Smiling Bear Antiques Shop.
Equally close are the immensely popular George S. Mickelson Trail
(rails to trails designated for hiking, running, biking, horseback riding)
and Black Hills Central Railroad's 1880 Train,
which lumbers along the path of intriguing local history
of which the bed of the Mickelson Trail was once a vital part.
The 1880 Train runs about 9-1/2 miles one way between Hill City and Keystone,
allowing, in summer, a shop stop in Keystone before the return.
Nearby, massive granite vistas raise breathtaking climbing scenarios
for climbers ranging from beginner to advanced in experience.
M2P is adventurously near Black Elk Wilderness and most Black Hills Trails
. . . a great one being the 111-mile Centennial Trail, frequently traversed
by avid mountain bikers and backpacking enthusiasts.
☆ Your Bags Packed Yet? ☆
Easy-going trail rides are available a short distance from here
to satisfy the ones yearning for views on horseback.
Some prefer riding the looping highways of the Hills on a motorcycle,
with close to half a million riders on motorcycles in the Black Hills
during Sturgis Bike Rally, an early August week-long annual event . . .
for which Hill City has been discovered as a where to stay place.
If inclined to undeniably more leisurely pastimes,
picking wild berries can be enjoyed many a summer day . . .
or a visit to Mistletoe Ranch will get you in the mood for Christmas!
Wades Gold Mill, just up Deerfield Road, provides a superb tour,
demonstrating their working historic mill and teaching how to pan for gold.
Close to Center Lake, the Black Hills Playhouse presents
evening entertainment that you will adore!
☆ Are You Out The Door? ☆
Chuckwagon Supper and Western Music Shows are a pleasant-drive away,
as well as many other Black Hills attractions and activities which families love . . .
such as Bear Country USA, Reptile Gardens, Cosmos Mystery Area,
National Museum of Woodcarving, Flintstones Bedrock City.
In the southern Black Hills, many visitors are refreshed at Evans Plunge,
a natural hot springs pool with thrilling zippy waterslides.
Near Hot Springs are the Mammoth Site and the Wild Horse Sanctuary.
In these Hills, contemplating historical life occurs naturally.
The invitation in the air is to pause on simpler times for awhile . . .
times when answers to monumental questions
may have been found tucked in with the chinks between logs,
or out walking in the rolling sunset with coyotes howling in the distance,
or while being still beside a stream, absorbed in the soothing sounds
trickling over stones. - Such times were for then, and now.
☆ Time To Head Our Way ☆
As long as there are visitors to these beautiful Black Hills
there will be as many diverse ways to experience them;
and nowhere in the Black Hills will be too far away to visit
. . . if beginning in the Heart of the Hills, Hill City.
Try our LINKS COLLECTION page for delving deeper
and to nurture your budding ideas, answering . . .
What is there to see and do under Black Hills sky?
Can you see yourself here? Any season you please . . .
Through the soft snow of spring the wild crocus peeks . . .
Summer, in the sunset of wild raspberries, we reap . . .
The crisp fall leaves tell of neighbors in the forest deep . . .
And winter quiets the thoughts of everything that breathes.
Copyright © 2007-11 - Linda L. Brown
