Wimps trip to Sturgis... Deadwood...
 

My husband has always wanted to go to Sturgis. There is not much of a chance he could ride his bike there from Dallas because he can no longer ride long enough to make it within a reasonable time frame.
He says that he really just wants to see the area.
So, I thought I would surprise him with an abbreviated trip... NOT during the Rally.
We will fly to a market that does not require a connection from DFW.
That means Denver, Minneapolis, Omaha or Salt Lake City.
I know it's a long drive.
I could actually go in one a/p and out another.
Anyone have any thoughts about routes?
Whats the most scenic way to go and how long does it take to get there?
When does the weather start getting bad?
I know it's pretty broad topic... I appreciate your thoughts.
:)

Denver is the closest at 6 hours driving.
Omaha is 8 hours, can be done all on interstate.
Minneapolis and SLC are both around 10 hours.

Denver to the Black Hills would offer the most scenery, unless you like 3 hours of grassy rolling hills that cover most of SD west of the Missouri to the mountains of the Black Hills.

Weather often stays mild into mid November, but snow showers can occur as early as the end of September. One of our daughters has been snowbound at the end of 2 different Thanksgiving breaks as she was driving back across the state.

Denver or SLC would be my choice. Denver is closest, and you could sneak in a sidetrip to the mountains. SLC would allow you to sneak in a sidetrip to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons. I can't speak for the drive from Omaha, but from MSP it's a long drive and South Dakota will seem like the longest/widest state in the union by the time you get there.

I'd do it in mid to late September to reduce the chance of significant snow, and to give myself the chance to see some falls colors in the mountains, the bugling elk in rut, etc. I don't know what the one-way cost of a car rental would be from Denver to SLC or vice versa, but I suspect it'd be enough to deter me from flying in one and out the other.

I don't understand why you seem reluctant to fly into DEN and then onward to Rapid City and rent your car there.

Sturgis/Black Hills are 400 miles from Denver and unless you really want to do the drive...

We want to experience some of the ride, see some of the scenery.

If this is a "surprise" can you find out if he really wants to see Sturgis without the Rally? I'd make sure of that before I'd plan the trek.

You can fly into Denver then on to Rapid City, otherwise it's an easy drive from Denver north.

Fall is a gorgeous time to wander through the Black Hills and around Deadwood is especially pretty. Sturgis itself is nothing special during non-rally times--drive through Sturgis but stay and play in nearby Deadwood. I would aim for later in September...you should still be safe weather-wise then but of course anything can happen.

Yes... he wants to see it without all the crowds. The Rally is not something he would want to do at this point. He might if he were one of the guys who could take a couple of weeks off and have a motor home and bike trailer at his disposal :)
Denver seems to be the winner!

TxTravelPro,

Thanks for the clarification.

I grew up in the "scenery" between Denver and Rapid City so I'll leave it at that.

How about flying into DEN and OUT of RAP?