Needles Scenic Highway

7 Sep

OOOPS…I forgot to include the Needles Highway, in the Custer State Park post!

The Needles Scenic Highway was a spectacular 14 mile drive through pine and spruce forests and rugged granite mountains ending at Sylvan Lake.  The highlight of this drive was a unique rock formation called the Needle’s Eye.  This rock formation has an opening created by wind and water erosion, plus a natural process known as frost wedging.

The roadway was carefully planned by former South Dakota Governor Peter Norbeck, who marked the entire course on foot and by horseback. Construction was completed in 1922.  Imagine that!