A Birdseye’s View Of South Dakota’s ‘Needles Highway’
The unparalleled beauty of the Black Hills can't be measured in words. We are lucky to have them in the state of South Dakota.
Ask most people what the top attraction in the Black Hills is and they would probably say Mt Rushmore and would have to agree with that. However, there is a close second attraction for me. As a car enthusiast and nature person, I can't help but be drawn to Needles Highway.
I've driven coast to coast several times and seen a lot of natural beauty in this country, but the Black Hills probably has some of the best nature drives you to find anywhere.
Needles Highway is part of the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway. The 14-mile long Needles Highway was completed in 1920 and was named for South Dakota's 9th Governor and US Senator Peter Norbeck. The "needles" name comes from the soaring granite spires that resemble needles. The highlight is driving through three tunnels, the Needle's Eye Tunnel, the Hood Tunnel, and the Iron Creek Tunnel.
There is another fan of the Needles Highway, Carsen Bower from the South Dakota Drone YouTube channel. He was out there a couple of months ago with his drone and captured some spectacular footage of the highway. You can really see the natural beauty of the area from the sky. Makes me almost wish I was a bird so I could see that view every day.
Take a few minutes and enjoy Carsen's video and be sure to give him a thumbs up.