermarket tires, I think it’s close and depends on how it’s loaded and everything. I’ve heard they’ve gotten stricter with checking and measuring. Not that we’d knowingly disregard the regulations, but I’d also be frustrated if we got a ticket for being 1/2” over because we were carrying a heavy load.
Headed there at the end of the month! You and your family inspired us! And thanks for the Meade county lady she came thru in one email and about 15 minutes on the phone
Awesome!!! Have a blast! She’s fantastic isn’t she? I’ve been trying to be careful because I didn’t want to create a ton of work for her - but she was great!
Great video. Do you happen to have any info on UTV the trails in Custer SP ? My wife and I are looking to rent a UTV and explore for the day from Custer, SD and wanted to explore. Any suggestions?
There are no trails in the state park that I am aware of - but you can ride the road routes and wildlife loop which I highly recommend. Otherwise check out this site for some good trail info www.blackhillsbadlands.com/outdoor-recreation/atv-roading
Not 100% on Wyoming (guessing it’s the same) but in SD you can register your UTV as a street legal vehicle. You can actually register it there even if you live out of state (we’re thinking about doing this because then any state where UTVs can be street legal, you’re good to go). Or as we did, you can get a permit for $1 a day up to 30 days. In SD your machine needs a rear view mirror, horn (air horn works), seat belt, muffler, headlights, license plate light 😉, parking/tail/brake lights. You can ride about anywhere but the interstate but I’m sure there are probably some other things I’m not sure of. In SD you can get all the paperwork you need by contacting the treasurer at any county courthouse.
I would also recommend Needles Hwy (16A) from Playhouse Rd going North towards Keystone. Yes, it's highway, but well worth it! It has some amazing views of Mt Rushmore through multiple tunnels. It's one of our favorite rides in our General.
Headed there July 2023 and bringing Can Am X3 Max 72". Are these trails "regulated" for width by narrow entry gates, i thought i saw a narrow bridge in the vid.
Yes they are. And they are apparently going to be enforcing width restrictions more carefully. That said there are PLENTY of forest roads and Jeep trails your 72” machine will be good on. But I would not recommend trying to take it onto any of the 62” trails. Pick up the Motor Vehicle use maps when you get there or check them out ahead of time on the Aveza app or the USFS website.
Thanks! These are the motor vehicle use maps from the USFS. Just go to the website of the forest you want to visit and you’ll find them for the Avenza app and as a PDF. You can get them from the ranger station and often at local convenience/camp stores when you get there too for free.
Awesome! Yeah great place to ride! Not sure if you saw in the description but we included a link to a customized high resolution USFS Motor Vehicle Use Map of the hills where we listed all the rides - the trail numbers are on there. It's a simple PDF download from our website and it's totally free. northwoods.family/product/bhnf62rides/ Our overlanding video series from last year also has tons of trail numbers on the video so you can see what we saw and where it was! ua-cam.com/play/PL9UVGJkrP7uqG4tRBETldMuPpW-4hB5dh.html
Usually there is a trail marker at every intersection. But some fall down, disappear, etc. Link to our maps is in the description of this video: ua-cam.com/video/kGVydyMS8J0/v-deo.html You can get the USFS MVUMs from a Forest service office when you get there or from a variety of convenience stores in the hills. You can also download them for Avenza app from the BHNF website.
Yeah - that’s supposed to be a cool spot! Haven’t seen it in person but it’s near Roubaix where we camped this last time- and every trail around there was awesome. That’d be a good one for our next visit.
