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The Atlas/South Dakota/Needles Eye Tunnel

Needles Eye Tunnel

The most iconic pinch-point on SD-87 (Needles Highway): a hand-carved granite tunnel measuring only 8 ft wide and 9 ft 9 in tall, with a small parking area and a direct view up to the namesake granite spire. Designed in the early 1920s by Senator Peter Norbeck to thread through the Black Hills' most dramatic rock formations, it's one of the most photographed tunnel portals in the American West.

South Dakota
Region
Viewpoint
Stop type
Standalone stop
Atlas
// Why riders stop

The natural pace-setter on the 14-mile Needles Highway loop — riders stop here to walk the viewing platform, frame a shot through the tunnel arch, and marvel at how Norbeck routed a highway through solid granite. Tight clearances mean most trailers are turned away, keeping the road uncrowded.

// Rider photos

Shot by the riders who've run it.

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