Travel SD Blog » mickelson trail http://blog.travelsd.com South Dakota Affordable Family Vacations Fri, 17 May 2013 15:52:48 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 Christmas in the Black Hills to Air Nationwide http://blog.travelsd.com/index.php/2011/12/08/christmas-in-the-black-hills-to-air-nationwide/ http://blog.travelsd.com/index.php/2011/12/08/christmas-in-the-black-hills-to-air-nationwide/#comments Thu, 08 Dec 2011 21:48:01 +0000 Katlyn Richter http://blog.travelsd.com/?p=1565

The Black Hills will be featured on a national level this holiday season. “A Christmas in the Black Hills,” a one-hour holiday special filmed in Deadwood and the Black Hills, will premier on Monday, Dec. 12, at 7 p.m. CT/6 p.m. MT on Great American Country (GAC).

Hosted by famed country duo Big & Rich, the special also features Thompson Square, Bradley Gaskin, Tracy Lawrence, Andy Gibson and The Farm in holiday scenes and songs around South Dakota’s Black Hills. Performances were filmed for the special at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, on Deadwood’s Main Street, Mt. Moriah Cemetery and the Saloon #10, the 1880 Train in Hill City, the Mickelson Trail, Pactola Lake, a buffalo herd and other locations.

According to GAC, during the special, Big & Rich will perform “Blue Christmas” and “Drunk on Christmas,” an original song by Saturday Night Live’s Jimmy Fallon. Bradley Gaskin sings “Beautiful Star of Bethlehem” while Thompson Square shares their rendition of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” from the back of a horse-drawn sleigh as well as “Christmas in Dixie,” and Tracy Lawrence hops on a 19th century locomotive for “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Andy Gibson performs both “The Christmas Song” and “Feliz Navidad” and The Farm contributes their version of “Oh Holy Night.”

Christmas in the Black Hills wraps with the artists joining together for a medley of holiday classics. The special will re-air on GAC throughout the holiday season.

The special will be aired on GAC TV several times during December:

Monday, December 12
8 p.m. (ET) / 7 p.m. (CT) / 6 p.m. (MT)
11 p.m. (CT) / 10 p.m. (MT)

Tuesday, December 13
12 a.m. (ET)
10 a.m. (ET) / 9 a.m. (CT) / 8 a.m. (MT)
7 p.m. (ET) / 6 p.m. (CT) / 5 p.m. (MT)

Wednesday, December 21
8 p.m. (ET) / 7 p.m. (CT) / 6 p.m. (MT)
11 p.m. (CT) / 10 p.m. (MT)

Thursday, December 22
12 a.m. (ET)
11 a.m. (ET) / 10 a.m. (CT) / 9 a.m. (MT)

Friday, December 23
7 p.m. (ET) / 6 p.m. (CT) / 5 p.m. (MT)

Saturday, December 24
4 p.m. (ET) / 3 p.m. (CT) / 2 p.m. (MT)
11 p.m. (ET) / 10 p.m. (CT) / 9 p.m. (MT)

Sunday, December 25
3 a.m. (ET) / 2 a.m. (CT) / 1 a.m. (MT)

The Deadwood Chamber of Commerce, the City of Deadwood, Deadwood Mountain Grand and the South Dakota Department of Tourism partnered to bring GAC to the Black Hills to produce the special.

]]> http://blog.travelsd.com/index.php/2011/12/08/christmas-in-the-black-hills-to-air-nationwide/feed/ 5 Mickelson Trail http://blog.travelsd.com/index.php/2011/11/01/1325/ http://blog.travelsd.com/index.php/2011/11/01/1325/#comments Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:24:09 +0000 Katlyn Richter http://blog.travelsd.com/?p=1325

One of South Dakota’s Great Places is a premier trail within the state park system that stretches across 109-miles in the Black Hills.  It’s the George S. Mickelson Trail.

The Mickelson Trail is one of South Dakota’s gems. The trail follows an abandoned railroad bed, and climbs gently by jagged cliffs and through pine forests. The trail has a crushed limestone surface and wide path; trestle bridges and railroad tunnels add to the trail’s charm.
 
It tops out at 6,100 feet in elevation but rarely exceeds a 4-percent grade, making it a trail suitable for leisure riders. The longest area of incline is the 19 miles between Dumontand Deadwood.
 
There are 15 trailheads between the two ends of the trail, which runs from Deadwood to Edgemont. Horseback riders, hikers, bicyclists, and birders all share this trail, which is open year-round, from dawn to dusk. Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are both popular during the winter months.
 
In the spring of 2010, the George S. Mickelson Trail gained national attention by being inducted into the Rails-to-Trails Hall of Fame. It was just one of 25 trails selected for the national honor from a field of more than 1,600 trails.
 
At the trailheads, visitors will find amenities, including parking, toilets, drinking water, and picnic tables. Some of the trailheads also offer shelters. Visitors will also find benches, vault toilets, shelters and drinking water placed sporadically along the trail.
 
The fee for the Mickelson Trail is $3.00 daily or $15.00 for an annual pass. Passes are available at self-service stations along the trail and online atwww.campsd.com/parkpasses.aspx.
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