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: http://timvp.com

needles highway