Patsy's Travels: Buffalo Ridge Campground, Custer, SD 2 of 3
Needles Highway Scenic Drive - Custer State Park - South Dakota
Needles Highway Scenic Drive, a part of the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway, is one of South Dakota's Best Scenic / Fall Drives.
Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway - Sturgis 2015
This was a road trip we took while in Sturgis SD 2015, It is very much condensed as the scenic byway is about a 2 hour drive, and the whole day was about an 8 hour drive. We made our way through a number of national parks including, the Custer National Park, as well as the Black Hills National Forest. This was the day we were in Custer for lunch.
Needles Highway
Recorded July 16, 2014
After splitting from US 16A, the route is known as the Needles Highway. This segment is 14 miles long and is part of the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway. Finished in 1922, the highway is named after the high granite needles it winds among. Access to the Needles Highway requires a Custer State Park entrance license, making that portion of SD 87 a toll road. The highway passes through two tunnels blasted through sheer granite walls—Iron Creek Tunnel at mile 25, and Needles Eye Tunnel at mile 31. 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.
From:
Scenic U.S. Route 16A to Mt Rushmore
U.S. Route 16A is a scenic United States highway, which divides from U.S. Route 16 in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The highway's western terminus is a junction with US 16 and US 385 in Custer, South Dakota. The eastern terminus is at an interchange with US 16 called the Keystone Wye south of Rapid City, South Dakota.
The route passes through Keystone, South Dakota; Norbeck Wildlife Refuge; Mount Rushmore National Memorial; and Custer State Park (including State Game Lodge and Legion Lake); before rejoining the parent highway.
Pigtail bridge at the exit of the same tunnel
US 16A is famous for its scenic, one-lane tunnels aligned to frame the faces on Mount Rushmore, its pigtail bridges, and its sections of divided highway but with single (and narrow) lanes on each roadway. It is the only route which can be used to drive through Custer State Park without having to pay an entrance fee for the park, provided the traveler does not stop in the Park.
Portions of US 16A are known as the Iron Mountain Road. The route includes most of the tunnels on the South Dakota state highway system, including the only four-lane tunnel in the state, just north of Keystone. Part of the highway is also a boundary of the Black Elk Wilderness. The Iron Mountain portion of the road is not maintained in the winter. The road, like several other scenic roads in the Black Hills, was originally laid out by Governor Peter Norbeck, specifically to create a very scenic, slow-speed road for tourists. The section of US 16A from SD 89 to SD 244 is known as the Peter Norbeck Memorial Byway in honor of the governor.[2] At the highest point of the byway, on the summit of Iron Mountain, there is a small memorial to Governor Norbeck.
Wiki:
Camera Stuff
Camera 1: Sony SLT A99 -
Camera 2: GoPro 4 Silver -
Lens 1: Sonnar T* 24-70mm F2.8 ZA SSM Carl Zeiss -
Lens 2: Sigma 35 mm f/1,4 -
Lens 3: Sigma 12-24 mm F4,5-5,6 -
Lens 4: Sigma 50-500 mm F4,5-6,3 -
POL-Filter: B+W circular F-Pro 77mm -
Flash: Sony HVL-F60M -
Grip: Sony VG-C99AM -
Tripod: Manfrotto MT190CXPRO4 -
Tripod Head: Manfrotto MHXPRO-3W -
Remote: Sony RM-L1AM -
Backpack: EVOC CP-26 -
Peter Norbeck Visitor Center
Peter Norbeck visitor center, Custer State Park South Dakota
Needles Highway Drive Thru - Custer State Park SD
A short drive-thru of Needles Highway, located in Custer State Park, in the Black Hills. South Dakota. Very scenic! At about 2:00 there is the Eye of the Needle, one of the rock formations that the Needles Highway derives it's name from.. You can also hike here and there is a lake west as you are leaving.
From wikipedia...
South Dakota Highway 87 is a highway running through the Black Hills of the U.S. state of South Dakota. The road's northern terminus is U.S. Route 16 and U.S. Route 385 about 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Hill City. The road's southern terminus is U.S. Route 385 about 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Pringle, South Dakota, or 14 miles (23 km) north of Hot Springs.
The highway passes through Custer State Park and Wind Cave National Park. The northern 14 miles (23 km) of the highway is also known as the Needles Highway. The Needles Highway, along with the US 16A concurrency, are also part of the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway. Portions of the highway are also a section of Custer State Park's Wildlife Loop.