There are designated offroad trails for street legal vehicles like a Tacoma, Jeeps, etc. Most of these featured on the video were for smaller machines. You can see all the trail designations on the USFS Motor Vehicle Use Maps www.fs.usda.gov/detail/blackhills/maps-pubs/?cid=FSEPRD533421
You are right, some of these trails are designated 62” and under. So the XPs are 64” because of the wider fenders. The DLX like ours are 62” We talk about this in one of our other videos actually because it’s kinda odd. Basically they designated these trails 62” years back probably before under 65” became an industry standard. A 64” machine will easily fit on every trail we rode. Plenty of local rental places have 64” machines they rent out for those trails. The feeling I get is they are defacto 65” trails and no one is measuring for those extra 3” but I’m not in charge either. It would be nice if they just re-designated those for clarity but a couple people we talked to out there said there were no plans to do so
@@TheNorthwoodsFamily After watching your videos I too was wondering about the width limits of some of the trails you were on... If i'm not mistaken I thought I watched you go through some gates that you barely made it through.. Having a 64" machine myself I would like to take a trip to the Black Hills but worry about not being able to ride many of the trails due to size restrictions.. Thanks for the videos ... Always enjoyable
Correct. Long story but the UTV trails in the BHNF has always been designated at 62”. Larger machines even the industry standard 65” would be restricted on those trails. We have had some conversations with friends out there earlier this year and was talk about strict enforcement beginning. Haven’t heard anything else on the issue for a while.
Both. Some are on the Polaris Ride Command app / software. I really recommend checking out the USFS Motor Vehicle Use maps. You can find them online - but if you watch this video it will give you a bunch more information and check the link in the description - you can download our custom maps too ua-cam.com/video/kGVydyMS8J0/v-deo.html
![UTV Overlanding Across Wisconsin || 600 miles Illinois to Lake Superior [Badger Overland Trail Pt 1]](/img/n.gif)
WOW Amazing stuff! Love the commentary and clear video. We moved to an area south of the hills and have discovered some of the trails but none of the ones in this video. Can't wait to explore them in '24! Thanks 👍
Glad you enjoyed it! We used to live near Custer. Love the area. Happy riding!!
Thanks for the review, hoping to make it out there this summer and get some ground covered!
You bet! Great area to ride.
Love the videos of the Black Hills. I think it is so cool that you guys ride and camp where ever the trail take you. We plan to retire out there. We purchased a building lot south of Pactola Reservoir and it has direct access to atv trails. thanks for your videos. Stay safe.!!
Awesome! And thanks for the kind words. We lived near Custer for a while. As a kid my family always camped at Pactola on vacation. Great place to retire. When you do let us know we’ll drop by for a beer wink 😉 🍻
Hopefully you're not bringing any liberal voting habits to the Black Hills...
@@crenellation9335 absolutely not. !! FJB. Trump 2024. !!!
It's been abnormally rainy in the hills lately. Made almost every trail a fun and wet one!🚙💦
Cool! Always good to have some precipitation out there. We’ll be passing through in July as we head further west. Might spend a day to fish if the creeks look good :)
Great video. I’ve been to the Black Hills over 20 times since 1992 for the Sturgis Black Hills Rally and now mostly ride the gravel and trails on dual sports and adv bikes. I did Custer Peak on a KTM 1190 and it was dicey on 2 wheels. My plans now are for taking grandkids out and doing those rides on our XP4.
Very cool! It’s always been one of our favorite spots. Custer Peak had some big rocks in some places, I’d image it could be hairy at times on a bike. Thanks for watching and the kind words - glad you enjoyed and have fun with the grandkids!!
As usual, I really enjoyed your video! Good job.
Thanks Reed! As always we appreciate your comments and support. Great to have you following along 🙏🏼
Great video..good info for people looking for amazing riding…
Thanks! Definitely one of the best spots in the country to ride 🇺🇸
Man this looks awesome. Would love to come out and ride these trails!
For sure! BHNF has always been one of our favorite places to visit, even before we had the General.
Keep up the great work
Appreciate the support! So glad you enjoy them!
That was amazing I'm definitely going here this year hopefully I don't get lost 🤣
🤣 getting lost is half the fun! There’s a crazy number of trails and roads there. Grab a USFS Motor Vehicle use map and you’ll be good!
When you guys camped in the black hills 2 years ago did you hear or see anything strange?
We had our two kids along. We hear lots of strange things!
Custer peak is amazing however if you want a truly amazing trail that will also challenge you check out camp 5! its not for the feint at heart and requires some skill to traverse some bigger rocks, but my god is it a fun trail and the views down in the creek bed with towering cliffs all around is just unbelievable. its not overly long but does take a while to get through due to the heavy amount of rocks you have to go over. I go twice a year to the black hills and I have yet to find a trail quite as good as camp 5. If you're shy about scratching your machine or bottoming out then you wont like this trail as it requires a bit of abuse to get through ;) but that's what they are made for. I also love driving through spearfish canyon. incredible view, lots of places to stop, and a few amazing walking trails and water features everywhere for the family to enjoy. the best part is your phones don't work in the canyon! also keep in mind most trails have a 64 in max machine width restriction on them so if you have a wide machine you'll need to do some planning.
