Needles Eye Tunnel

Peter Norbeck planned the Needles Highway on foot and on horseback, and the tunnel that bears the formation's name shows why that mattered — you cannot engineer a slot this precise from a map. <cite index="1-3,2-1">The roadway was carefully plotted by Norbeck himself, and construction was completed in 1922.</cite> <cite index="1-2">The Needle's Eye formation takes its name from the opening shaped by wind, rain, freezing, and thawing</cite> — the tunnel simply formalized that gap into a one-lane passage through solid granite. At <cite index="1-11">8 feet wide and 9 feet 9 inches tall</cite>, it is <cite index="1-12">the narrowest tunnel on Needles Highway</cite>, and the clearance is posted clearly so riders can judge before committing.

<cite index="10-1,10-2">A distinct formation in the granite that looks like the eye of a giant's rock needle marks one of the more popular pullouts along SD Hwy 87 North.</cite> The small parking area gives you room to step off the bike, walk through on foot, and look back at the spire framed in the arch — the angle that draws most of the cameras. <cite index="7-8">RVs and vehicles with large trailers may want to avoid the drive</cite>, which in practice keeps the corridor quieter than its reputation might suggest. <cite index="5-16,5-17">The highway and tunnel are not open during the winter; the season typically runs from spring through sometime in October.</cite>