So you’re going to Sturgis, eh? It is unlike any other motorcycle rally in the world. After you are done reading this, also read about seeing the Black Hills.

These are some of my tips, in no particular order.

For some ideas from the northeastern US (well, from Ohio, at least) to Sturgis, you can read some of my past trip stories. These will have some additional detail to what is written here, but there may also be new information on this page, since it is a little more specialized. Use both sources as a complete reference.

Here are some tips and suggestions from someone who has been there a dozen times. First, some general information about doing the Sturgis rally, then some tips on seeing the Black Hills (useful even if you aren’t on a motorcycle).

The Sturgis Rally is usually the first or second week of August, and it brings over 500,000 motorcycles (not people, motorcycles) to the region. I usually come from the east, and have found I-90 to be a crazy rush of motorcycles, trailers, semis, and about every other type of vehicle. The speed limit on the interstate is 75 mph, a little faster than many of us are used to driving. With the excitement to get to the rally, traffic is also moving about 10 mph over the posted speed. Well, that is until you get to road construction. As South Dakota usually has long, cold, snowy winters, there are only a few months of the year when they have time to fix the highways, so expect road construction. I suggest looking at their department of transportation website, which usually posts the work zones, the type of closures, and the dates they plan to do the work. They do their best to keep the highways open for the extra traffic during the rally, but it doesn’t always work so well. As a result, the 80+ mph traffic often comes to a screeching (seriously) halt. Be careful. Every gas station along the highway is packed with bikes and there are usually hundreds at each gas station, and practically every business has ‘Welcome Bikers’ signs.

In Ohio, at least, you can pretty much rely on finding gas at most every freeway exit, but as you move west, you will find many stretches of highway with no facilities at all. I usually plan to stop for gas every 100 miles, which is about an hour and a half. By that time, I need to stretch my legs and get something to drink, etc. Don’t try to run your tank all the way dry, as you may find yourself in the middle of a 70 mile stretch without a station. There are quite a few freeway exits in South Dakota that simply read ‘exit’, and no town is anywhere in sight (the roads turn to gravel at the bottom of the ramp). So, plan ahead. I have found that it is very easy to carry a length of siphon hose, as it packs well, and can get you out of a jam. People are pretty good about stopping for broken bikes, and if they can spare some gas, they are more than willing to part with a little. If the breakdown is a little more serious, there is always someone trailering their bike that is just itching to ride theirs the rest of the way to Sturgis, so I’ve known several folks who have been able to load their broken bike on a trailer and ride in the truck.

From before you enter South Dakota, you will see signs for Wall Drug. They never tell you the distance, but it is near mile marker 110. South Dakota is about 380 miles from east to west. Sturgis is at exit 32 and 30 (if I recall correctly), so it is very close to the Wyoming boarder, and certainly at the far end of South Dakota.

The terrain along I-90 is generally rolling hills and grasslands. There isn’t much to see, but it seems that at 100 mile intervals, something pops up. The Corn Palace is in Mitchell, and the Missouri River is in Chamberlain, and the town of Murdo, and Wall are later down the road.

To avoid the mad rush on I-90, I’ve been going a bit north to US 14 (and SD 34). There isn’t much more to see, but the speed limit is about 70 mph and the traffic is usually light. This takes you through the state capital of Pierre. Be sure to get gas here, as the next station is over 110 miles away, as you head east, and about another 100 miles until you get to Sturgis.

If you arrive in Sturgis in SD 34, you will enter on the northeast side of town, by the two largest and popular campgrounds in the area, the Buffalo Chip and Glencoe (there are dozens of campgrounds that are permanent or only appear during the rally). The Full Throttle Saloon, the world’s largest biker bar, is also in this area. You’ll see an unusual looking hill, called Bear Butte (as in ‘beaut-iful’, not ‘butt’ as we easterners might pronounce it). Coming in on SD 34 you might be able to see that it got its name because it looks like a bear sleeping on its back, with its paws resting on its chest. This is sacred land to the Lakota tribes, and it is considered to be the center of their universe. The tribes are not very happy with all of the development and rally traffic around this space, but you can decide on your own if you want to camp near there.

