With five national parks and monuments within an hour drive, and numerous other state parks to choose from, the Rapid City area is an outdoor paradise.
Biking
Rapid City boasts a 13.5 mile bike trail along Rapid Creek, but if you're looking for something more adventurous you can tour the many miles of mountain roads or hop on your mountain bike to explore more than 6,000 miles of fire trails and logging roads that crisscross the Black Hills. There are also plenty of single-track trails as well as the 108-mile Mickelson Trail and parts of the 111-mile Centennial Trail.
Hiking
If hiking or backpacking is your thing, the Black Hills National Forest, Black Elk Wilderness, Badlands National Park, Custer State Park, and other wilderness areas offer endless miles of trails. From mountain peaks to waterfalls you could explore a different area every weekend without ever retracing your steps. Even on crowded holiday weekends you can find yourself sharing the views with only the flora and fauna.
Rock Climbing
The Black Hills area has been one of the centers of the climbing community for generations. The multi-pitch traditional climbs of Devil's Tower are only a short drive from Rapid City. Even closer are the many classic climbing areas of the Black Hills. From the Needles and Cathedral Spires to Rushmore and Spearfish Canyon, you'll find something for every climber. There are multi-pitch trad routes, bolted sport-routes, ice climbing, and bouldering.
Winter Sports
During the winter the many trails and forest roads turn into a winter playground for snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling. If you're looking for a little more adrenaline, there are two downhill ski resorts that offer extremely reasonable season passes, more than 1,000 feet of vertical rise, and terrain parks.
All of this is not to exclude the many opportunities available for camping, caving, fishing, golfing, horseback riding, rock hounding, wildlife photography, and water sports including kayaking. You probably get the idea by now.
