Hikers and bicyclists could be using a new trail to travel between the Mickelson Trail and Mount Rushmore National Memorial in a few years, if a proposal by the state Department of Game, Fish & Parks is approved.

A feasibility study for a new hiking and bicycling trail linking the two popular tourist draws is almost done, according to Al Nedved, GF&P assistant director for the Division of Parks and Recreation.

The GF&P hired Wyss Associates of Rapid City to conduct the feasibility study. Pat Wyss and GF&P officials hosted the last of a series of public open houses on the study Tuesday evening at the Dahl Fine Arts Center.

The study identified five possible routes, Wyss said. The final route chosen could be some combination of the five, he said. All of the routes would traverse only public land, except for a crossing of the KOA Mount Rushmore campground. The campground supports the proposed trail, Wyss said. The National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service and Mount Rushmore Memorial Society also back the plan, he said.

The routes range in length from 12 to 19 miles, Nedved said. They would allow only hiking and bicycling, not horses.

A rough description of the five routes:

y  The north/south of Norbeck Route, following the Battle Creek Valley as much as possible.

y  Rabbit Gulch Route, which follows existing roads through the Norbeck Wildlife Preserve.

y  Peter Norbeck route, aligned to take advantage of as much of the original Mount Rushmore Road as possible, plus Palmer Gulch.

y  North of Norbeck route: Follows trail locations outside the Norbeck Wildlife Preserve.

y  Highway 244 route, which follows the Highway 244 right of way from Rushmore to the Mickelson.

Nedved said the feasibility study should be finished by Dec. 1. It will take another two to three months to prepare a proposal to submit to the U.S. Forest Service, which will make the final decision.

After it gets the proposal, the Forest Service will have to go through the various processes required by the National Environmental Policy Act.

“The hope is that within 12 to 18 months, we’ll have some direction,” Nedved said.

He said the cost is impossible to estimate until a preferred route is selected.

But Nedved said backers will begin looking for funding sources, both private and public.

He said he can’t predict when the trail might be approved or how long it will take to prepare the trail after it is approved.

Nedved said there has been little or no opposition expressed at the public meetings or in the public comment taken so far.

He said the GF&P has received requests from individuals and groups for such a trail. Nedved said the proposed trail is part of a larger effort to get kids and families active in the outdoors, to reduce childhood obesity.

Hill City Mayor Don Voorhees favors the proposed trail, with all of the routes connected to his town.

“It’s good for Hill City, but it’s also good for the Black Hills,” Voorhees said.

  

Contact Steve Miller at 394-8415 or steve.miller@rapidcityjournal.com.