Oyate Trail

North Sioux City, S.D.—Several years ago, I discovered the Oyate Trail, an alternate route to the Black Hills; one that offered a much more relaxed, interesting and scenic ride than South Dakota’s 400-some miles of I-90. The Oyate Trail is a route that parallels the southern border of South Dakota, skirting the Badlands and the Black Hills in the western part of the state. The trail is being promoted by merchants, inns and other business owners along the route who wish to welcome visitors to their towns and cities.

The name “Oyate Trail” comes from the words oyate, a people or nation in the Dakota/Lakota language, and ochanku, translated as a well-traveled road. So Oyate Ochanku, or Oyate Trail, means “a well-traveled road of nations.” And true to its name, the series of roads comprising the Oyate Trail passes through three Indian reservations and several towns settled by Eastern European immigrants.

If you choose, you can ride the entire length of the Oyate Trail in a single day, but my plan was to take my time, allowing for detours through small towns and visits to some of the attractions listed on the trail’s web site, www.oyate trail.com. North Sioux City, called the “Gateway to South Dakota,” is the starting point of the 416-mile trail. Just 15 miles north is Elk Point, which boasts, among other attractions, the Lewis & Clark Wayside Exhibit and the annual Lewis & Clark Heritage Days. The Lewis & Clark Trail shares some 50 miles of road with the Oyate Trail before the two historic paths part ways near Yankton.

Continuing north on I-29 a few miles—this short stretch is the only Interstate on the Oyate Trail—I took a turn west onto Route 50 near Vermil­lion. If you’re near this spot in the morning while on your way to Sturgis, you might want to stop at the Traveler/ Biker Breakfast sponsored by the Vermillion Lions Club during the first few days of August every year. It was mid-afternoon by the time I reached Route 50, and I decided to spend the night in this small city known for its friendliness and charm. The name of this historically significant town was derived from its Lakota name Wase Wakpala, meaning “red stream.”

A few miles north on Route 19 in Vermillion is Spirit Mound, which, according to Lewis and Clark’s writings, the Omaha, Sioux and Otoes believed was occupied by spirits that would kill anyone who came near the hill. It’s still a peaceful, scenic spot, as it’s protected by the Spirit Mound Trust—and maybe even the spirits themselves.

I enjoyed a hearty dinner at the Roadhouse, and retired for the night. The next morning, I rode to the other end of town to visit Valiant Vineyards, South Dakota’s first and oldest winery. The small family-owned business also boasts a bed and breakfast, the Buffalo Run Resort. It must be nice to enjoy a wine tasting and not have to worry about getting on the road later.

Heading west through town to continue on the Oyate Trail, I had my choice of roads—Route 50, Route 50 Business, or Main Street. This situation presented itself a number of times along the trail. If I were in a hurry, I could have taken the main secondary roads that had near-Interstate speed limits, generally 65 or 70 mph—except when the roads passed through small towns—and still enjoy the countryside as I rode. I generally opted to ride along the business or downtown routes to see what each small town had to offer.

Yankton, a half-hour west of Vermillion, lies just to the north of the Nebraska/South Dakota border. There’s plenty to see here, including the historic downtown area and the Dakota Territorial Museum. To the west of Yankton are the Lewis & Clark Lake and the spectacular Gavins Point Dam, providing hydroelectric power from the Missouri River. The area is a quite popular tourist attraction, and the Lewis & Clark Camp­ground overlooks the river.

Continuing on, I made a stop in Tabor, an agricultural community populated predominantly by Bohem­ian, Czech and Slovak­ian immigrants. Being of Czechoslovakian descent, I thought I might visit during June one year when the town holds its Czech Days Celebration. After passing through a few more tiny towns, I rode through Wagner, the largest community on the Yankton Reservation. This is where Route 50 continues north and the Oyate Trail begins to follow Route 46, and where I made my lunch stop at Fort Randall Casino in Pickstown. The casino is owned and operated by the Yankton Sioux Tribe, and the staff always makes me feel welcome (it was my third visit in three years!). The restaurant offers a hearty buffet at a quite reasonable price. Try the Indian fry bread for a real treat.

Just past the casino, Route 46 becomes Route 18 West, and the remainder of the Oyate Trail pretty much follows that road for the rest of the route. I rode through a few more small towns such as Fairfax and Bonesteel until I reached Herrick, where I saw a tall, striking red-painted structure on the north side of the road. It was the Herrick Elevator, a former grain elevator that proprietors Bill and Barb White converted into a gift shop and bed and breakfast that can ac­commodate groups of travelers. Herrick itself has only about 100 residents, but it’s the kind of place that puts on an annual summer event called the Squeal Meal, with a parade, a dance, a hog-calling contest and, of course, a pork barbecue.

