Drive Details and Logistics:
Length: 14 miles (allow 45 to 60 minutes of driving time).
Cost: Requires a Custer State Park entrance license, which costs $20 per vehicle and is valid for 7 days.
Season: Open seasonally from early April through mid-October, weather permitting; closed to vehicles in the winter.
Vehicle Limits: Features very tight, single-lane granite tunnels—like the famous Needles Eye Tunnel (8.5 feet wide and 9 feet high)—meaning large RVs, buses, and wide trucks cannot fit.
Main Attractions
Needle’s Eye: A dramatic, needle-like granite rock formation with a natural opening created by weather erosion.
Cathedral Spires: Towering granite pinnacles that inspired the creation of nearby Mount Rushmore.
Sylvan Lake: A picturesque mountain lake offering walking trails, boat rentals, and fishing.
