South Dakota Highway 87 is the road that Peter Norbeck wanted, and he was not a man to leave a line on a map to chance. The governor and later senator, a great lover of the Black Hills, scouted the route on foot and horseback around 1919, and the engineers did their best to follow his choices, blasting through granite where they had to. The result is a narrow road that threads through towering granite spires, the needles that give the highway its name, and passes through tunnels barely wide enough for a car. For a motorcyclist, it is one of the great short roads of the American Midwest.
The granite is the real star. Millions of years of weathering have carved the rock into tall, slender columns and sharply cut domes, some leaning, some balanced, all in shades of grey and pink. Pine and spruce cling to every crack, and at Sylvan Lake the water reflects the boulders and the forest in an almost Japanese composition. The highest point in the Black Hills, Black Elk Peak, is a short distance away, and the country around is thick with deer, bighorn sheep, and mountain goats.
The riding is tight and technical. The road twists and climbs, with sharp bends, narrow lanes, and little room for error. The Needles Eye tunnel is only about eight feet wide, so wide panniers and luggage need care, and the lower tunnels are lower still. Speeds are low, and the real skill is in looking well ahead and keeping the bike steady. Traffic can be heavy in summer, especially during the August motorcycle rally at Sturgis, when the whole area fills with riders. Early morning is the best time to ride it.
Custer, about nine kilometres to the south, is a small town with fuel, food, and lodging, and it is the sensible place to fill up before entering the park. There is an entrance fee for Custer State Park, and the road may be closed in winter after heavy snow. Watch for wildlife on the road, especially buffalo, which wander freely in the park and can be dangerous if provoked. Autumn is a good season, with fewer crowds and the golden aspens against the dark pines, though the weather can turn quickly in the hills.