When the Exit 34 off-ramp stacks up during Rally week, the quickest fix is almost always to come at us from the south rather than push through the middle of Sturgis. Pleasant Valley Drive sits roughly two miles below town, and it can be reached from several directions, so a backed-up interstate exit doesn't have to be the end of your afternoon. Below are the alternatives our guests use most, plus when each one makes sense.
Why does Exit 34 back up in the first place?
Exit 34 drops you onto Lazelle Street, which is the main artery into downtown Sturgis. During the first week of August that's where vendors, bikes parked three deep, and everyone trying to get to Main Street all meet. Mid-morning and again around dinnertime are the worst of it. The exit itself is fine — it's the quarter mile after it that crawls. Once you're clear of that stretch and heading south, traffic thins out fast.
What's the best alternate route coming from Rapid City?
If you're driving up from Rapid City or the airport, Highway 79 and the older roads that parallel the interstate on the east side give you a way north that avoids the Exit 34 crush entirely. You can also run I-90 and take an earlier exit at Tilford, then work north on the back roads toward Pleasant Valley. It's a few minutes longer on paper and usually faster in practice during Rally. Either way you approach our gate from the south end, which is the calmer side.
What if I'm coming from Deadwood, Spearfish or Lead?
Boulder Canyon on Highway 14A brings you into Sturgis from the west, and it's a beautiful drive, but it funnels straight into the same downtown traffic. A better bet during the busy week is Vanocker Canyon Road out of Nemo, which comes up through Forest Service country and puts you near our end of Pleasant Valley Drive without crossing town. It's paved, it twists, and it's one of the nicer rides in the northern Black Hills anyway — but it's not a road to learn for the first time at night with a 40-foot rig behind you.
Which route should I take with a long trailer or a big motorhome?
Stick to the interstate approach and the southern end of the valley. Long trailers, toy haulers and full-size coaches reach our full-hookup sites without ever threading downtown, and that's exactly why drivers hauling something oversized tend to pick this side of Sturgis. Our pull-throughs run over 100 feet, so you aren't unhitching in a hurry at the entrance. If the turns are unfamiliar, give the office a ring before you're close and someone will walk you through it step by step.
What about arriving after dark?
Pleasant Valley Drive is quiet and unlit in places, and cell service can get patchy once you're tucked between the hills. Save our number before you leave Rapid City or Spearfish, and plan your fuel stop in Sturgis proper rather than assuming you'll find one closer. Riders coming in late during Rally often find the backroads clearer at 10 p.m. than at 10 a.m. — that's one advantage of a campground near Sturgis SD that doesn't enforce quiet hours. You can roll in, park the bike and the trailer at no extra charge, and set up without worrying about waking the neighbors.
One more thing worth knowing
The same roads that get you around traffic are the ones you'll be riding all week. Vanocker Canyon, Nemo Road and the run south toward Mount Rushmore and Custer State Park all start within a few minutes of our place, which is a fair part of why people use this spot as a base camp for the Black Hills loops. Learn the detours on day one and you'll use them every day after that.