Musis is Royalty Free Music and it's called Deliberate Thought by Kevin MacLeod
Deliberate Thought by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a CC Attribution 3.0.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license are available at
Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway Pigtail Bridges
The pigtail bridges were developed of necessity because of the extreme terrain through which this byway passes. The concept was new at the time and judged by the establishment as impossible. Built in 1932, we're still using them!
While it does not show in this video, as you emerge from the tunnel your view through the trees is the Mt. Rushmore Monument!
Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway / Iron Mountain Road
Needles Highway bus jumpers
Bus jumping
Black Hills, South Dakota - Custer State Park - Full Tour (2019)
Custer State Park is a South Dakota State Park and wildlife reserve in the Black Hills, United States. The park is South Dakota's largest and first state park, named after Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer. The area originally started out as sixteen sections, but was later changed into one block of land because of the challenges of the terrain. The park began to grow rapidly in the 1920s and gained new land. During the 1930s the Civilian Conservation Corps built miles of roads, laid out parks and campgrounds, and built three dams that set up a future of water recreation at the park. In 1964 an additional 22,900 acres (93 km2) were added to the park. The park covers an area of over 71,000 acres (287 km2) of hilly terrain and is home to many wild animals.
The park is home to a famous herd of 1500 free roaming bison. Elk, coyotes, mule deer, white tailed deer, mountain goats, prairie dogs, bighorn sheep, river otters, pronghorn, cougars, and feral burros also inhabit the park. The park is famous for its scenery, its scenic drives (Needles Highway and the wildlife loop), with views of the bison herd and prairie dog towns. This park is easily accessible by road from Rapid City. Other nearby attractions are Wind Cave National Park, Mount Rushmore, Jewel Cave National Monument, Crazy Horse Memorial, and Badlands National Park.
Various movies have been filmed in Custer State Park, including The Last Hunt (1956), How the West Was Won (1962) and A Man Called Horse (1970).
South Dakota Highway 87 (SD 87) is a 37.894-mile-long (60.984 km) state highway in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of South Dakota. It travels through the Black Hills region. The highway's southern terminus is at an intersection with U.S. Route 385 (US 385), about 6 miles (9.7 km) southeast of Pringle, within the southwestern part of Wind Cave National Park. Its northern terminus is at an intersection with US 16/US 385 about 3 miles (4.8 km) south-southwest of Hill City, within the east-central part of the Black Hills National Forest.
The highway travels through Wind Cave National Park and Custer State Park. The northern 14 miles (23 km) of the highway is also known as the Needles Highway. The Needles Highway, along with the concurrency with US 16A, are also part of the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway. Portions of the highway are also a section of Custer State Park's Wildlife Loop.
After splitting from US 16A, the route is known as the Needles Highway. This segment is 14 miles (23 km) long. Finished in 1922, the highway is named after the high granite needles it winds among. Access to the Needles Highway requires a Custer State Park entrance license, making that portion of SD 87 a toll road. Along this stretch lies the Black Hills Playhouse. The highway passes through two tunnels blasted through sheer granite walls—Iron Creek Tunnel and Needles Eye Tunnel. 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.
Just after Needles Eye Tunnel, Highway 87 serves as the northern terminus of SD 89. After this junction, SD 87 has one more tunnel, Hood Tunnel. It then provides access to the Sylvan Lake Resort. The route finally ends at US 16/385 south of Hill City.
Pigtails Peter Norbeck Byway
Pigtail bridges Iron Mountain/Peter Norbeck Byway
Black Hills, South Dakota - Custer State Park - Needles Eye Tunnel (2019)
South Dakota Highway 87 (SD 87) is a 37.894-mile-long (60.984 km) state highway in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of South Dakota. It travels through the Black Hills region. The highway's southern terminus is at an intersection with U.S. Route 385 (US 385), about 6 miles (9.7 km) southeast of Pringle, within the southwestern part of Wind Cave National Park. Its northern terminus is at an intersection with US 16/US 385 about 3 miles (4.8 km) south-southwest of Hill City, within the east-central part of the Black Hills National Forest.
The highway travels through Wind Cave National Park and Custer State Park. The northern 14 miles (23 km) of the highway is also known as the Needles Highway. The Needles Highway, along with the concurrency with US 16A, are also part of the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway. Portions of the highway are also a section of Custer State Park's Wildlife Loop.
