If you ever visit western South Dakota, you must take a drive on the famous Needles Highway. During our travels throughout Deadwood (Deadwood, South Dakota: Entertaining Guests Since 1876.) and Rapid City, several locals highly recommended it. It’s part of South Dakota Highway 87, a 38-mile state highway that runs through Custer State Park (Custer State Park: South Dakota’s 1st State Park.) and the Black Hills, with the final 14 miles known as Needles Highway. Along the route, you’ll encounter breathtaking lookout points, caves, streams, tunnels, and striking granite formations – the spires and towers known as the “Needles.” Interestingly, this area was originally considered as the site for Mount Rushmore but was rejected by the sculptor due to the thin and poor-quality granite. 👎🏼
Located within Custer State Park, Needles Highway attracts around 300,000 visitors annually, drawing twice as many people as nearby Badlands National Park. Carefully planned by Governor Peter Norbeck, who marked the entire route on foot and horseback in the early 1900s, construction was completed by 1922. This scenic drive takes you past monumental granite needles, formed over millions of years by erosion from wind, rain, and freezing and thawing, as well as through spruce forests, meadows, and rugged mountains.
One of the most famous features of Needles Highway is the Needles Eye, a one-car-at-a-time tunnel measuring 8 feet, 4 inches wide and 9 feet, 8 inches tall, nestled among the spires. It is one of three tunnels along the highway but is, by far, the most popular. Formed through solid granite, it’s said to be the narrowest tunnel in all of South Dakota, so RVs and vehicles with large trailers are discouraged from attempting to pass through, although large charter buses manage to squeeze through daily.
It’s important to note that Needles Highway is very curvy and hilly, so cautious driving is strongly advised. Please allow sufficient time to travel at a safe speed, generally 25 miles per hour or lower. At one point, I had to pull over because a car, followed closely by a motorcycle, was tailgating me, making me uncomfortable given the elevation changes and blind curves. Also, as mentioned, the Needles Eye is so narrow that only one car can pass through at a time. There’s no official system to regulate this (like a light), so it operates on mutual respect. When I was about 7 feet into the tunnel, a car coming from the opposite direction decided they were going to go through first, even though I was already in the tunnel. They ignored my honking and flashing lights and continued forward, forcing me to carefully reverse out. It was incredibly rude and unsafe. Please be mindful and avoid being either of these types of drivers!
If you prefer not to deal with impatient and rude drivers yourself, you’re in luck! Private, open-air Jeep tours are available that take you along Needles Highway and back. You can book a “Scenic Byway Tour” lasting approximately 2.5 to 3.5 hours for up to four guests. During the tour, you’ll pass the spires of Needles Highway and see the stunning views of Iron Mountain Road. The tour includes 6 tunnels, the Needles Eye, scenic overlook stops, and the pigtail bridges. These private tours are a bit costly, typically priced between $225 and $625, depending on the tour group and number of participants. Two companies generally operate these tours: Black Hills Tour Company and Affordable Adventure Tours. More information about both can be found on their respective websites.
If you’re interested in hiking among the stunning spires of Needles Highway, the Cathedral Spires Trail is a fantastic option! This strenuous 3.2-mile round-trip trail takes about two hours to complete, with the trailhead located at Sylvan Lake. The trail winds through a picturesque pine forest before leading to a rocky outcropping that offers an up-close view of the Cathedral Spires. This trail is perfect for those who are pressed for time but still want to experience the beauty of the area on a hike. Rock climbing the Needles is also permitted. Unfortunately, we were on a time crunch to make it back to Denver that night, as we had an early morning flight the next day, so we did not get a chance to hike it.
Overall, no trip to western South Dakota is complete without a drive down Needles Highway. This stunning 14-mile route is one of the most picturesque drives in the country and is well worth the journey. Multiple South and North Dakota locals recommended that we experience this famous highway, surrounded by its beautiful rolling hills and towering granite spires, and now I am personally recommending it to you. It truly became a highlight of our trip, and I would love to visit it again!
