Southern Black Hills For ATV Riding

West of Rapid City, the Black Hills National Forest has hundreds of miles of primative roads open to ATV riding. Traffic volume is usually low on these roads but increases during fall hunting season. In some portions of the forest, travel management rules prohibit off-road riding to protect soils and other natural features. There are NO trails in the Black Hills National Forest that are open to ATV riding except sections of the Centenial Trail.

The town of Custer makes a great base for exploring the Black Hills. If your ATV is street legal with lights and license plates, you can ride it in town.

Note: As of September 2007, ATV riding on Forest Service roads is only permitted on roads signed with three numbers and not currently marked closed. A USDA FS approved muffler and spark arrestor is required on your vehicle. In the Wyoming portion of the Black Hills National Forest, all OHVs must be licensed (street legal) or be registered in Wyomings OHV program before use in the forest. Check state requirements for proper licensing. Additional information is available by calling the Wyoming State Trails Program at (307) 777-7477

Overall, Southern Black Hills is the 3rd most popular ATV riding trail of all 8 ATV trails in South Dakota. Several of the better atv trails are nearby Southern Black Hills including Centennial Trail, Northern Black Hills and Bear Lodge Mountains.