Needles Eye Tunnel
Needles Eye Tunnel is an attraction in South Dakota, at a modelled elevation of 1,957 m. Black Elk Peak stands 2,207 m to the north-northeast, 1.8 miles off. The nearest named place is Aquarium Rock, a cliff 0.7 miles away. Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway runs past it.
The story
Tunnel in Custer County, South Dakota
Wikidata Q60240338, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Height limit
- 9'9"
What to expect
- Fee
- Yes
- Seasonal
- Yes
How to reach it
- On the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway, National
- 10.0 mi off the Wildlife Loop Road Scenic Byway
Overlooks nearby
- Needles Eye · 1 mi
- Needles other eye · 1 mi
- Cathedral Spires · 1 mi
- Flashers View · 1 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Little Devil's Tower: 0.8 mi
- Black Elk Peak: 1.8 mi
- Saint Elmo Peak: 3.3 mi
- Elkhorn Mountain: 3.4 mi
- Thunderhead Mountain: 4.0 mi
- George Washington: 5.0 mi
- Thomas Jefferson: 5.0 mi
- Theodore Roosevelt: 5.0 mi
- Abraham Lincoln: 5.0 mi
- Patriarch: 6.6 mi
- Upper Pine Creek Natural Area: 2.6 mi
- Norbeck Wildlife Preserve: 3.2 mi
- Custer State Park - Norbeck Wildlife Preserve: 4.2 mi
- Harbach Centennial Park: 5.9 mi
- Way Park: 5.9 mi
- Custer State Trail Challenge: Devil's Little Tower: 0.8 mi
- Custer State Trail Challenge: Cathedral Spires Trail: 0.9 mi
- Sunday Gulch Trailhead: 1.1 mi
- Hall of Records: 5.0 mi
- Bo The Bison: 5.2 mi
- The Indian Museum of North America: 4.4 mi
- Lincoln Borglum Visitor Center: 5.1 mi
- Sculptor's Studio: 5.2 mi
- 1881 Courthouse: 5.9 mi
- South Dakota State Railroad Museum, Ltd.: 6.4 mi
- Crazy Horse Memorial: 3.9 mi
- Crazy Horse Memorial: 3.9 mi
- Crazy Horse Memorial: 4.4 mi
- Gordon Stockade: 5.0 mi
- Mount Rushmore National Memorial: 5.0 mi
- Addie Camp: 5.7 mi
- Etta: 6.9 mi
- Bismuth: 7.3 mi
- Teddy Bear: 7.8 mi
- Tigerville: 10.5 mi
- Aquarium Rock: 0.7 mi
- Dam Back Side: 1.1 mi
- Ephel Duath: 1.3 mi
- Beecher Rock: 11.0 mi
- Sylvan Lake Beach: 0.9 mi
- Sheridan Lake South: 9.4 mi
- Sheridan Lake North: 10.2 mi
- terrace: 21.3 mi
- William Noordermeer Gardens: 21.8 mi
- Memorial Park Rose Gardens: 23.2 mi
- Spring Creek: 11.5 mi
- March-Dake Plaza: 23.3 mi
- Thunderhead Falls: 16.3 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 16.4 miles of Needles Eye Tunnel. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Elk Peak | NNE 22° | 2,207 m | 1.8 mi |
| Odakota Mountain | WNW 299° | 2,194 m | 11.9 mi |
| Green Mountain | NW 304° | 2,186 m | 13.5 mi |
| Bear Mountain | WNW 281° | 2,184 m | 10.1 mi |
| Little Devil's Tower | NNE 24° | 2,134 m | 0.8 mi |
| Copper Mountain | NW 304° | 2,111 m | 11.8 mi |
| Medicine Mountain | WNW 300° | 2,086 m | 9.7 mi |
| Round Mountain | WSW 256° | 2,016 m | 10.3 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 06:58 | 18:29 | 19:07 |
| June solstice | 05:13 | 19:57 | 20:41 |
| September equinox | 06:42 | 18:15 | 18:53 |
| December solstice | 07:26 | 15:33 | 16:20 |
Local time (America/Denver).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Sep.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 28 | 27 | 35 | 41 | 51 | 62 | 69 | 68 | 59 | 46 | 36 | 28 |
| Precip in | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 2.6 | 4.8 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 0.5 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — MT Rushmore Nmem, 5 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikidataOpenStreetMap element way/224161379
Day trips start here
- Wind Cave National Park · 19 mi
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