Hidden gem accommodations for Sturgis, anyone?

PrivatePilot

PrivatePilot

Ironus Butticus
Staff member
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Just tossing it out there...there's lots of suggestions and such on Google, but it's been my experience that often other riders have found the "hidden gems" that aren't always on the Google radar.

Strongly considering Sturgis this year, probably 7-8 days total. 1.5-2 days each way with 4 long days of riding the black hills and doing the whole Sturgis thing in between. Mostly riding the hills. ;)

Scouting for basic accommodations. Prefer a motel environment where the bikes can stay right outside my door. Prefer slightly outside of Sturgis itself, actually. Quiet and clean are main priorities - don't care about super modern, amenities, etc. Just want a warm, dry, comfortable place to shower and sleep.

And..go!
 
When do you go...as in what time of year? I'm off for the summer and my wife is pregnant so I will be solo this summer....

Is Sturgis anything like our Dover bulls$hit?
 
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[TD]2019 - August 2nd - 11th[/TD]
[TD]79th Annual Sturgis Rally[/TD]
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same thing as Dover
but so much larger
there is bound to be more interesting stuff

the area is also really beautiful
and some great riding to be had
if the rally thing is not your thing

OP can tell you more
it's his thread
and he's a smart dude
 
JavaFan said:
in Wall SD
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Hmm, thanks. I've been to Wall, actually. Wall Drug. Anyone who's been through SD on 90 has inevitably stopped there. ;)

Wasn't on my radar as a base of operations though, but I'm thinking perhaps something further west just to be closer to the good roads. One of the must-do roads on my bucket list for this trip is the Greybull WY to Sheridan WY stretch on Route 14 through the Bighorns - did that stretch on a previous trip in 2008 and it completely and totally blew me away - I've been wanting to revisit it ever since.

But even out of Sturgis itself that'll be a 12-14 hour riding day, so adding 2+ more hours to that being based out of Wall may not be practical.
 
blakeonline said:
When do you go...as in what time of year? I'm off for the summer and my wife is pregnant so I will be solo this summer....

Is Sturgis anything like our Dover bulls$hit?
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Yes, Sturgis is Dover on steroids. If you don't like Dover, you most certainly won't like Sturgis.

I'm likely going with some other club friends. We ride hard and cover a lot of miles fast - the stretch to and from isn't particularly exciting, so 1000-1500KM days are the way I like to cover the boring stuff. The fun starts when you get out to the west. Sturgis itself, well...much like how I do Dover, stop..look at the cool bikes, buy the T-Shirt, look at a few vendors and then go riding. It's not going to be the focus of the trip.
 
I've never been so take this with a grain of salt. My father went 2 years ago, he is into Dover and that type of meet. He had fun at the event itself but said that trying to ride the amazing local roads sucked as there were too many bikes everywhere and you couldn't get anywhere. His opinion was that if he wanted to ride, he'd go back when "Sturgis" wasn't happening.
Still likely worth going if you haven't been and YMMV.

Sent from my SM-A530W using Tapatalk
 
blakeonline said:
I'm off for the summer and my wife is pregnant so I will be solo this summer...
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Take my advice for what it's worth, but if you've got a baby on the way don't plan any week long trips away in that first year. Babies are magic and you'll hate yourself later for missing a week of it. They change so much that a week away will feel like coming home to a totally different baby.

My annual mileage was very little during the years when my babies were 0-2yrs old and I don't regret it one bit. There will always be time to ride but they will be babies for a VERY short time.
 
Iceman said:
I've never been so take this with a grain of salt. My father went 2 years ago, he is into Dover and that type of meet. He had fun at the event itself but said that trying to ride the amazing local roads sucked as there were too many bikes everywhere and you couldn't get anywhere. His opinion was that if he wanted to ride, he'd go back when "Sturgis" wasn't happening.
Still likely worth going if you haven't been and YMMV.

Sent from my SM-A530W using Tapatalk
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Agreed....I went this past July, and it was fantastic. Riding all the big destination roads was easy and accessible, and the cost was so much better being at an off-peak time. I rented a cabin on a 200 acre ranch, complete with a huge outdoor kitchen, laundry facilities, etc for 750 bucks for 6 nights. I could park my bike at the front of the cabin. I was exactly 5 minutes from Sturgis, 20 min from Mt Rushmore, and we also had time to see the Devil's Tower in Wyoming.
 
Suffice to say that actually seeing/doing Sturgis itself is part of the trip, so although I appreciate the suggestions to do it another time outside the rally, that's not the plan we are going with.

Where was that cabin, Happycrappy?
 
Sturgis is just too dirty for me.

I have a friend with almost 500 acres on the Wyoming border. First year down there went for rally and dirt biking on his property. Every year since then have skipped rally.

Drugs, prostitution, drinking. All fun, but no moderation at Sturgis
 
meme said:
Sturgis is just too dirty for me.
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Like I said, it's not all about Sturgis. Realistically the town/rally itself is probably a half day for us. It's the riding (and the trip as a whole) that's the goal. But I do want to actually experience the rally.

It's looking like we may be camping now vs hotels/motels, so that should make prospecting accommodations easier.
 
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