It’s crowded. It’s hot. It’s overblown. It’s Sturgis. Did we say it’s crowded?

While South Dakota’s Black Hills region is renowned for its beautiful country, nice folks, and great rides, it’s even more popular for that little party they throw in August. Every year, millions and millions of enthusiasts and their motorcycles show up in one small town to celebrate the two-wheeled life. Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but it sometimes feels like millions and millions, especially on those hot summer days when you’re waddling your bike down Main Street, just wishing you could get up enough speed to feel a breeze up your pant legs.

Never fear, for RoadBike is here to show you that there’s more to the Black Hills than just the Sturgis rally. Fantastic rides, fabulous scenery, and very nice folks really can make your stay in the upper plains a pleasure at any time of year.

Most attractions in the Black Hills region are open full time by around May 1 and stay that way until the end of September. Many are open for abbreviated times in the spring and fall. We’d recommend calling and confirming that the attractions you want to visit are open before you make the trek. In addition, a number of the sites host special events, so be sure to check the calendars posted on their web sites.

First and foremost, the main attraction in the Black Hills is the awe-inspiring Mount Rushmore National Memorial (800/827-9323, nps.gov/moru). When it comes to patriotic monuments, this one rivals the Statue of Liberty or the memorials in Washington, D.C. Visit the exhibits and learn about the brave men who rappelled down the mountain, drilled holes in the granite face, inserted sticks of dynamite, and lit the fuse. Once you see it up close and learn how it was made, you’ll never look at Mount Rushmore the same way.

For off-the-bike fun, try the Rushmore Tramway (605/666-4478, rushmoretramway.com), a chairlift-style ride to tranquil garden settings, hiking trails, and a bar and grill. Adjoining is the President’s Slide, an alpine slide where you can ride down the mountain on a small, trackless, toboggan-like sled, in full view of the monument. It’s quite a kick.

If you’re more of a history buff, eschew the cheap thrills and take a ride on the Black Hills Central Railroad’s steam locomotive, the 1880 Train, from Hill City to Keystone (605/574-2222, 1880train.com). The town of Keystone, settled in the late 1800s, is rich with history and, these days, tourist amenities.

A number of other parks and monuments are within riding distance of the rally. The famous Badlands National Park (605/433-5361, nps.gov/badl) has 244,000 acres of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles, and spires that create some of the most beautiful — and eerie — landscapes I’ve ever seen. Wind Cave National Park (605/745-4600, nps.gov/wica) and Jewel Cave National Monument (605/673-2288, nps.gov/jeca) are famous for sprawling caves and gorgeous grasslands. The Crazy Horse Memorial (605/673-4681, crazyhorse.org) features the world’s largest sculpture, begun in 1948 and still unfinished. A nonprofit cultural project, the memorial includes the Indian Museum of North America, the Native American Cultural Center, the sculptor’s studio, and an orientation center with theaters. Finally, there’s Devil’s Tower National Monument in nearby Wyoming (307/467-5283, nps.gov/deto), an important landmark in Native American stories and the site of the famous alien landing in the movie classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Incidentally, as America’s first national monument, Devil’s Tower is celebrating its centennial this year (devilstowercentennial.com). All of these sites are well worth the scenic side trip.

Speaking of scenic trips, the rider-friendly web site motorcycleroads.us lists some fantastic routes for touring, twisting, or just tooling around the Black Hills region. These include State Rte 44 from Silver City to Rapid City (“beautiful canyon with Rapid Creek running along the road”), US Hwy 14A from Spearfish to Sturgis (“wide, smooth, sweeping turns”), and US Hwy 16 from Newcastle, Wyoming, to Custer (“a nice, twisty road”). Another web site, motorcycleroads.com, is also helpful for choosing day trips. And if you’re looking to avoid tourist traps and Winnebagos, Black Hills Motorcycle Tours (605/920-5425, bhmct.com) offers guided tours of the region for riders of every level.

Custer State Park (605/255-4464, sdgfp.info/parks/regions/ custer/index.htm) boasts spectacular terrain and an abundance of wildlife. Activities include hiking 7,242-foot Harney Peak, mountain biking, horseback riding, rock climbing, fishing, chuck wagon suppers, and jeep rides to see the bison. Nearby, one of the main highlights for riders is Needles Highway (State Rte 87), which twists and turns its way past towering rock formations and through narrow tunnels. At the end of one tunnel stands the Needle’s Eye, a granite spire reaching over 30 feet high with a slit that’s only 3-4 feet wide.

For the adventurous (and those who simply want to escape the blistering sun), the Black Hills offers an array of majestic caves and caverns. The Beautiful Rushmore Cave (605/255-4384, beautifulrushmorecave.com) is the largest stalactite cave in the area. A one-hour tour winds through a series of rooms and passages, including the stunning Big Room, which contains thousands of stalactites, stalagmites, helectites, and other intricate formations. Rapid City hosts two sites: Sitting Bull Crystal Caverns (605/342-2777, sittingbullcrystalcave.com), featuring tours of the world’s largest collection of subterranean dog-tooth crystal, and Crystal Cave Park (605/342-8008), offering the area’s least strenuous cave tour. Information about spelunking in South Dakota can be found at southdakotacaves.com.

Another way to beat the heat is to spend a day at Evans Plunge (605/745-5165, evansplunge.com) in nearby Hot Springs, which boasts the world’s largest indoor swimming pool filled with naturally warm mineral water. The water park includes hot springs, a health club, a spa, and a restaurant.

Seven miles east of Rapid City, near Ellsworth Air Force Base, is the South Dakota Air & Space Museum (605/385-5188). Admission is free, and you can see more than 25 historic bombers, fighters, utility aircraft, and missiles, plus many indoor exhibits featuring aviation memorabilia. Open every day year-round, the Air Force base offers tours, including a Minuteman missile silo, from May through September. War buffs and veterans may also want to visit the Black Hills National Cemetery (605/347-3830, cem.va.gov/nchp/black hills.htm), the “ Arlington of the West.”

Also, every year, the Black Hills are home to the Autumn Expedition (autumnexpedition.com), a month-long celebration that wraps up the riding season with events in various locations. This year’s event includes the Dakota Celtic Festival, September 1-3; the Sturgis Dog Classic, September 9-10; the Badger Clark Hometown Cowboy Poetry and Music Gathering, September 29-30; the 41st Annual Buffalo Roundup, October 2; and the Black Hills PowWow, October 6-8.

Finally, if you’re determined to head into Sturgis, be sure to visit our friends at the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum (605/347-2001, sturgismuseum.com) on the corner of Main St. and Junction Ave. Learn about the history of motorcycling through educational exhibits and unique motorcycle displays (metric and American), visit the Motorcycling Hall of Fame, and see the “Motorcycles Through Time” exhibit. Open year-round, seven days a week, the museum rotates its exhibits frequently, so there’s something to see every time you’re in the area. RB