Needles Highway

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South Dakota State Highway 87
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South Dakota State Highway 87
View from Needles Highway
Enlarge
View from Needles Highway
Needles Highway
Needles Highway
Location: South Dakota, USA
Nearest city: Custer, SD
Coordinates: 43°49′26″N, 103°30′51″W
Governing body: South Dakota Department of Game Fish & Parks

The Needles Highway, near Custer, SD, is a scenic highway running through Custer State Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota. It is signed as part of South Dakota State Highway 87. The highway was completed in 1922.[1]

Along its 14 miles, the road winds its way through high granite "needles". It also has two tunnels blasted through sheer granite walls. These tunnels are less than 13 feet high and 11 feet wide. Owing to the narrow roadway, sharp turns, and low tunnels, the road has very little traffic. The vehicles that do travel this road are almost exclusively sightseers. Travelers on the Needles Highway are required to pay the admission fee to Custer State Park.

This road provides access to the Black Hills Playhouse and Sylvan Lake Resort.

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  1. ^ Tatanka: Guide to South Dakota’s Custer State Park, South Dakota Department of Game Fish & Parks, retrieved December 2, 2006.