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South Dakota trails · George S. Mickelson Trail

George S. Mickelson Trail

A 14.8-mile network in South Dakota, with 1,226 ft of climbing. Managed by the state.

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Length
14.8 mi
Elevation gain
1,226 ft
Difficulty
Expert
Max grade
17%
Steepest mile
+296 ft
Tread at ≥10% grade
0.3 mi
Shape
network
Bikes
yes
Horses
yes
Managed by
State

Elevation profile

4,573 – 5,797 ft135791113151719

The climbing leans toward the first third: 51% of the ascent falls between mile 0.0 and mile 6.5. It gives back about 853 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.

Getting there

George S. Mickelson Trail access — parking nearby. 44.37073, -103.72830 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 5:46 a.m., the sun rises at 6:16 a.m. and sets at 7:33 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:03 p.m. (MDT) — 13 h 17 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 14.8-mile route takes roughly 6 h 05 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 12:21 p.m. — 7 h 12 min before sunset.

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