Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Fills Black Hills until August 14, 2011

Aug 10, 2011
Teresa Knudsen

Motorcycles at Sturgis Rally - Teresa Knudsen

Until August 14, 2011, the Black Hills and Badlands of South Dakota and Wyoming are rumbling with hundreds of thousands of motorcyclists filling the roads.

Summer visitors and tourists hoping for views of Mount Rushmore and to experience the fragrant Black Hills and ancient Badlands are finding hundreds of thousands of motorcyclists attending the 71st Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

The Rally Perimeters

The rally is advertised as being centered in Sturgis, South Dakota, a small town 30 miles northwest of Rapid City. Situated on Interstate 90, running along the northern edge of the Black Hills, Sturgis functions as the symbolic center of the rally. But the sheer numbers of motorcycles, riders, and attendants spills over, filing the entire Black Hills and reaching 100 miles east and west along the I-90 corridor. The entire touring area encompasses roughly 6,000 square miles of open and forested road.

Finding Lodging and Tourist Attractions

The Black Hills hold multiple tourist attractions, such as Mount Rushmore National Memorial, the Custer State Park, and Deadwood, where Wild Bill Hickok and other gunslingers met their ends. Finding lodging in this area can be almost impossible without previous reservations. Reaching tourist attractions is challenging, due to the numbers of bikes on the winding Black Hills roads.

This year’s rally participants fill lodging that ranges from 50 to 100 miles east and west of Rapid City. Small motels in tiny towns are packed with bikers and tourist families. Camp grounds are bursting with tents and motorcycles. Current lodging rates are higher during the Sturgis Rally, often 50 to 100 percent more than during the regular tourist season.

Rally Events

While much of the rally experience is simply cruising on the bikes, organized events attract crowds. The webpage for the 71st Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally: Events, Concerts, News, Rally Guide, Lodging lists hundreds of activities. The Broken Spoke Campground hosts a daily Wall of Death motorcycle stunt show from 9 am to midnight, August 1 to 13, 2011. The town of Custer hosts Custer Cruising runs from August 4 to 14, 2011, with the Mayor’s Ride and Poker Run. The Saloon Girls Bike Wash is held at the Easyrider’s Saloon at 1 pm from August 4 to 13, 2011. The 900 Block Party runs from 9 am to 10 pm from August 5 to August 13, 2011 at 900 Mail Street.

Music during the Rally

The rally includes hundreds of music artists. Much of the musical action centers at the Buffalo Chip saloon. The line-up of musicians includes a kick off with Dan Lawson, Charlie Brechtel and Edgar Winter. The music continues with Alice Cooper, Pop-Evil, Bachman and Turner, Styx, Buckcherry, Def Leppard, Sweet Cynaide, Toby Keith, Poison, Greg Allman and Leon Russell. Finishing up the weekend are artists Jeff Bridges, John Fogerty, Stevie Nicks, Saving Abel, Puddle of Mudd, Tesla, and George Thorogood.

Number of Attendants

The Sturgis Police Department declined this reporter's request for an approximate number of bikers attending the rally. Informal reports range from 400,000 to 750,000 bikers.