Mickelson Trail is worth your time

Anyone who has never stepped foot on the Mickelson Trail should do so the next time they trek to the Black Hills.

The trail was built on the bed of an old railroad and snakes its way from Edgemont to Deadwood. Along its 109 miles, users of the trail travel over more than 100 railroad bridges, through four tunnels blasted into mountainsides and along numerous crystal clear trout brooks.

Traveling even a few miles on the Mickelson Trail on a summer day is a true delight.

Just one rule: No motorized vehicles of any kind. Not even electric-powered wheelchairs.

A decision last week will keep it that way.

A business that offers tours of Hill City and Deadwood has, after discussions with the state, decided to not use Segways on the Mickelson Trail. Segways are those futuristic, two-wheeled vehicles on which a single rider stands, not sits. They have become the rage nationwide for touring, and anyone who has been to, say, Washington, D.C., in recent times has seen numerous advertisements for Segway tours.

They had been in use on the Mickelson Trail, too, despite rules against motorized travel. When some trail users questioned their use, the state Department of Game, Fish and Parks acted and declared that Segways should stay off the trail. In the tour company’s defense, the Segways apparently were only being used on stretches of trail within city limits.

The Mickelson Trail was completed in 1998. It took years of hard work to get the trail to its current condition.

Motorized vehicle travel of any kind simply is detrimental to its pristine condition.

Tags: hiking, southdakota, blackhills, mickelsontrail