After splitting from US 16A, the route is known as the Needles Highway. This segment is 14 miles (23 km) long. Finished in 1922, the highway is named after the high granite needles it winds among. Access to the Needles Highway requires a Custer State Park entrance license, making that portion of SD 87 a toll road. Along this stretch lies the Black Hills Playhouse. The highway passes through two tunnels blasted through sheer granite walls—Iron Creek Tunnel and Needles Eye Tunnel. 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.
Just after Needles Eye Tunnel, Highway 87 serves as the northern terminus of SD 89. After this junction, SD 87 has one more tunnel, Hood Tunnel. It then provides access to the Sylvan Lake Resort. The route finally ends at US 16/385 south of Hill City.
Needles Highway (South Dakota) - In Another Minute (Week 252)
--- ---
Needles Highway is the most impressive road that I have driven on - so far. Located in Custer State Park, along South Dakota Highway 87, Needles Highway is part of the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway.
The name of the highway, built in 1922, is inspired by the granite spires that the highway winds around. Highlights include the Cathedral Spires (a Registered Natural Landmark), the Needle Eye Tunnel and the Needle Eye itself. The wildlife we saw along the way, like mountain goats and chipmunks, I put into the accompanying video Custer State Park (South Dakota) - In Another Minute (Week 251), which I published last week.
You may notice that this video shows more photographs than actual video footage. That's because I wasn't all that satisfied with the material from my old Lumix now that I have the Sony RX-100... The photos were taken with a Canon 60D.
This will be the last video from our Black Hills road trip, which Scott, Whiskey and I took in September 2014. We are already planning to go back to Custer State Park and revisit Needles Highway and Sylvan Lake. I can't wait to hike around those granite Needles!
If you'd like, check out the other videos I made in the Black Hills.
Devils Tower aka Bear Lodge (Wyoming) – In Another Minute (Week 228)
Spearfish Canyon (South Dakota) – In Another Minute (Week 229)
Mount Rushmore (South Dakota) – In Another Minute (Week 246)
Crazy Horse Memorial (South Dakota) – In Another Minute (Week 247)
Custer State Park (South Dakota) - In Another Minute (Week 251)
The song in this video is the instrumental version of “I'll Be Right Behind You, Josephine” by Josh Woodward. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Thank you for all your great music, Josh!
For links to more information, please visit
Personal blog:
Facebook:
Twitter:
Flickr:
Google+:
YouTube:
YouTube:
Tumblr:
Vimeo:
Instagram:
Pinterest:
Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway - Spearfish to Savoy
A quick drive in late september 2010 from spearfish to savoy. Some still photos mixed in.
Music: Kevin MacLeod
Iron Mountain Rd 3: Tunnels and Pigtail Bridges
Riding Iron Mountain Road of the Black Hills, South Dakota. Hwy 16A south to north. This is the northernmost stretch of video I have, with two tunnels and three pigtail bridges.
Peter Norbeck Overlook, Iron Mtn. Highway, Black Hills, SD
This is a short video postcard from but one stop along a gorgeous sightseeing road in the Black Hills, 16A. I arrived with the moon setting in the pre-dawn hours, and stayed a while while the sun painted the landscape. Mercy the wonder-pup enjoyed herself, too.
Is Custer S.D. Cool Beans??
Custer South Dakota! A VERY cool beans place.
My name is Mike and I travel around with my dog Sober in my 2003 F450 Class C SunSeeker with a v10 engine, living on the road. My dog Sober's name has nothing to do with drinking, it is her personality. She is always calm and Sober!
Thanks for watching! Comment, Subscribe, and most important; Live Free!
MY EMAIL ADDRESS:
mikelivingfree@gmail.com
FACEBOOK
INSTAGRAM:
TWITTER
@nomadlivingfree :
ADDED A NEW BLOG! CHECK IT OUT IF YOU WANT! I haven't written a blog in many years!
Frequently asked Questions:
Equipment:
Gopro Hero 3+ Black, Gopro Hero 3 silver/white, iSteady Pro Hohem Handheld 3-axis Electric Gimbal, Adobe Premiere Pro editing software, various lapel mics wireless.
I got my dog named Sober in Slab City in 2013. Her name was Sober when I got HER. It has nothing to do with drinking. It's just her personality.
Creative Commons License:
Road Trip to South Dakota
The video showing pictures taken on my road trip to Devil's Tower, Spearfish Canyon, Mt. Rushmore, Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway and Badlands National Park in October, 2017.
影片中的相片是今年十月與朋友開車到南達科達州沿途所拍攝的美麗景色.
Pig Tail Hwy South Dakota
Pig Tail Ride near Mt Rushmore