Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway
Needles Highway, SD

Driving through rock tunnels and winding past rock spires, the Needles Highway was labeled 'impossible' when it was constructed in 1919. That didn't deter Governor Norbeck, who supplied more than 150,000 pounds of dynamite and the determination needed to construct the roadway.

The Needles Highway curves and winds through 14 miles of magnificent rock formations called 'needles.' One of the most prominent rock formations on the route is the Needles Eye, reaching 30 to 40 feet in the air with a 3-foot-wide slit.