Parks, Peaks, & Prairies Connector Bicycle Route Section 1

• Route connects the Transamerica Trail at West Yellowstone, MT to the Northern Tier at Minneapolis, MN
• Includes a wide variety of terrain including hills, mountains and prairies
• Can be joined with other routes to complete a cross-country journey

Experience the diversity of scenic hot spots and variable terrain while riding this route. The 1,288-mile route consists of three maps, and includes two short alternates in the Black Hills and Badlands National Park. In 1872 Yellowstone became the first national park due to its hydrothermal wonders. It sits on top of a dormant volcano and features more geysers and hot springs than anywhere else on earth. Devils Tower rises 1,267 feet above the Belle Fourche River, and looms above the northeastern Wyoming landscape.

The Black Hills are an isolated mountain range in western South Dakota. Their name comes from the dark appearance of the trees that cover them, as seen from a distance. Mt. Rushmore National Memorial and other notable sites are located here in these hills. One of the world’s richest fossil beds, Badlands National Park consists of pinnacles, spires, and sharply eroded buttes interspersed with the largest, protected mixed-grass prairie in the United States.

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