The town of Sturgis is about 3 miles from the Full Throttle/Glencoe/Chip. If you take I-90 into Sturgis, you will use exit 32 to get to the center of town, and exit 30 is just a tad beyond the main part of downtown (ideal if you are heading towards Deadwood). Both exit ramps are likely to be backed up with traffic, so be alert. There is talk of building a freeway exit closer to the Chip, but that has yet to be approved, as there are no easy paths to traverse the hills.

While the road is a nice four lane highway, be careful to observe all of the speed and traffic markings. The rally is prime season for the state’s law enforcement. Almost every cop in the state is in Sturgis for the rally, and they do their best to make money off the tourists. Be sure to come to a complete stop at each stop sign and signal, put both feet down when you stop. Don’t lift your sunglasses while your engine is running or they will nail you for riding without eye protection (take it from me). If you give them any reason (any often if you don’t), they will be more than happy to extract some fines from you. Other towns in the region aren’t so crazed (yet), but Sturgis is very serious about crowd control. We had a friend get nabbed for the sunglasses thing, and they had him in the backseat of a cruiser in less than a minute, leaving his bike on the side of the road. After a DUI check (he was over the 0.08 limit), they kept him overnight. The next day at his arraignment, there were over a dozen DUI’s in the courtroom. One guy blew a 0.05 (below the limit), but the prosecutor whined that it probably took them too long to test him, so they still wanted to charge him, and he can come back in a month for a hearing on the matter (since the guy was from out of state, he plead guilty to a very expensive charge, even though he could have arranged for a lawyer to represent him and have the charges dropped). In Sturgis, if you get a DUI, you lose your license in 30 days, so they give you time to get home. Still, with the fines and increased insurance premiums, it is easier just to be careful and avoid the whole situation.

The SD 34 runs through Sturgis and is known as Lazelle Street. This is lined with vendors and bars, but the Main Street is where the primary ground-zero of the rally is located. While many shops sell t-shirts and stuff (much of it has nothing to do with the rally or bikes), shop around, as many shops offer deals on t-shirts. Towards the end of the week, the deals get better, as no one wants to get stuck with surplus. At the beginning of the week, you might find great bargains on shirts from the prior year.

If you need parts for your bike, there is a Harley dealership in Sturgis, but they (used to) only sell parts. I think this has changed, but the closest Harley dealership for repairs was 30 miles east in Rapid City. Convenient? Not really. There are often other mechanics in town for the rally, and they usually do good work and charge fairly reasonable rates. If you don’t/can’t work on your bike and carry tools, the next best alternative is to make sure you have a credit card. Working on a bike in the campground is certainly possible, but not the most convenient, especially if you find you need ‘just one’ little part in town before you can get back up and running.

The town of Sturgis has the center of the rally, but the entire Black Hills region is full of bikes and has lots to see and do. Of course, there is Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse (many times the size of Rushmore), Devils Tower is about 75 miles away (near Hulett, Wyoming), and much more. There are also incredible roads for riding, such as Iron Mountain Road, Needles Highway, Custer State Park, and others. Don’t try to see them all during your first visit, as you might feel bored if you return to the area another year. Heck, between weather and bike problems, I didn’t see any of the major sites my first year, and still had a blast.

In Ohio, we have the Easyrider Rodeo, in Chillicothe, each Labor Day. I will tell you now that Sturgis is a very different rally. Not better, not worse, just different. In Chillicothe, the county fairgrounds has a couple hundred thousand people crammed in for 6 days of partying, and you only have to run into town for beer and some supplies. While southern Ohio offers excellent riding, most people just spend each day wandering the campground and people watching. The lights are on along the midway, so people are awake at all hours of the day and night.

At Sturgis, there are so many rides and things to see in the area, that people are usually out riding all day, and since the campgrounds don’t have extra lights, they usually quiet down soon after sunset. While the major campgrounds and bars have concerts and entertainment, things are comparitively mild in the campgrounds (I said ‘comparitively’). But most people get tired after long days of riding and partying, and things settle down a a little earlier.

Campgrounds in Sturgis do not permit campfires, however other campgrounds outside Sturgis proper will allow them based on weather conditions. It is not unusual for there to be wildfires or campfire restrictions in the Black Hills during the rally, and some campgrounds may allow fires only in fire rings or designated areas.