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Needles Highway, Custer, SD

Photo: Little Mountain 5, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

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Needles Highway

SD Highway 87 in Custer State Park, between Sylvan Lake and Legion Lake · Custer, SD

Why you should go…

The Needles Highway is a 14-mile stretch of SD 87 inside Custer State Park, laid out by Governor Peter Norbeck on foot and horseback and finished in 1922. You wind through ponderosa pine and Black Hills spruce forest, meadows ringed with birch and aspen, and rugged granite spires. The Needles Eye Tunnel is only 8 feet wide and 9 feet 9 inches high, so check your vehicle size before you go.

  • #scenic drive
  • #black hills
  • #custer state park
  • #granite spires
  • #tunnels

Good to know

General sport & outdoor guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Weather calls the shots

    Check the forecast the morning of and keep an indoor backup in your pocket for the day it turns.

  • Shoes, water, sun cover

    The three things that decide whether you last the whole outing or cut it short after an hour.

  • Parking and launches fill early

    On a nice weekend, lots and trailheads are often full by mid-morning.

  • Daylight shrinks in shoulder season

    Spring and fall visits need an earlier start than the same trip in July.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Needles Highway, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Black Elk Peak

    $25–$50

    Climb to South Dakota's highest summit, topped by a 1930s stone fire tower with views across the Black Hills.

    1.8 mi awayMore like this

  • Stay
    Family Favorite

    Mount Rushmore KOA Resort at Palmer Gulch

    $50+

    A KOA campground and lodge near Mount Rushmore with cabins, RV sites, pools and Black Hills activities.

    4.4 mi awaySwitch it up: Stay

  • Tours
    Outdoor Adventure

    Black Hills Aerial Adventures

    $50+

    Take a helicopter tour over the Black Hills for aerial views of Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse and Custer State Park.

    4.6 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Stay
    Outdoor Adventure

    Custer's Gulch RV Park and Campground

    $50+

    A Black Hills RV park and campground near the west entrance of Custer State Park, with full-hookup sites and cabins.

    5.2 mi awaySwitch it up: Stay

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Black Hills Balloons

    $50+

    Sunrise hot air balloon flights over Custer State Park and the southern Black Hills.

    5.7 mi awayMore like this

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Black Hills Wilderness Edge

    $50+

    ATV and UTV rental outfitter for guided backcountry trail riding near Keystone, South Dakota.

    6.2 mi awayMore like this