Thanks for the info! I remember we looked at the Camp 5 trails but just didn’t work out into our plan. We’re definitely not shy about getting our machine scratched up! We’re pretty tough on it!
Really appreciate the heads up. Next time we’re out there, we’ll definitely check them out. Our machine is 64” on paper but now with aftermarket tires, I think it’s close and depends on how it’s loaded and everything. I’ve heard they’ve gotten stricter with checking and measuring. Not that we’d knowingly disregard the regulations, but I’d also be frustrated if we got a ticket for being 1/2” over because we were carrying a heavy load.
Headed there at the end of the month! You and your family inspired us!
And thanks for the Meade county lady she came thru in one email and about 15 minutes on the phone
Awesome!!! Have a blast! She’s fantastic isn’t she? I’ve been trying to be careful because I didn’t want to create a ton of work for her - but she was great!
Do you know if you can drive utv thru Custer park
On the road I don’t think they want me running around with the bison!!!!
Great video. Do you happen to have any info on UTV the trails in Custer SP ? My wife and I are looking to rent a UTV and explore for the day from Custer, SD and wanted to explore. Any suggestions?
There are no trails in the state park that I am aware of - but you can ride the road routes and wildlife loop which I highly recommend. Otherwise check out this site for some good trail info
www.blackhillsbadlands.com/outdoor-recreation/atv-roading
What are the state rules for riding on the rides/highways in states like Wyoming and South Dakota? Thank you so much for the wonderful videos!
Not 100% on Wyoming (guessing it’s the same) but in SD you can register your UTV as a street legal vehicle. You can actually register it there even if you live out of state (we’re thinking about doing this because then any state where UTVs can be street legal, you’re good to go).
Or as we did, you can get a permit for $1 a day up to 30 days.
In SD your machine needs a rear view mirror, horn (air horn works), seat belt, muffler, headlights, license plate light 😉, parking/tail/brake lights. You can ride about anywhere but the interstate but I’m sure there are probably some other things I’m not sure of.
In SD you can get all the paperwork you need by contacting the treasurer at any county courthouse.
Great video and insight, we are heading out in September
Thank you! We miss it already what a beautiful state. Have a great trip!
I would also recommend Needles Hwy (16A) from Playhouse Rd going North towards Keystone. Yes, it's highway, but well worth it! It has some amazing views of Mt Rushmore through multiple tunnels. It's one of our favorite rides in our General.
For sure!! Good call. Needles Highway is stunning. We’ve driven it many times in the car but haven’t had the SxS up there yet.
Great job !
Thanks!!
Love your videos
Thanks Caleb!!!
Headed there July 2023 and bringing Can Am X3 Max 72". Are these trails "regulated" for width by narrow entry gates, i thought i saw a narrow bridge in the vid.
Yes they are. And they are apparently going to be enforcing width restrictions more carefully. That said there are PLENTY of forest roads and Jeep trails your 72” machine will be good on. But I would not recommend trying to take it onto any of the 62” trails. Pick up the Motor Vehicle use maps when you get there or check them out ahead of time on the Aveza app or the USFS website.
@@TheNorthwoodsFamily A Polaris Ranger is 65" wide so they can't go on the 62" trails? How wide is your General, Thanks
Where did you all get the trial map? Love you content as well.
Thanks! These are the motor vehicle use maps from the USFS. Just go to the website of the forest you want to visit and you’ll find them for the Avenza app and as a PDF. You can get them from the ranger station and often at local convenience/camp stores when you get there too for free.
We have been to the Blackhills for the last 4 years . we love riding there . It would help if you gave the trail numbers you ride .
