Needles Eye Tunnel, Custer State Park, South Dakota

Needles Eye Tunnel and clouds
Needles Eye Tunnel and clouds.

The Needles Eye Tunnel, completed in 1922, is a narrow, one-lane passage carved through a granite spire in Custer State Park, South Dakota. As part of the Needles Highway (SD 87), this engineering feat measures only 8 feet 4 inches wide and 11 feet 3 inches high, necessitating careful navigation for vehicles. The tunnel is named for an adjacent rock formation shaped by erosion, and it remains a key feature of one of the Midwest's most striking mountain drives. The highway connects the park's spire formations with routes leading to Sylvan Lake and Mount Rushmore.

Photo taken in July 2019.

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South Dakota
Badlands, Black Hills, and Custer State Park across multiple trips
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Custer State Park
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