After passing through more small towns such as Burke, Gregory, Dallas, Colome and Winner, I arrived in Mission, a small town on the Rosebud Reservation. Named after the missionaries that came in the late 19th century to “help” the Rosebud Sioux, it’s located at the intersection of Routes 83 and 18, and with a population of just over 1,100, it’s the largest incorporated community in Todd County. This is where I first began seeing Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) roads rather than state or county highways.

I turned south off Route 18 onto BIA Highway 1 and rode a dozen or so miles to Rosebud (Lakhota Sicanġu in the Lakota language). A bit off the beaten path, the town is the home of the Rosebud Sioux Tribal Headquarters, as well as the location of several other tribal agencies. And less than five miles to the west, on BIA 7, Charlie and J.J. at Salt Camp Cabins and B&B were awaiting my arrival. But first, I rode a little farther south to visit the Lakota Museum at St. Francis Mission. It’s one of the only two Lakota museums in the world, and on display are many artifacts illustrating the history and culture of the Lakota people.

This was the third time I’ve stayed at Salt Camp Cabins B&B, and to me, the place is a little slice of heaven. It’s about a quarter-mile up a dirt road—easily navigable by motorcycle—and once at the bed and breakfast, the property opens up into fields and pastures, with woods off to the side and mountains in the distance. It’s so relaxing and peaceful that, with the winds blowing softly through the trees, I wanted to stay for a week instead of a night. After a satisfying home-cooked meal with vegetables grown in J.J.’s garden and some good conversation, I spent the night in a tepee with the top flap open, gazing at the stars until I fell asleep and waking up at sunrise to the sound of distant drumming from the Lakota Sioux Sun Dance in Crow Dog’s Paradise on Grass Mountain. The Sun Dance, the most sacred of the Sioux spiritual ceremonies, is conducted by medicine man Leonard Crow Dog, like his father before him. Decades ago, Leonard Crow Dog was incarcerated for his participation in the Wounded Knee uprising in the ’70s.

After a bountiful breakfast, I continued west on BIA 7 until I picked up Route 18 again. It’s about 85 miles to Pine Ridge, the largest community in the Oglala Sioux Pine Ridge Reservation. The infamous Wounded Knee site is about 6 1/2 miles north of Route 18 between Batesland and Pine Ridge, and has been designated a National Historic Landmark. If you decide to stay overnight in that area, the Wakpamni Bed and Breakfast is located on the Bar-O-Bar Farm in Batesland, on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

The 25th annual Oglala Sioux Nation Wacipi, or Pow-wow, was being held in Pine Ridge that weekend, and I spent a few hours watching the dances, admiring the colorful costumes and trying to figure out their significance, as well as trying to observe the Wacipi protocols out of respect to the people. The 2011 Wacipi will be held August 4–7, and it’s a worthwhile stopover on your ride to Sturgis.

Leaving Pine Ridge, Route 18 starts making its way north, and the terrain turned to prairie as I rode through Buffalo Gap National Grasslands. Towns were few and far between, and eventually I left the prairie behind as sand hills appeared. I arrived in Hot Springs in mid-afternoon and stopped for a visit at the Mammoth Site on the Route 18 Bypass.

The Mammoth Site was discovered in 1974 while a crew was excavating land for a housing development. A museum was built around the site, which contains a sinkhole with bones lying exactly as they were discovered. Several mammoth skeleton replicas are on display, as well as a collection of early North American relics.

Hot Springs is a lovely place to spend the day, with other attractions such as the Evans Plunge, a natural spring known for its healing properties. After wandering up and down S. Chicago Street to see the art galleries, unique shops and historic buildings, I stopped for lunch at the All Star Grill.

From Hot Springs, the terminus of the Oyate Trail, there are a number of roads that’ll take you north to Sturgis, between 85 and 105 miles away depending on the route you ride. Since I was staying in Spearfish, I opted to continue west on Route 18 into Wyoming, and north on 85 and 285 through Newcastle and Four Corners, traversing the spectacular roads that wound about a hundred miles between Thunder Basin National Grassland and Black Hills National Forest, arriving at Sundance and then continuing the last 30 miles to Spearfish.

I’m already thinking about this year’s ride to Sturgis, planning to visit some of the Oyate Trail attractions that I didn’t see in 2010. It’s well worth the hundred miles the trail adds to the trip.