Originally Posted by
lonehiker
Black Hills NF (Centennial Trail) can easily be hiked starting in mid May. Can be colder and a chance for a late snow storm but generally has good weather. This also gets you out before the mosquitoes and ticks become too active. Order a copy of "Hiking Centennial Trail" by Cheryl Whetham and Jukka Huhtiniemi. This guide has a listing of all the trailheads. Would be really easy to plan a 40 mile section. Call Rabbit Bicycle Shop in Hill City to arrange a reasonably priced shuttle if necessary. As you mentioned there are two readily accessible maps of the Black Hills from National Geographic maps. This isn't the most remote area though and you will be doing some Forest Service road walks and there is a section where you may encounter ORV traffic. I use this as my (almost) annual spring training hike.