Awesome! Yeah great place to ride! Not sure if you saw in the description but we included a link to a customized high resolution USFS Motor Vehicle Use Map of the hills where we listed all the rides - the trail numbers are on there. It's a simple PDF download from our website and it's totally free.
northwoods.family/product/bhnf62rides/
Our overlanding video series from last year also has tons of trail numbers on the video so you can see what we saw and where it was!
ua-cam.com/play/PL9UVGJkrP7uqG4tRBETldMuPpW-4hB5dh.html
@@TheNorthwoodsFamily Thanks and love your videos !
Ur page no longer works for the map do you have an updated link or could I get an emailed version
Should work now. I just checked it. They are too large to email
northwoods.family/store/ols/products/bhnf62ridemaps
Are the trails (turns) well marked? Also where/how can I get one of those maps? Thanks 2022 Defender HD10
Usually there is a trail marker at every intersection. But some fall down, disappear, etc.
Link to our maps is in the description of this video:
ua-cam.com/video/kGVydyMS8J0/v-deo.html
You can get the USFS MVUMs from a Forest service office when you get there or from a variety of convenience stores in the hills. You can also download them for Avenza app from the BHNF website.
Is there a way that I can access your maps? Your website doesnt work sadly :(
Yeah sorry we’re revamping it. We hope to have it back up in a week or so!!
The caves on Ditch Creek are called sand caves ✌️
Awesome! We were wondering that! Thanks!
how about the China Walls?
Yeah - that’s supposed to be a cool spot! Haven’t seen it in person but it’s near Roubaix where we camped this last time- and every trail around there was awesome. That’d be a good one for our next visit.
How would a 4-wheeler fare on these trails? I don't have a side x side, but would love to explore these!
Many of them are jeep or forest roads so you can ride in the area. I know the difficulty of trails varies but I believe you’d be fine.
Can you drive on these roads with truck Tacoma?
There are designated offroad trails for street legal vehicles like a Tacoma, Jeeps, etc. Most of these featured on the video were for smaller machines. You can see all the trail designations on the USFS Motor Vehicle Use Maps
www.fs.usda.gov/detail/blackhills/maps-pubs/?cid=FSEPRD533421
The maps are for 62' machines, isnt a general a 64' machine? 65 with terrabites?
You are right, some of these trails are designated 62” and under. So the XPs are 64” because of the wider fenders. The DLX like ours are 62” We talk about this in one of our other videos actually because it’s kinda odd. Basically they designated these trails 62” years back probably before under 65” became an industry standard. A 64” machine will easily fit on every trail we rode. Plenty of local rental places have 64” machines they rent out for those trails. The feeling I get is they are defacto 65” trails and no one is measuring for those extra 3” but I’m not in charge either. It would be nice if they just re-designated those for clarity but a couple people we talked to out there said there were no plans to do so
@@TheNorthwoodsFamily That make sense. Thank you
@@TheNorthwoodsFamily After watching your videos I too was wondering about the width limits of some of the trails you were on... If i'm not mistaken I thought I watched you go through some gates that you barely made it through.. Having a 64" machine myself I would like to take a trip to the Black Hills but worry about not being able to ride many of the trails due to size restrictions.. Thanks for the videos ... Always enjoyable
Should I rent for 8 hours or whole day
Want to get all of it in one day
I’d go an entire day if you really want to ride. We rode for a week and didn’t hit a fraction of what is out there!
@@TheNorthwoodsFamily wow. Day pass it is 😂😂😂
😆 awesome have a great time!!!
trip maps link doesn't work
Thanks! It’s been fixed.
northwoods.family/store
Just because there's room doesn't mean you can drive a wider than 62" machine on a 62" trail 🙄
Correct. Long story but the UTV trails in the BHNF has always been designated at 62”. Larger machines even the industry standard 65” would be restricted on those trails. We have had some conversations with friends out there earlier this year and was talk about strict enforcement beginning. Haven’t heard anything else on the issue for a while.
Looking for a spot to basecamp and ride from camp for 2-3 days. Any suggestions?
are these trails on G.P.S. or maps ?
Both. Some are on the Polaris Ride Command app / software. I really recommend checking out the USFS Motor Vehicle Use maps. You can find them online - but if you watch this video it will give you a bunch more information and check the link in the description - you can download our custom maps too
ua-cam.com/video/kGVydyMS8J0/v-deo.html
@@TheNorthwoodsFamily Do you use the Garmin Tread?