It was a beautiful morning. We did not feel like waking at 4 a.m. to search out a sunrise spot. The puppy-kid was very much at home in the tent. We slept in some, gathered our gear and prepared for a day of traveling. Coffee and a bagel from a shop in downtown Custer was just the time-saver needed to get us moving along with ease and wide eyes.
The plan for today was the Needles Highway (87) – an incredibly beautiful stretch of road between Legion Lake and Sylvan Lake (see map below).
The Needles Highway is a spectacular drive through pine and spruce forests, meadows surrounded by birch and aspen and rugged granite mountains.
The road’s name comes from the needle-like granite formations which seem to pierce the horizon along the highway.
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.
Visitors traveling the highway pass Sylvan Lake and a unique rock formation called the Needle’s Eye, so named for the opening created by wind, rain, freezing and thawing.
I do not recall how many times we stopped along Needles Highway, but it was frequent. There is so much gorgeous scenery to take in. To really take a look around you will want to dedicate more than the suggested 45-60 minutes. The road is curvaceous and steep in spots. Take you time and enjoy. Here are some shots from the Needles Highway. We went from Sylvan Lake to Hill City to Key Stone; from there we experienced the 17 miles of 314 curves, 14 switchbacks, 3 pigtails, 3 tunnels, 4 presidents and 2 splits along the Iron Mountain Road.
The first four photos are from an area between the town of Custer and Custer State Park and the last few are from Mount Rushmore area and the Iron Mountain Road.
If all that wasn’t enough, we were pretty entertained by the donkey’s in Custer State Park along the Wildlife Loop Road. Remember to bring a big bag of carrots and you will receive all the attention you want – perhaps more. They are characters.
It was quite a day and we saw a lot, but it wasn’t over. We continued on our way along the Wildlife Loop Road; just down the road from where the donkey’s where we ran into a bit of a stampede. The Buffalo were right out of the car window raging past the car – on the road, in the ditch and further out in the grass. We were at the park a few weeks before the roundup and parts of the herd were being moved closer to the Buffalo Corrals in the Southern part of the park. It was quite a spectacle. What a day!
It didn’t even occur to me to roll video until well after the masses of buffalo had come through, but here is short snippet of video of a few stragglers toward the end..
