Best Black Hills Drives: Threading the Needles Highway.

The Needles Highway offers scenic mountain switchbacks at their best.

The Needles Highway has a special place in my heart, not just because of my childhood memories of vacations with my dad behind the wheel. When I was a younger man, mountain driving caused me to lose my nerve.

The Needles Highway is where I got it back. It was on those scenic switchbacks, narrow passes, and single-lane tunnels that I got my mountain driving confidence back.

It also happens to be right in the heart of the Black Hills and its vistas are a great way to start your day. It also combines great with other Black Hills hot spots like Black Elk Peak and the Custer State Park Wildlife Loop.

Other Attractions to Pair with The Needles Highway

You can drive the Needles Highway and take in a fair amount of stops in half a day, making it easy to pair with other Black Hills hot spots.

Touring Mount Rushmore & The Needles Highway

You can easily spend an hour or two at Mount Rushmore, then it’s less than a half-hour drive to the start of the Needles Highway.

Touring Lake Sylvan & The Needles Highway

Lake Sylvan is on the Needles Highway at the entrance to Custer State Park. It is arguably the best place to have a picnic. However, available parking is a complete dice roll. So, if you can’t get a place to park at Lake Sylvan, there are other areas along the Needles Highway for a picnic.

Touring Custer Wildlife Loop & The Needles Highway

The Needles Highway ends just a few miles from the start of the Custer State Park Wildlife Loop. The two experiences pair together perfectly for a full-day itinerary.

Touring Crazy Horse Monument & The Needles Highway

There’s an offshoot of the Needles Highway that will take you near the Crazy Horse Monument. You can easily do both and still have time in your day to do something else like visit Mount Rushmore or take a hike on one of the Needle’s Highway trailheads.

 

Best Scenic Stops & Hikes Along the Needles Highway

Over the last 40 years, I’ve had the joy of experiencing the Needles Highway from just about every imaginable angle. Ignoring when I got grounded in 1987 for trying to pee on the cars coming out of the one-way tunnel. I think these are the best scenic stops and experiences for a comprehensive Needles Highway experience.

Sylvan Lake

The Lake Sylvan parking area is right after the Custer State Park entrance from the Needles highway. Finding a spot here is tricky. There is no time of day that guarantees you a parking spot. I've been there at 8:30 am on a Wednesday morning to find it completely packed, and I've seen it only half full on a Saturday afternoon.

Lake Sylvan is beautiful. It gives good background for pics that will make your friends and coworkers envious. If you can find an open picnic table without being tripped by a soccer mom trying to beat you to it, Lake Sylvan is the ideal place for a picnic.

The lake, surrounded by giant boulders and pines, is one of the most photographed spots in South Dakota. Walk the easy 1-mile loop trail around the lake or rent a kayak if you have time. It's a perfect relaxing end after the dramatic highway drive.

The Lake Sylvan parking lot is also the trailhead for the 7-mile roundtrip hike to Black Elk Peak.

Black Elk Peak

The first time I hiked to Black Elk Peak was because someone on an internet forum told me “It’s an easy hike, and very picturesque.” I will grant you they were right about the scenery. Especially at the end, when you climb the manmade structure to what is officially the highest point in the State of South Dakota.

However, I wouldn’t call the 3.5-mile one-way hike to Black Elk Peak “Easy.” There were stretches where I wasn’t 100% sure I was on the trail. My golden retriever had to help me find the way and alerted me to something in the bushes that ran away when he started growling.

I would call it a “Moderate Hike” with a fair chance of it giving you blisters on your feet if you don’t have good hiking boots. You’re not going to see the face of God calling you home, but even for a physically fit middle-aged man like me, I was feeling it the next day!

Needles Eye Tunnel

The Needles Eye Tunnel is the most iconic experience on the Needles Highway. In truth, there are a few tunnels, but the eye is a very narrow 8' 4" wide tunnel carved through the granite spires.

Right next to the tunnel is the "Needle's Eye" rock formation, which is a natural spire with a hole in the center. There's a small pull-off where you can park and walk around for photos. It’s the luck of the draw if there’s actually a spot available, and it’s not the sort of place where you can wait.

Cathedral Spires Trailhead

The Cathedral Spires Trail parking area is near the Needles Eye Tunnel. Even if you don't want to do the full 1.5-mile hike, stop here, the view of the towering spires from the trailhead is impressive.

If you’re struggling to decide if you should hike the Cathedral Spires Trail. I would put it to you this way.

If the Black Hills is a once-in-a-lifetime trip for you, and you want an epic hiking experience, but the 7-mile round trip hike to Black Elk Peak is too much for you, then Cathedral Spires is the perfect sweet spot hike. It’s roughly 1.5 miles to the base of the spires. The scenery is a quintessential Black Hills experience

Needles Highway Overlooks

There are several unnamed pull-offs along the highway with sweeping views of the Black Hills and the granite formations. Don’t hesitate to stop at each of them as they all offer a different perspective, especially if you're looking for a prime golden hour sunset pick.

Pro Tip: If you couldn’t find a spot for a picnic at Lake Sylvan, there’s a great spot called the Western Custer Township View, and another at the Iron Creek Trailhead where you can pull over for a picnic. There aren’t picnic tables, but the scenery is great for eating on the hood of your car or the tailgate of your truck!

Hole-in-the-Wall

This is another very tight tunnel further along the drive called the "Iron Creek Tunnel.” Passing through it feels like squeezing through a solid mountain. It’s fun for photos, and there’s usually less traffic than at Needles Eye.

Pro Tip: There’s sometimes a little drama here as people try to figure out whose turn it is to squeeze through the hole. More than once, I’ve come across a random soccer mom acting out her traffic cop fantasies in the middle of the road.

Needles Highway Guided Tours

The Custer State Park and Needles Highway Tour is a great option, if you’re not comfortable driving the switchbacks and tight tunnels of the Needles Highway.

Yet you still don’t want to miss out on this iconic experience. They even have special parking near Lake Sylvan for awesome social media eye-candy photos!

They pick you up in Rapid City and take you on a small shuttle through the Needles Highway. The narration of the expert guide is great, but what I really liked about it was that I got to actually take in the vistas, without all the white-knuckle driving moves of my previous Needles Highway experience.

The other great thing about the Needles Highway Tour is that it includes Custer State Park. You don’t have to worry about entry fees, and the guides do a great job of getting you safely close to the animals. It’s an amazing two-for-one experience, and arguably your best chance to see bison outside of Yellowstone National Park. 

Final Thoughts on the Needles Highway

Driving the Needles Highway is one of those must-do Black Hills experiences. Especially if this is a once-in-a-lifetime vacation for you, the tight switchback road is still within the technical limits of what most people can handle. Yet it might be challenging if you’re new to mountain roads.  

Yet there’s honestly nothing wrong with taking the tour if you’re not comfortable with mountain driving. I’ve done both and appreciated not being behind the wheel for once.  

If you’re renting a car, I would get the added insurance and protection package. Those narrow tunnels love to chew on mirrors and bumpers like a little kid eating birthday cake!

To learn more about the Black Hills of South Dakota and enjoy other outdoor adventure guides you should follow Eric Beuning's Author Page.

Disclaimer: As an affiliate marketer, I earn from qualifying purchases. However, the cost remains the same for you