Day 19 – Tight Fit

One of the more scenic, but challenging roads to travel in Custer State Park is called the Needles Hwy. To travel this road we had to take the camper off the truck. With the camper on the truck we need a 13 feet clearance. The maximum vehicle height for the tunnels was 9 feet. 

At first you drive through some pine covered hills with grassy vales. There are rock outcroppings at the tops of hills peaking through the foliage. Several deer either hopped across the road in front of us or were grazing in the grassy clearings.


However, before long the road begins to climb and gets narrow. You wind up and around corners that reveal more and more distinctive rock outcroppings. It doesn’t take much imagination to figure out where the name “Needles” comes from. The rock spires appear to pierce the sky. Here too, as in the Badlands, erosion has worn away the softer rock leaving some astounding natural sculptures.




This was the first of the low and narrow tunnels. With the camper on we would have been too tall and too wide. We did not want to get stuck in one!











However, even with the camper off, Pat had to tilt the mirrors in to fit through the “Needles Eye” tunnel. For that one, some people were video taping us driving through. We suspect that is because it probably looked like we would get stuck. It was tight… just inches on either side of the truck!












At the highest point of the road, there were many cars parked alongside the road. It turns out that this is a favorite location of rock climbers. We saw one guy hanging at the top of one of the needles.  Nope, that is not for me! The view is probably amazing, but rock climbing is definitely not in my wheelhouse.




Many portions of the highway were not quite wide enough for two vehicles to pass side by side. So, one would have to wait for the other to pass. With drop-offs on my side of the truck, I was happy to see road lines and a wide enough roadway for two cars to easily pass. This road made the Cassiar Highway in British Columbia look like a wide highway! 






After the nerve-wracking drive, we stopped in at the Badlands Brewery for a couple of beers and tasty burgers before heading back to camp.

The amazing rock needles are a must see in the Black Hills, but a smaller vehicle would make the drive less challenging 😊

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